ASIA/INTS 455 [142]: Arabs in America
Spring 2007
TTh 11:00-12:15 in Dey Hall 307
Professor: Sahar Amer
Office Location: New West 306
Office hours: TTh. 12:30-1:30 and by appointment (962-0112 or samer@email.unc.edu)
Arabic LAC section (ASIA 490.006): W. 11:00-11:50 am led by Elena Yehia
in HM 351
French LAC section (FREN 308.003): Th. 6:00-6:50 pm by Emily Cranford in Dey 303
Guest Speakers: Tim Marr; Omid Safi, Christof Galli; Dunya Mikhail;
Course Objectives:
“Arabs in America” will trace the history and development of Arab American
communities in the US from the slave trade to the most important immigration waves
over the past two centuries. It will explore in particular the cultural, ethnic and religious
variety of these communities both at the national (the US at large) and at local (North
Carolina and the triangle area) levels. We will examine the multiple ways in which Arab
immigrants are both maintaining and reconfiguring their cultural, ethnic and religious
identities in a society where they increasingly face prejudice, discrimination and
misunderstanding, especially since the events of 9/11.
Class discussions will focus on the social, religious and political organization of
Arab communities in some of the main cities of the country (Dearborn, Michigan and
Washington, DC), as well as in the South and in North Carolina. We will discuss the
multiple cultural, literary and artistic contributions of Arabs to American culture.
Students will explore the collection of Islamic art at the Ackland museum, as well as the
material available at the North Carolina Historical Collection, especially the one related
to the enslaved Muslim scholar Omar ibn Sayyid (1770-1864). They will also assess the
new definitions of Arab American identities that newly arrived Arab artists propose in
their work.
Required Books (Available from Students’ Stores)
1. Sylviane A. Diouf, Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas
(NYU Press, 1998)
2. Evelyn Shakir, Bint Arab: Arab and Arab American Women in the United States
(Praeger Publishers, 1997).
3. Joanna Kadi (ed.), Food for Our Grandmothers: Writings by Arab American and
Arab Canadian Feminists (South End Press, 1994)
4. Mohja Kahf, Emails from Scheherazad (University of Florida Press, 2003)
5. Dunya Milhail, The War Works Hard, trans. Elizabeth Winslow (New York, New
Directions Books, 2005).
Documentary Films:
1. Tales from Arab Detroit; ACCESS, 45 Mins. 65-V5223
2. Benaat Chicago; 30 mins. 65-V6655
3. Islam in America. 60 mins. The Christian Science Publishing Society, 65V3419
4. Arabs in America. 29 mins. Jonathan Friedlander and Bill Wolfe. 65-V1406
5. The L.A. 8
6. Planet of the Arabs (official selection of the Sundance Film Festival 2005;
view 9 min. trailer online)
7. Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land
8. Hollywood Harems
9. Clips from the Siege, Indiana Jones and Not Without My Daughter
The Aftermath of September 11th; Arab Americans after 9-11: Epilogue to the
Tales from Arab Detroit/ Mandell, Joan; Wieske, Rich. Los Angeles: Olive
Branch Productions, 2003.
Websites for Arab films:
http://www.jsalloum.org/videos.html
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Requirements:
Active Participation in class and in electronic discussion board (10%)
3 short essays (5 pages each): 45%
Midterm exam: 15%
One class oral presentation: 10%
Final exam: 20%
Tentative Day-to-Day Syllabus
Th. Jan. 11th
T. Jan. 16th
Introductions and course overview
Historical Overviews: History of Arab and Muslim communities in
the US: from slavery to more recent immigration waves
HW:
(1) Michael Suleiman, “Introduction: The Arab Immigrant Experience” in
Arabs in America: Building a New Future, pp. 1-21
(2) Michael Suleiman, “The Search for Identity,” in Crossing the Waters:
Arab Speaking Immigrants to the US before 1940.
Th. Jan. 18th
Muslims in America: The Slave Trade
HW: Sylviane A. Diouf, Servants of Allah: African Muslims
Enslaved in the Americas
T. Jan. 23rd
Muslims in America: The Slave Trade, continued
HW: Case Study: “The Life of Omar ibn Said” in The
Multilingual Anthology of American Literature, ed. Marc Shell
and Werner Sollors
Th. Jan. 25th
Immigration: the first Wave. Who were they? Question of identity,
and the classification of race in the US at the turn of the 20th
century.
HW:
(1) Helen Samhan, “Not Quite White: Race Classification and the
Arab-American Experience,” in Michael Suleiman, ed. Arabs
in America, pp. 209-26.
(2) Suad Joseph, “Against the Grain of the Nation—The Arab,” in
Michael Suleiman, ed. Arabs in America, pp.257-271.
(3) Gendered Narratives of Migration: Evelyn Shakir, Bint Arab,
pp. 1-51 and 79-94.
T. Jan. 30th
Racialization vis-à-vis US Foreign Policy: New definition of being
an Arab American: “Over here is over there,” homeland politics
and diasporic identity
(1) Raouf Halaby, “Dr. Michael Shadid and the Debate over
Identity in the Syrian World, “ in Crossing the Waters
(2) Lawrence Davidson, “Debating Palestine: Arab-American
Challenges to Zionism, 1917-1932,” in Michael Suleiman, ed.
Arabs in America, pp. 227-240.
(3) Hatem Hussaini, “The Impact of the Arab-Israeli Conflict on
Arab Communities in the US,” in Settler Regimes in African and
the Arab World, ed. Ibrahim Abu Lughod, pp. 201-220 (DS 119.7
S42 1974)
Th. Feb. 1st
Political Awakening, Continued
HW:
(1) Janice Terry, “Community and Political Activism Among Arab
Americans in Detroit,” in Michael Suleiman, ed. Arabs in
America, pp. 241-256.
(2) Arab-American University Graduates (AAUG); ArabAmerican Professional Associations.
(3) “The Political Awakening (1972-1981),” in Gregory Orfalea,
The Arab Americans: A History.
T. Feb. 6th
The Production of the “Arab Muslim Enemy” in media and
Hollywood films
HW:
(1) Edward Said, Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts
Determine How We See the Rest of the World (selections);
(2) Jack Shaheen, “Hollywood’s Muslim Arabs” in A Community
of Many Worlds. (pdf file); and “The Hollywood Arab” (pdf
file)
(3) Ella Shohat, “Gender in Hollywood’s Orient” MER 162
(1990): 40-42.
Th. Feb 8th
T. Feb. 13th
The Production of the “Arab Muslim Enemy” in media and
Hollywood films, continued
HW
(1) Marsha Hamilton, “The Arab Woman in US Popular Culture:
Sex and Stereotype,” in Food for Our grandmothers;
( 2) Therese Saliba, “The Absent Arab Woman,” in Food for Our
Grandmothers
American Images of Arabs: Advertisements, cartoons, comic
books
HW:
(1) Ronald Stockton, “Ethnic Archetypes and the Arab Image,” in
Ernest McCarus, ed. The Development of Arab-American Identity,
pp. 119-153
Th. Feb 15th
American Images of Arabs: Advertisements, cartoons, comic
books, continued
T. Feb 20th
Hybrid Identities and Resistance: Literary Production of Arab
Americans
GUEST SPEAKER: Dunya Mikhail
HW: Dunya Mikhail, The War Works Hard (trans. Elizabeth
Winslow)
Th. Feb 22nd
Arab American Literature: Background
HW:
Arabian Nights
Orientalist paintings
Film, “Hollywood Harems.”
T. Feb 27th
Arab American Literature, continued: Subverting the Nights and
Orientalism
HW:
(1) Mohja Kahf, Emails from Scheherazad
Th. March 1st
Arab American Literature, continued
Joanna Kadi (ed.), Food for Our Grandmothers
T. March 6th
Arab American Literature, continued
Film: “Tales from Arab Detroit.”
Th. March 8th
T. March 13th
Spring Break!
Th. March 15th
Spring Break!
T. March 20th
Hybrid Identities and Resistance: Contributions of Arab Americans
to the Fine Arts
Ackland Museum
Th. March 22nd
The Arab American Art Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
HW: Mohja Kahf, Emails from Scheherazad
T. March 27th
Arab American Rap and Hip Hop
Th. March 29th
Arab American Comedians
T. April 3rd
Religious Identities of Arab Americans
HW:
(1) Yvonne Haddad
(2) Evelyn Shakir, Bint Arab, pp. 114-116.
(3) Film, “Benaat Chicago”
Th. March 5th
Guest Speaker: Omid Safi?
T. April 10th
Progressive Islam and Feminist Islam and homosexuality
HW:
(1) Evelyn Shakir, Bint Arab, pp. 104-111.
Th. April 12th
Contributions and challenges of Arab Americans to politics and
social issues: Before and after 9-11
T. April 17th
Arabs of Detroit
Th. April 19th
Arabs in the triangle area: Presentation by Christof Galli?
T. April 24th
Arabs in the triangle area:
Th. April 26th
Last Class: Conclusions, Synthesis
FINAL EXAM: