EDUCATION
Ph.D. in Sociology at University of California, San Diego, expected 2017
Visiting Scholar at Trinity College Dublin's Irish School of Ecumenics, 2011
M.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies at University of Texas, Austin, 2008-2010
Thesis: Economic Conditions Among Iraqi Refugee Women Living in Jordan (+doc. film)
Supplemental Coursework in Conflict Resolution at University of Jordan, 2009-2010
International Relations and Diplomacy Studies
B.A. in Sociology at University of Texas, San Antonio, 2008
Certificate of Legal Reasoning at the Institute for Law and Public Affair, UT San
Antonio, 2007
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Refugees, international immigration, human rights, Middle East, gender
PUBLICATIONS:
Arar, Rawan. 2013. “Conkey, Margaret.” Pp.406-409 in The multimedia encyclopedia of
women in today's world, edited by M. Stange, C. Oyster, & J. Sloan. Thousand
Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Arar, Rawan. 2010. “Citizenship, Gender, and the Arab World.” Al Raida.
Spring/Summer 2010 (129): 60-63.
Arar, Rawan. 2010. “Letter from Rawan.” Pp. 23-29. Letters from Palestine, edited by
K. Ring & Ghassan Abdullah. Tuscan: Weatmark,
Panoyan L, Lee S, Arar R, Abboud HE, Arar N. 2008. “The Informed
Consent Process in Genetic Family Studies.” Genomics, Society
and Policy 4(2):11-20.
Arar, Rawan. 2009. Book Review in Ethnic and Third World Literature of Droeber, Julia.
2005. Dreaming of Change: Young Middle-Class Women and Social
Transformation in Jordan.
PAPERS IN PROGRESS:
“Strategic Anonymity and the Navigation of Social Networks: The Case of Iraqi
Refugees in Jordan”
The focus on economic migrants has led scholars to believe that political migrants,
including refugees and asylum seekers, utilize social networks in similar ways. I argue
that the utility of social networks looks very different when we examine the migration
processes of some political migrants. Some asylum seekers must exercise caution in the
face of potentially dangerous new relationships, or ties, in receiving countries. To
navigate social networks, I argue that some political migrants practice strategic
anonymity—proactive acts of withholding personal information to maintain security for
oneself and his or her family. I rely on 30 interviews with Iraqi refugees in Jordan.
“The Adoption of the Israeli-Palestinian Narrative in Northern Ireland”
Much of the violence that defined The Troubles in Northern Ireland came to an end with
the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 and the paramilitary ceasefire four
years earlier. However, the animosity that has divided Unionist and Nationalist
communities continues to thrive. This research explores how the appropriation of the
Israeli-Palestinian narrative has perpetuated an “us” versus “them” mentality in the
post-peace agreement era in Northern Ireland.
SELECTED FELLOWSHIPS, AWARDS, AND PRESENTATIONS:
UC Human Rights Collaborative Participant
Middle Eastern Studies Association Conference
American Sociological Association Conference
Over 65 presentations at Rotary Clubs and universities in the
Middle East, Europe, and the U.S.
Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to Jordan
Judicial Intern Scholarship: Supreme Court of the United States
Congressman Bill Archer Fellowship
Carlos and Malu Alvarez Special Opportunities Fund
COLFA Presidential Scholarship
Great Conversations Scholar
Texas Bar Foundation Grant
UTSA Foreign Language Award: Arabic
LANGUAGES:
Fluent in English, fluent in Arabic with basic literacy, basic Spanish
2012-2013
2012, 2013
2012, 2013
2008-2011
2009-2010
Spring 2008
Spring 2008
Spring 2008
Fall 2007
Fall 2007
Summer 2007
Spring 2008