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Thinking Outside the Box: Arabs and Race in the United States
Summary
In this article, Cainkar discusses the unique attributes of the racialization of Arab Americans in the US. Initially, Arabs in the US enjoyed the privilege of being seen as whites, albeit marginally, but according to the author, this aspect has changed with their social status becoming that of a marginalized group sharing many experiences as people of color in the country. The author argues that the downgrading of the social status of Arabs in the US could be measured through the various “public policies, in mainstream representations, in social patterns of discrimination, separation, and exclusion, and self-identification (Cainkar 46). Generally, racialization in the US is based on the concept that whites are superior to other races. However, Arab racialization is different because it is historically tied to the rise of the US as a global power.
Analysis
The main point in this article is that Arabs in the US have undergone a unique form of racialization as opposed to other ethnic groups. Initially, Arabs were classified as whites and thus they enjoyed various privileges, such as land ownership and voting rights, which were inaccessible to other minority groups. However, with the rise of the US to become a global power, Arabs started being racialized, not because of who they are as people, but due to their homeland of origin.
Some of the theoretical issues that come up in this article include the issue of racism and how identities are formed. Race plays a major role in determining how people are judged and understood. In most cases, individuals are judged based on various attributes associated with race instead of being seen for whom they are, which is a deeply rooted misconstruction of human beings.
The major questions that arise from this article include whether racialization could be based on anything else apart from skin color. Another question is – can the racialization process be measured to assess how deep it runs in society concerning a certain race?
I agree with all the arguments that the author makes in this article. For instance, it is clear that initially, Arabs were classified as whites, and thus they were in a position to enjoy some privileges associated with whiteness. However, with the rise of the US as a global power, which created its lasting conflicts with many Arab nations, Arabs in the country started being profiled for where they come. This aspect presents what the author calls a unique experience of the racialization of Arabs in the US.
This piece challenges other readings especially on the claim that Arabs are responsible for their own stereotyping. The author is categorical that such arguments are based on the lack of information and understanding concerning the unique nature of the racialization of Arabs. Additionally, due to the isolation of Arab Americans from mainstream vehicles of dissent, the nature of their racialization process is not measured comprehensively using the various social indexes.
Kinship, Class, and Ethnicity
Summary
In this article, King-Irani seeks to explain kinship, ethnicity, and social class from an anthropological point of view. The focus of this study is the contemporary Middle East to illustrate the contexts and processes that people in this region interact within their day-to-day living. According to King-Irani, in the context of this article, kinship and ethnicity are examined “not as monolithic, unchanging facts, nor as independent variables, but rather as social constructs, adaptive strategies, political resources, and emotionally charged symbolic expressions of belonging” (313). Therefore, it is difficult to understand kinship, class, and ethnicity in isolation without acknowledging the role of each in contributing to the others. For instance, from an ethnographical perspective, it is clear that various ethnic groups in the Middle East interact and compete with each other within sociopolitical contexts of poverty and uneven development. Therefore, in light of this understanding, ethnic differences cannot be understood outside the context of politico-economic differences.
Analysis
The main point that the author presents in this article is that one of the best ways to understand ethnicity and social classes in the Middle East is from an anthropological perspective. As such, ethnicity would be seen as “one of many outcomes of group interaction in which there is differential power between dominant and minority groups…from this perspective, ethnicity is an aspect of stratification, rather than a problem on its own” (King-Irani 328).
One of the theoretical issues that arise from this article is the question of ethnicity and how it is defined in different contexts. Conventionally, ethnicity is defined as the state of belonging to a certain social group by sharing common cultural traditions or nationality. However, the author introduces a different perspective whereby ethnicity is a stratification problem as opposed to being placing people in one group based on where they come from. The main question that arises from this article is whether there is a universal definition of ethnicity. How do people ultimately come to belong to a certain ethnicity?
I agree with the majority of the arguments that the author makes in this article. The idea of assigning people to different ethnic groups based on shared nationalities or cultural practices is wrong because, within such contexts, people experience life differently. Additionally, I agree that ethnic groups in the Middle East are kin-based tribal groupings, especially based on the way they invoke shared identities. I also agree that understanding ethnicity in this region presents methodological and definitional challenges for researchers due to the heterogeneity of the various modifying factors.
This piece challenges other texts that assume that ethnicity could be understood in its entirety from a broad perspective of people sharing nationalities and cultures. The issue of ethnic minorities is at times misconstrued because as highlighted in the article, while some individuals could be ethnic minorities in the context of numbers, the same groups could be the dominant class in terms of wealth and social class.
Racism & Beyond: Black Arabs Talk About the Racism they Encounter
Summary
In this article, Nabbout chronicles the experiences of black people in Arab countries. In the beginning, the author makes an outright observation that the “Arab world is diverse but lacks people who accept and celebrate differences.” The author goes on to present the various racism experiences of different black people living in various Arab countries including Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. All the recorded experiences in this article point to the deep-running anti-black racism engraved in Arab societies from Africa to Asia and the Middle East.
Analysis
The main point that the author puts across in this article is that anti-black racism is a widespread problem in the Arab world. Nabbout says, “Anti-black racism has long been a problem in our (and other) countries but it is rarely discussed.” Therefore, by presenting the experiences of blacks in the region, the author hopes that there will be a change, specifically in how black people are viewed and treated.
The main theoretical issue that comes up in this article is that of racism and how it is normalized in different societies. It could be difficult for people to know that they are racist because it has become a way of life for them, hence normalized. With the experiences recorded in this article, it is clear that racism against black people in the Arab world is rampant and normalized. Some of the questions that arise from this article include – how has anti-black racism normalized in the Arab world? Are the experiences given in this article a question of isolated incidences or are they representative of what is happening in this region?
Based on the first-hand experiences of black racism in the Arab world as narrated by the victims covered in this story, I agree that this is a major problem in the region. I also agree with the author that the issue of racism in the Arab world is rarely talked about and while the region is diverse in its culture among other aspects, the majority of people are unwilling to accept and celebrate differences.
This piece challenges the widely held perspective that anti-black racism is a problem reserved for the US and the west in general. The contents of this article indicate that this problem knows no boundaries and even in Africa itself, blacks are discriminated against, specifically based on Ayman’s experiences in Egypt. He says that during his early days in school, his classmates would use racist remarks about him, such as being referred to as “Sudanese” or “chocolate head”.
Works Cited
Cainkar, Louise. “Thinking Outside the Box: Arabs and Race in the United States.” Race and Arab Americans Before and After 9/11: From Invisible Citizens to Visible Citizens, edited by Amaney Jamal and Nadine Naber, Syracuse University Press, 2008, pp. 46-81.
King-Irani, Laurie. “Kinship, Class, and Ethnicity.” Understanding the Contemporary Middle East, edited by Lilian Schwedler and Deborah Gerner, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008, pp. 309-344.
Nabbout, Mariam. “Racism & Beyond: Black Arabs Talk About the Racism they Encounter.” Stepfeed, 2019, Web.
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