Syracuse University Press Arab American Women: Representation and Refusal (Critical Arab American Studies)

About the Author Michael W. Suleiman was a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Political Science at Kansas State University. He is the author of numerous books, including Arab Americans: Continuity and Change. Suad Joseph is Distinguished Research Professor of Anthropology and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies at the University of California, Davis. She is the editor of Arab Family Studies: Critical Reviews. Louise Cainkar is associate professor of social welfare and justice at Marquette University. Product Description Arab American women have played an essential role in shaping their homes, their communities, and their country for centuries. Their contributions, often marginalized academically and culturally, are receiving long- overdue attention with the emerging interdisciplinary field of Arab American women's studies. The collected essays in this volume capture the history and significance of Arab American women, addressing issues of migration, transformation, and reformation as these women invented occupations, politics, philosophies, scholarship, literature, arts, and, ultimately, themselves. Arab American women brought culture and absorbed culture; they brought relationships and created relationships; they brought skills and talents and developed skills and talents. They resisted inequities, refused compliance, and challenged representation. They engaged in politics, civil society, the arts, education, the market, and business. And they told their own stories. These histories, these genealogies, these narrations that are so much a part of the American experiment are chronicled in this volume, providing an indispensable resource for scholars and activists. Review A landmark work in an important and emergent field.-- "Leila Ahmed, The Divinity School, Harvard University"A masterpiece. This is the most impressive, comprehensive, and courageous scholarly undertaking. Never before the experiences of Arab American women, spanning over a century, had been explored from such a wide variety of disciplines and perspectives. A must reference to all those interested in the field of women, gender and sexuality, as well as the intersection of these fields with the politics of the deep-rooted racism, anti-immigration, and Islamophobia in our nation.-- "Anan Ameri, Ph.D. Founding Director of the Arab American National Museum (retired)"An outstanding volume on Arab American Women -- their labor histories, writing, activism and struggles. This volume is indispensable for scholars of gender and immigration.-- "Fida Adely, Clovis and Hala Maksoud Chair in Arab Studies, Georgetown University"This impressive and beautifully organized volume breaks new ground in defining and crystallizing the field of Arab American women studies. . . . A must read and a key reference point in the field.-- "Mounira Maya Charrad, associate professor, University of Texas in Austin"This remarkable volume provides the single best account of Arab American women's lives in the United States, including their history as migrants, workers, family members, writers, community leaders, and activists.-- "Marcia C. Inhorn, Yale University, author of America's Arab Refugees: Vulnerability and Health on the Margins"This rich and wide-ranging collection is essential reading for anyone interested in the histories, politics, and cultures of Arab American women. It is also an exemplar of intersectional scholarship, linking and speaking to American Studies, Middle East Studies, and Women and Gender Studies.-- "Lisa Hajjar, professor of sociology, University of California - Santa Barbara"This thought-provoking collection will leave readers with a deeper understanding of issues including immigration, war, surveillance, and community. It will spark important conversations about the interplay of ethnicity, class, and gender for many years to come.-- "Nadine Sinno, associate professor of Arabic, Virginia Polytechnic Institute"Through in