Daily Life of Arab Americans in the 21st Century (Daily Life Through History Series)

by Anan Ameri (Editor), Holly Arida (Editor)

Overview

The term "Arab American" is often used to describe a broad range of people who are ethnically diverse and come from many countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Some Arab Americans have been in the United States since the 1880s. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 did serve to highlight the necessity for Americans to better understand the discrete nations and ethnicities of the Middle East.

This title documents the key aspects of contemporary Arab American life, including their many contributions to American society. It begins with an overview of the immigrant experience, but focuses primarily on the past decade, examining the political, family, religious, educational, professional, public, and artistic aspects of the Arab American experience. Readers will understand how this unique experience is impacted by political events both here in America and in the Arab world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313377150
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/06/2012
Series:	Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	261
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Anan Ameri, PhD, is the founding director of the Arab American National Museum, Dearborn, MI.

Holly Arida is an educator and writer who specializes in Middle Eastern and Arab American affairs and teaches at Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School in Bloomfield Hills, MI.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction: Arab American Life and Culture Today Holly Arida ix

Chronology xvii

1 Arab American Immigration Anan Ameri 1

2 The Impact of 9/11, Middle East Conflicts, and Anti-Arab Discrimination Marvin Wingfield 29

3 The Family Randa A. Kayyali 57

4 Religious Life Anan Ameri 87

5 Arab Americans and the American Educational System Janice J. Terry 115

6 Professional Life Kathleen Marker 137

7 Public and Political Life Helen Hatab Samhan 163

8 The Arts Holly Arida 193

Glossary 223

Bibliography 233

Index 245

About the Editors and Contributors 259

Editorial Reviews

This book gives a satisfactory overview of Arab American life and provides some perspectives that will be valued by readers interested in culture and issues of diversity in the United States.” —Library Jourbanal

From the Publisher

In this work published under the auspices of the Arab American National Museum, Ameri (Arab American Encyclopedia) and Arida (Etching Our Own Image: Voices from Within the Arab American Art Movement), both of whom are affiliated with the museum, cover many dimensions of a large and diverse community. Readers interested in Arab American culture will find plenty of satisfying information on history, family, religious life, and the arts, though the quality of writing varies by chapter, with those covering "Religious Life," "Public and Political Life," and "The Arts" less packed with information and scholarly references than the others. Diagrams, photos, and demographic information are provided throughout, linking the essays to important sources of information for further research. Readers will do well to understand that political coverage in the book reflects more of an activist orientation than an objective analysis of events. Sensitive political topics, such as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the "War on Terror," are largely presented from a particular point of view, whereas other scholars of these conflicts have sharply contrasting views of events. The text also uses politically charged words such as "racism" to describe what some might see as valid security measures in the aftermath of 9/11 and relies upon reports and statistics provided by controversial activist groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Author Edward Said is referred to as "the preeminent Arab-American scholar" and his works are introduced without reference to scholarly criticisms, such as the view that he overstated his case in Orientalism or that his opionions on Israel have been brought into question. VERDICT Overall, however, this book gives a satisfactory overview of Arab American life and provides some perspectives that will be valued by readers interested in culture and issues of diversity in the United States.—Justin Parrott, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH

Library Journal