The Creation of “Arab American”: Political Activism and Ethnic (Dis)Unity 1

Abstract

This paper argues that the label Arab American as it is framed by Arab-American organizations and used in research on Arab Americans is in essence a political category (speaking to political activism), and that there are significant consequences to the Arab-American identity and community in terms of its narrow social construction. The definition of Arab American, as exhibited in most research and writing about Arab Americans which was formed in the aftermath of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, has essentially marginalized and rendered significant portions of the Arab-American community invisible, primarily those who do not exhibit readily observable cultural traits (such as Arabic language proficiency) as well as a lack of political activism around specific causes (such as Palestine and the invasion of Iraq). This marginalization within a marginalized community is what I refer to as double marginalization. This paper argues that this invisibility and diminished authenticity has resulted in a significantly skewed understanding of the Arab-American community. Political activism, while a potential source of creating unity in a diverse ethnic community, can also be source of unity and disunity, as it has been in the Arab-American community.