Arab American Women Negotiating Identities

Youth Development: An Ecological Approach to Identity

“…Curriculum engagement concerns the ways in which schools present material during instruction, including topics chosen for lessons as well as peer reactions to the lesson topic. For instance, partial information or misinformation related to current and recent historical events that touch on Arabs coupled with minimal factual instruction about Arabs in the classroom often lead to teacher and students promulgating stereotypical images of Arabs, especially Arab women, as uneducated and oppressed (Mango, 2012 ). Though multicultural education continues to invite widespread debate (Modood, 2013 ), experiences such as the above have led to calls for inclusion of Arab Americans in school curricula.…”

“…Though multicultural education continues to invite widespread debate (Modood, 2013 ), experiences such as the above have led to calls for inclusion of Arab Americans in school curricula. In particular, there is a perceived need to encourage teachers to address misrepresentations, and to empower all students, regardless of race or ethnicity, with the skills to recognize when thoughts of prejudice and acts of discrimination are being circulated (Mango, 2012 ;Tabbah et al, 2012 ;Wingfi eld, 2006 ).…”

Living In And Between "two Different Worlds": Arab American Women, Identity, And Their Interethnic Romantic Relationships

“…I had assumed that I would find that the women would share similar experiences; however, the qualitative research method use of storytelling allowed me to grasp that Arab American women have gone through their own unique experiences, including how each woman encountered her familial and romantic relationships. Similarly, Mango (2012) emphasized the importance for Arab American women to tell their stories in their own words. This reiterates that, although quantitative methods are beneficial, in regards to this field of research, qualitative methods must also be utilized for future research.…”

“…The developing notion of "self" that emerges when an Arab woman dates a non-Middle Eastern male may create uncertainty regarding cultural, familial, and individual identities. Mango (2012) utilized discourse and content analysis of focus groups with five participants in one focus group and six participants in the second focus group. Her focus was to look at first-generation Arab Americans and how they negotiated their "the Arab woman" identity.…”

“…Being directly connected to my participants in some way, I wished to create a positive experience for all respondents. In the previously mentioned study, because Mango (2012) is an Arab American, she had the advantage of establishing rapport within the focus group interviewees. In hopes of creating a positive atmosphere, I made my participants aware of possible similar cultural identities that we may share, resulting in…”