Religion, Race, and Letterpress: Orthodox Christians in Nineteenth-Century New York City through the Lens of Kawkab America

Abstract

Abstract Kawkab America (Star of America) is the first Arabic-language newspaper in America, published in New York City from 1892 to 1908. Founded by Orthodox Christians from Ottoman Syria, the newspaper reported on historical and contemporary events across the globe. In this article, I analyze the representations of religion in Kawkab to reconstruct the ways a Middle Eastern immigrant community perceived religious diversity in nineteenth-century America. Kawkab engaged the contemporary discourses about “world religions” by expanding this category’s boundaries. And by downplaying the theological distinctions between Christian denominations, it represented Syrians as members of an ecumenical Christianity. To further reinforce the value of the Orthodox community as worthy American subjects, the newspaper also commented on morality and piety as universal, cross-confessional norms, which Syrians abided by and guarded. Kawkab’s use of these literary strategies testifies to Syrian Christians’ negotiation of religion, race, and culture in a transnational, diasporic space.