Racialized political shock: Arab American racial formation and the impact of political events

Zarrugh, Amina

doi:10.1080/01419870.2016.1171368

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Compounding the immigration and resettlement stressors for MENA Americans is living in a hostile national environment and having to endure a pervasive negative sentiment toward their group (Arab American Institute Foundation, 2002). Americans of MENA descent may be vulnerable to the aftermath of events that lead to “racialized political shocks” (Zarrugh, 2016, p. 272). These shocks occur following atrocities such as Pearl Harbor and 9/11, after which extreme national policy responses can include increased surveillance and policing and marked restrictions on freedom and liberty for a particular identified racial group (Akram, 2002).…”

Section: Macrolevel Factors Related To Mena Experiences Of Cumulative...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A model of cumulative racial–ethnic trauma among Americans of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent.

Awad

Kia‐Keating

Amer

2019

American Psychologist

101

107

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Americans of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent in the United States have been historically understudied, in part due to limitations of racial classification systems that typically include MENA under the broad umbrella of White. As a result, enormous gaps in knowledge about health and mental health disparities exist, with broad public health significance. In particular, there is an urgent need to attend more specifically to MENA Americans’ experiences of cumulative racial–ethnic trauma, which occurs at every level of their social ecologies. This article offers a conceptual model of cumulative racial–ethnic trauma to represent the unique experiences of the MENA American population. Traumatic factors at the macrolevel include historical trauma, pervasive institutional discrimination, and a hostile national context. These factors interact with one another and further impact microlevel traumatic experiences related to interpersonal discrimination and microaggressions, as well as struggles with identity and recognition. The deleterious impacts of these experiences may include a ubiquitous sense of insecurity, hopelessness, and alienation among MENA American individuals, in addition to more specific mental health and physical health concerns. It also compromises the overall well-being of the MENA American population in terms of belonging versus alienation, freedom versus restriction, and opportunities versus disadvantage. We discuss how the model can help to create a foundation for future inquiry and contribute to intervention efforts to find effective ways to support resilience and thriving for the MENA American population.

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Section: Macrolevel Factors Related To Mena Experiences Of Cumulative...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A model of cumulative racial–ethnic trauma among Americans of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent.

Awad

Kia‐Keating

Amer

2019

American Psychologist

101

107

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“…31 While not all Syrian refugees are Muslims, they have become linked by perceived association with terrorism, and as a result, are attacked. 32 The sex of Syrian refugees in the US complicates the interpersonal targeting. Women who wear the hijab are more conspicuous than men.…”

Section: Racialization and Targetingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Mental Health of Syrian Refugees in the United States: Examining Critical Risk Factors and Major Barriers to Mental Health Care Access

Armstrong-Mensah

Mitha

McNair

2023

Int. J. Transl Med Res Public Health

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Owing to the 2011 civil war, many Syrians have become displaced internally within the country, have fled to neighboring countries in the region, or have resettled as refugees in the United States (US) through the United States Resettlement Program (USRP). Few studies have been conducted on the mental health of adult Syrian refugees in the US. We conducted an ecological study on the relationship between the mental health status of Syrian refugees in the US, risk factors that negatively affect their mental health post-settlement, and the barriers that prevent them from seeking mental health care. We found that racialization, targeting, under-employment, and concerns about relatives still in Syria negatively affect the mental health of Syrian refugees post-settlement. Challenges with the English language, stigma, lack of access to adequate insurance and transportation, and poor health system acculturation were barriers to Syrian refugee mental health care-seeking behavior in the US. While the US is accepting and resettling Syrian refugees in various parts of the country, it is also important that it focuses on and invests in the mental health needs of the refugees, so as to improve their physical and mental well-being. Copyright © 2023 Arsmtrong-Mensah et al. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0.

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“…Individuals have been migrating to the United States from the MENA regions since the late 1800s (Zarrugh, 2016). However, in recent decades, political turmoil and economic opportunities increased the number of immigrants from the MENA regions to the United States as well as to other parts of the world.…”

Section: Who Are Arab/mena Americans?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Foundations for an Arab/MENA Psychology

Awad

Ikizler

Salam

et al. 2021

Journal of Humanistic Psychology

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Arab/Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) American psychology is a field rooted in ethnic studies and multicultural psychology. Although its study is relatively nascent in U.S. psychology, it has slowly been growing since the 1990s. The events of 9/11 resulted in an increase in psychological research on the Arab/MENA population in the United States, providing empirical evidence to inform the historical and social foundations for an Arab/MENA psychology. This article seeks to identify key elements and factors present in an Arab/MENA psychology focusing on issues of identity and recognition, discrimination, cumulative racial-ethnic trauma, acculturation, and cultural values, such as hospitality and generosity, morality, family centricity, honor and shame, religiosity, and communication style.

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Racialized political shock: Arab American racial formation and the impact of political events

Cited by 12 publications

References 30 publications

A model of cumulative racial–ethnic trauma among Americans of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent.

A model of cumulative racial–ethnic trauma among Americans of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent.

The Mental Health of Syrian Refugees in the United States: Examining Critical Risk Factors and Major Barriers to Mental Health Care Access

Foundations for an Arab/MENA Psychology

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