Center for Arab American Studies

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Wed, 12/06/2023 - 19:43

A halal butcher, a local rapper, a podcasting empire and a beloved coffee house are all featured in the “Arab American Perspectives: Filmic Visions of Dearborn” student film showcase.

Rapper Esa Mighty of Dearborn, left, talks about his life in the Southend with ��-Dearborn JuMP students Cortney Markham and Aaron Vensko. Photo/Sarah Tuxbury

Course demonstrates the importance of public cultural work

rudmehta — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 18:32:06 +0000

Course demonstrates the importance of public cultural work rudmehta Wed, 11/30/2022 - 13:32

Since he was a child, Ahmad Alkaabi had the same barber cut his hair. The barber, Alaa Ridha, would ask Alkaabi about his day, school and family.

But it was through a College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters course that Alkaabi took the time to ask Ridha about his life, his Iraqi-American experience.

“I’ve known him for so long, but it was the first time I sat down and had a conversation with him about his life—like why did he come to the United States, when and how,” said Alkaabi, a sociology major. “This class gave me the opportunity to really know him.”

The class, Arab American Studies 315: Public Cultural Work in Arab Detroit, encourages students to explore the culture around them by asking people to share their stories. Nearly 20 students spent the winter semester reading Iraqi history and writings, and—most importantly—interviewing Iraqi-Americans, like Ridha, and gathering their stories as primary source research.

The course, led by History Professor Pam Pennock and History Associate Professor Sally Howell, explores the many ways in which Dearborn and Detroit have been shaped by their Arab and Muslim communities—and specifically Iraqi community—and how the area’s Arabs and Muslims are equally a product of the social, economic and cultural history of metropolitan Detroit.

“We want to introduce the value and excitement of doing public cultural work and the importance of doing it in your own community. We are fortunate to have such a rich history and culture right here with our Arab and Muslim communities,” said Howell, who notes that both Arab and Muslim communities have been in the area for more than 100 years and that their histories are deeply embedded within those of Detroit and the auto industry since the early 1900s.

Focusing on the Iraqi experience was a collaborative decision between the class and the educators.

“Students in the class felt like the story of the Iraqi migration here in Detroit is not really being told,” Howell said. “And when it is being told, it is being told from an outsider’s perspective that emphasizes the miskeen nature of the refugees instead of talking about their contributions and really diving into their experiences. So the class wanted to do their part to change that.”

The course was funded through a community-supported challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The grant was awarded to University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Center for Arab American Studies, where Howell is the director.

Howell said the course’s objectives remained the same throughout the term, but the project’s scope evolved. Students first presented their oral history projects to each other and then to an audience that included alumni, community members and Iraqi-Americans—including those who took part in the project—in attendance.

Howell and Pennock evaluated the presented research, along with Arab American National Museum Research and Content Manager and University of Michigan faculty Matthew Jaber Stiffler, and Lamees Al Ethari, a faculty member at University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, whose research area is Iraqi migration.

“Mass media stories are great and useful, but tend to miss the everyday. The story of community is in the details and these students are going out to do oral histories to get the details so future generations will have them,” Stiffler said. “The presentations were fantastic and I’m looking forward to seeing the exhibit.”

Howell said the students were so moved by the stories they heard that they wanted to make the research available to a larger audience.

“They saw these common themes—such as shifting cultural identity, wanting to provide a better life for their children and reinventing their career paths for economic success in America—and wanted to create an exhibit so others could also have the chance to hear these stories and see these themes,” she said.

A team of students from the course will continue to develop the exhibit over the summer. The final exhibit will be showcased this fall in the CASL Building and at the Destination Detroit conference Sept. 27-29 at the University of Michigan Detroit Center.

Freshman Nour Ali, who will work on finishing the exhibit over the summer by collecting additional recorded oral histories and taking photographs of the Iraqi-Americans involved, said taking this course has strengthened her pride in being Iraqi-American and has helped her better understand her family’s story. Ali’s father was exiled from the country after Hussein came to power.

“Talking with other Iraqi-Americans and hearing their stories, it made me realize that my family wasn’t alone in their experience; I wasn’t alone,” said Ali, who is majoring in international studies and, after the course, decided to minor in Arab American studies. “Growing up, I wouldn’t tell people that I was from Iraq; I was worried that people would see me negatively. But now I am proud of where my family came from, and I respect everything they have done to give us a better life. I want the Iraqi story to be heard.”

Experiential Learning

Undergraduate Research

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Mon, 05/14/2018 - 05:00

Through a new course, students learned how to interact with their community, gather personal stories and present those experiences to a broader audience.

Halal Metropolis exhibition series opens Friday

rudmehta — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 17:36:01 +0000

Halal Metropolis exhibition series opens Friday rudmehta Wed, 08/10/2022 - 13:36

This article was originally published on January 14, 2020.

Culture is the way people find a sense of community and belonging. The Halal Metropolis Exhibition explores the many ways in which the Muslim communities of Metro Detroit contribute to the culture of the region and vice versa.

In Dearborn, this can be seen in the way a Christmas tree is repurposed into a crescent moon to celebrate Ramadan. Or in the line of customers waiting at Al Joom’s BBQ for that special cut of halal brisket. Or in the brightly embellished Sanaani dresses Yemeni women wear for local weddings with the latest scarves from Haute Hijab.

Most people know that Dearborn has the largest concentration of Muslims in the U.S. — the city’s Muslims were recently featured on The Simpsons and in many a Twitter feed — but there are many things not known about the ways in which Muslim culture is shaping and being shaped by the larger culture of the region. That’s where Halal Metropolis comes in.

The exhibition series, created by ��-Dearborn’s Center for Arab American Studies Director Sally Howell, U-M Associate Professor or Art Osman Khan and local documentarian Razi Jafri, explores the ways Muslim American culture and metro Detroit culture are now being created dialogically - especially in Dearborn where Muslims practice their faith and live their everyday lives in a community that comfortably accommodates them. Focusing on the visibility of local Muslim cultural practices, the exhibit has traveled to Detroit, Hamtramck, and Howell already, and now the ever-evolving installation has come to Dearborn.

Opening Friday, Halal Metropolis can be experienced on the Mardigian Library’s first floor’s Stamelos Gallery Center through April 3. An Opening Reception will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday. The event is free and open to the public, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.

The exhibition includes home videos from the late 1950s and early ‘60s of a Dearborn family visiting the Ford Rotunda’s Christmas Fantasy, celebrating Thanksgiving and Eid, and relaxing at Camp Dearborn. Works from local Muslim artists are featured. And there is a historical display of news clippings, photos and memorabilia, including a 1919 poster announcing plans to build Michigan’s first mosque in Highland Park.

“My last book focused on the history of mosques,” says Howell, “but my recent work looks instead at things outside the mosques - at the contributions Muslims are making in socioeconomic, cultural, and political spheres.“This exhibit shows the deep roots that Muslims have here. I feel it is important for us to recognize the neighborhoods and communities where Muslims can practice their faith freely, but to also look beyond the Muslimness of these spaces, to see the many other qualities they represent. Our project looks at the food, politics, cultural celebrations, art — whatever allows someone to express their full selves in these halal spaces.”

U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib at her 2018 watch party celebration. Photo by Razi Jafri

Jafri (‘05 B.S.), who grew up Downriver, spent the past week meticulously arranging portraits from floor to ceiling on the wall. They are images he took of local residents (some in CASL’s JASS Studio) stepping out for the holidays in eye-catching clothing.

“It’s the intersection of fashion, modesty and consumerism: Three things that you normally don’t associate together. Look at this man. He has Burbery trim on his keffiyeh. He embodies hip hop, Arab culture, high fashion and modesty — all in one. Muslims are influenced by the world around them, just like Muslims are influencers,” Jafri says, mentioning how actor Rami Malek won a Golden Globe a few days prior. “Through art, I want to create an awareness about our community that is frequently misunderstood, misrepresented and underrepresented in the media and in American culture, yet has a huge impact on American culture. Sharing culture is a way to reach hearts and minds.”

Jafri says reaching out to others is something he began to do after 9/11 when he was a ��-Dearborn sophomore. He recalls feeling shocked and scared, but that was the first trauma. The second trauma was the Islamophobia that followed. He looked for ways to educate and keep lines of communication open for dialogue here on campus. He served as the education chair for the Muslim Student Association, took part in the campus’ Pluralism Project, and founded a campus chapter of Americans for Informed Democracy.

“I was barely 20, but I saw that it wasn’t about religion, the prejudice was appearance based — about being perceived as Muslim. Someone could be a Sikh and get shot and killed because of how you looked. People fear what and who they do not know. My goal was, and still is, to share that we are people who want the best for our families, neighborhoods and communities just like everyone else. And look what wonderful culture — art, fashion, food, music — we are creating in the process.”

Howell, who has worked in the Dearborn community for more than 30 years, says there are so many aspects to this exhibit that non-Muslims and Muslims both will learn something new. It might be that Orville Hubbard liked raw kibbe. About the work of a new favorite artist. Or a newfound appreciation of how the Dearborn of today came to be. Or, possibly, a stronger connection to our community and the people within it.

“It’s foundational to American culture to say we are made up of people who have come from different places and that our nation is built on the idea of liberty and justice for everyone. But there is a tension inherent in these words when we recognize that they have never been applied they universally. Muslims have been here since the country’s founding. They have deep roots in this community especially where they have created thriving neighborhoods, schools and economies, despite facing many challenges. They’ve given and continue to give a tremendous amount and they have a great story to tell.”

For more information, go to the Halal Metropolis website.

Upcoming educational Gallery talks are:

6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23: Making the Halal Metropolis Project
6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6: Culinary Pioneers
6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20: Fashion Influencers
6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 12: Dearborn Foodies
6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 26: Innovating the Halal Holiday

2019 Ramadan lights in Dearborn. Photo by Razi Jafri

Events

Faculty Research

Stamelos Gallery Center

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Tue, 01/14/2020 - 06:00

The exhibition series looks at food, politics, cultural celebrations, art and more — whatever allows someone to celebrate their full selves in their halal spaces.

The Halal Metropolis exhibition series was created by U-M Associate Professor or Art Osman Khan, local documentarian Razi Jafri and ��-Dearborn’s Center for Arab American Studies Director Sally Howell.

A conversation with Pauline Homsi Vinson

lblouin — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 14:34:10 +0000

A conversation with Pauline Homsi Vinson lblouin Mon, 08/01/2022 - 10:34

In just a few weeks, Pauline Homsi Vinson, a literature professor at Diablo Valley College just outside of Oakland, Calif. and co-founder of the Arab American Studies Association, will be packing her bags and heading to Dearborn for a year stint as a visiting professor and interim director of ��-Dearborn’s Center for Arab American Studies. Frankly, she couldn’t be more excited to get here — both to work with the faculty, staff and students who make the center tick and to embed in one of the largest and most vibrant Arab American communities in the United States. For our August "Campus Colleagues" interview, we called up Homsi Vinson to chat about her plans for her year on campus, where the discipline of Arab American Studies is headed, and why Dearborn is a dream destination if you’re a scholar in this area. Our conversation has been condensed and edited lightly for clarity.

So I don’t know what it’s like demographically in the part of California where you live, but Dearborn is obviously a hotbed of Arab American culture. Is it exciting to think about being part of that for a year?

It is really exciting! I live in Oakland, and there is a sizable Yemeni community here, and there are Palestinians and Jordanians in San Francisco, just across the bay. And in the Silicon Valley area, there are a number of Lebanese Americans. But it’s kind of spread out, so it’s still an exciting thing when you see an Arab store or something. Obviously, in Dearborn, that’s not rare and it’s very common to hear people speaking Arabic. Where I am, the larger immigrant communities are Latino or Asian American, and I love going to those neighborhoods because there’s a sense of vitality that makes them interesting. So to see that in an Arab American context is going to be really exciting and different. This is a different part of the U.S. experience that’s not available just anywhere, and I think it surprises a lot of people that there is such a large and diverse Arab American community in a western suburb of Detroit.

So how did Arab American Studies become a passion of yours and eventually your main area of academic scholarship?

I’m Lebanese originally and I came to the United States when I was a teenager after the Lebanese Civil War, which is the experience of a lot of the immigrants in Dearborn as well. When I went to graduate school in the 1980s, Arab American Studies didn’t really exist yet. So I went into literature and was exploring comparative literature. The discipline was still very Eurocentric at that time, so it was difficult to find my niche. My dissertation at Northwestern was actually on Shakespeare and gender and representation, but at Northwestern, it was a feature of the program that you could teach one course outside of your specialty if it was something you had an interest in. So the chairperson of the department invited me to teach a course on Arabic literature in translation. And I did that, and I felt like I could definitely do more of this! At that time, there was also a flourishing of Arab American literature and scholarship, and so I ended up making the shift.

The way you describe the growth of Arab American Studies reminds me of a conversation I had with one of our faculty in African and African American Studies, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary as a program. She said it was really interesting to think back on how much the discipline has changed between the 1990s and today. Can you talk about that a little bit in the context of Arab American Studies? Like, how have the focus and subjects and feel of the discipline evolved between then and now?

First, I want to acknowledge the work that’s been done in African American Studies, Chicano and Latinx Studies, Asian American Studies, other ethnic studies disciplines — as well as gender and women’s studies and diaspora studies. Those disciplines have really paved the way as a model for Arab American Studies. Originally, one of the central themes was invisibility: Joe Kadi refers to Arab Americans as the most invisible of invisibles in the 1994 book “Food for Our Grandmothers.” And then, after 9/11, we shift from invisibility to hypervisibility. We became visible, but suspect, or people wanted to know more about Arabs, but in a way that still made them the other as opposed to a part of this society. And now, I feel like the field is at an exciting moment because it’s growing in interesting ways but also becoming really fluid. For example, the term “Middle East” is a legacy of colonialism in relation to Europe. And so there has been a shift to use the acronym SWANA, or Southwest Asian and North African communities. SWANA is a way to see connections between people not just of Arab backgrounds, but, say, Armenians or Armenian Americans or Iranians or Kurdish Americans, who are from that region, but have their own culture or language. So I love that the field is not trying to be rigid. We have Arab American Studies, but we also have Muslim American Studies, which can then include non-Arab populations like Afghanis and Pakistanis, who don’t identify as Arabs. So the field today has seen an explosion of creative output because writers and scholars are willing to explore all these intersections.

And can you tell us a little about what you’d like to bring to campus, both in the classroom and in your work at the center?

I’m very excited to be teaching. The course I have for the fall is Arab American Women Writers, and I have a flier, so please invite students to check it out because I love to teach and I think it’s my best way to get connected to the campus community. In the winter term, I’ll be teaching Introduction to Arab American Studies, and I’m really excited about that too, because it goes beyond literature. As far as the center, it’s such a privilege and I’m grateful for all the people who put in the work to make this happen, particularly the center’s former director Sally Howell. I’m also excited to collaborate with the faculty who are associated with the center and related fields. I think I can learn a lot from them and bring in their expertise to help strengthen the center. One of the things I want to focus on is carrying on the work that Sally Howell has been doing with guest speakers. And I’d also like to continue the “Seen Jeem” podcast, which I think our featured speakers can contribute to as well.

Well, you seem really connected in this community — do you have some big names on your wish list who you'd like to bring to campus as a speaker?

I do! But I can’t say yet! One of the other hats I wear is President of the Arab American Studies Association, and through my work in the association, I’m privileged to have met amazing scholars, writers and artists. So I think we’ll have some great guests on campus soon.

Fair enough. You know, this is kind of an aside, but I’m wondering if in your conversations with folks, you get the sense that Dearborn is a known ‘thing’ among Arab Americans across the country?

It’s definitely a known thing. The Arab American National Museum, for example, has done an amazing job of hosting conferences, like the Arab American Studies conference, so people definitely know about it. And people do know Dearborn as the center for Arabic sweets! The history goes back a long way — all the way back to people who immigrated to work in the auto factories at Ford, so it’s a very rich history. Of course, it’s not the only place Arab immigrants settled. New York City has the Little Syria community, where a lot of early intellectuals and writers like Kahlil Gibran lived at the turn of the 20th century. There’s another center in Los Angeles. And I’m learning more and more about Arab American communities in Ohio and Texas and Indianapolis and places you wouldn’t expect. That’s part of the exciting work of Arab American Studies: uncovering that history of Arab American presence in the United States. But Dearborn, I have to say, is a place that’s definitely its own thing — and it’s definitely on the radar.

###

Interview by Lou Blouin. Homsi Vinson also has a new co-edited book coming out this fall. "Sajjilu Arab American: A Reader in SWANA Studies" features a collection of "the most foundational scholarship for the growing fields of Critical Muslim Studies and Critical SWANA Studies in the Americas."

Faculty and Staff

International

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Mon, 08/01/2022 - 14:33

The visiting professor and new interim director of the Center for Arab American Studies talks about the explosive growth of the discipline and what she’s looking forward to about her upcoming year at ��-Dearborn.

Graphic by Violet Dashi

In their own words

stuxbury — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 13:12:21 +0000

In their own words stuxbury Fri, 11/05/2021 - 09:12

Iraqi American writer and award-winning poet Dunya Mikhail was born in Baghdad. She recalls her classroom windows shaking from explosions, running down to lower levels of her home when she heard sirens, and ultimately fleeing Iraq during the Gulf War — many of her written works reflect war and loss.

Zeina Arafat, a Palestinian American, writes about what it’s like to be a bisexual person of color. Her 2020 novel, You Exist Too Much, is fictional, but she is a queer Arab American woman who understands feeling caught between cultural, religious and sexual identities.

These Arab American writers, and 13 other prominent authors, are featured speakers on the Center for Arab American Studies new podcast Seen Jeem, which is a dedicated space for them to discuss their lives, writing, process, and to read excerpts from their work. The podcast recently released its first episode — it features Mikhail — and weekly installments will follow.

Episodes can be streamed through Spotify. It’s also accessible from the Center for Arab American Studies or the Arab American National Museum websites.

“The Seen Jeem podcast gives us the opportunity to have in-depth conversations with artists who address challenging topics in their work,” said Center for Arab American Studies Director Sally Howell. “We are sharing voices from Arab communities, but this is an opportunity for everyone to learn through the power of storytelling and literature.”

The podcast casts a wide net to purposefully gain a variety of perspectives that represent different Arab American experiences. It also features a range of creative writing mediums like graphic novel, poetry, short story, memoir and fiction.

Creative Writing Assistant Professor Ghassan Abou-Zeineddine said the project, which is supported by a U-M Presidential Arts Initiative grant, explores universal themes — like family dynamics, identity, loss, belonging — but filtered through an Arab American perspective and expressed through published writing.

Abou-Zeineddine said the podcast strives to document Arab American literature at this moment in time because it’s an area of literature that’s gaining traction and attention.

“These authors are on the forefront and are big names in the field. The podcast will help document the evolution of Arab American literature, so that people in the future can listen to these authors speak about their works in their own words,” Abou-Zeineddine said.

He said the podcast will also benefit today’s ��-Dearborn students. “I’m teaching courses that include the works of some of these writers. When we get into class discussions, we will have, through the podcast, an intimate glimpse of the writing process from the authors themselves.”

Abou-Zeineddine and Howell — along with Arab American National Museum Director Diana Abouali and Arab American National Museum Research and Content Manager Matthew Jaber Stiffler — conducted the podcast interviews. The Arab American National Museum was an instrumental partner in the project.

The museum founded the Arab American Book Award 15 years ago to honor the growing number of books written by and about Arab Americans. Many of the writers featured on the podcast have received the award.

“The field of Arab American literature has grown so much in the last decade. We wanted to showcase the diversity and strength of the writers,” Stiffler said of the podcast partnership.

With these podcasts, the overall goal is to share insight into the diverse Arab American experience with a national audience. And Howell asks, “what better way to do this than to hear from the writers who reflect upon, share, and even shape this experience every day?”

“The Arab experience is an important part of our society and many Americans really don’t know about it. So we want to provide ways to educate the public,” she said. “One of the best ways to do that is to provide a platform for people to share their stories.”

The Seen Jeem Podcast is funded by the University of Michigan Arts Initiative and the Ford Community Development Fund..

Teaching Resource

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Fri, 11/05/2021 - 13:10

The new Seen Jeem podcast highlights Arab and Arab American authors by providing a dedicated space to discuss their writing and to read excerpts from their work. The 15-episode podcast features a range of creative writing mediums and includes many award-w

A graphic representing podcasts, with iconography like microphones, headphones and a speech bubble.

Learning through storytelling

stuxbury — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 21:59:37 +0000

Learning through storytelling stuxbury Wed, 09/16/2020 - 17:59

��-Dearborn Arab American writer podcast logo

Ghassan Abou-Zeineddine teaches Arab American literature and fiction writing to ��-Dearborn students. When not teaching, the assistant professor works with Arab American writers, both novice and accomplished, and is co-editing a book of creative nonfiction essays to elevate their voices.

Center for Arab American Studies Director Sally Howell

So when Abou-Zeineddine and Center for Arab American Studies Director Sally Howell learned of a new University of Michigan grant focused on incorporating art into student experience while addressing societal issues, they saw an opportunity to expand their audience.

“Sharing an experience through an art form brings people together to have in-depth conversations about challenging topics,” Howell says. “We are sharing voices from Arab communities, but this is an opportunity for everyone to learn through storytelling.”

The U-M Presidential Arts Initiative jury awarded the duo $10,000 to create a series of events to promote understanding of Arab, Middle Eastern and Muslim communities through literary and cultural programming.

“We see the pilot projects as a way to enlist the expertise of people from across the university in testing ways for the arts to elevate the many kinds of work we do: research and creative practice, teaching and learning, advocacy and community engagement,” says Jonathan Massey, dean of the U-M Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning and co-chair of the Arts Initiative.

Professor Ghassan Abou-Zeineddine

Abou-Zeineddine and Howell’s grant will help create podcasts where prominent local and national Arab American authors are introduced and interviewed; the authors also will read excerpts from their works.

“Hearing from a Arab American author — in their own words — is inspiring to students; they can see that someone who may share a similar experience can succeed,” Abou-Zeineddine says. “We also want this to go beyond the Arab community. Many people aren’t familiar with the Arab experience and we want to bring people together so we can learn about differences we have and see the common threads that we share.”

The project’s goal is to expand to publicly attended spoken word experiences on the ��-Dearborn campus once in-person activities can resume.

Howell often works to include arts and culture into the Center for Arab American Studies’ public-facing exhibits and events. Musicians, photographers, culinary artists, and designers have taken part in Halal Metropolis and Unsettled Lives. But she was looking for ways to bring in literature.

“There’s no place where Arab community has a chance to speak for themselves more than through their literature. They are writing about the way they see the world and how they imagine making it better,” says Howell, who shared that Ford Motor Company Community Fund and the Arab American National Museum are also project partners. “The Arab experience is an Important part of our society and many Americans really don’t know about it. So our job at the Center is to provide ways to educate the public. One of the best ways to do that is to provide a platform for people to share their stories.”

Abou-Zeineddine says the podcasts — they plan to do 12 — will be released later this fall on the Arab American National Museum and the Center for Arab American Studies websites.

He said authors, who will be announced at a later date, are from different areas of descent like Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon and others. And there will be diversity in writing styles, such as poetry, playwriting and fiction. The podcasts will be available for educators to use as a supplemental teaching tool.

Awards

Teaching Resource

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Wed, 09/16/2020 - 21:57

Center for Arab American Studies faculty received an Exploration Pilot Grant through the U-M Presidential Arts Initiative. Selected from among the more than 80 proposals submitted, their podcast project highlights Arab American authors.

Voices of Arab Detroit

stuxbury — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 14:49:36 +0000

Voices of Arab Detroit stuxbury Thu, 11/07/2019 - 09:49

Assistant Professor Ghassan Abou-Zeineddine

Before moving to Dearborn, Ghassan Abou-Zeineddine researched the cultural diversity of the community. But the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters faculty member didn’t realize how unique the Southeastern Michigan area was until living here.

He sees men and women gathered on the porches of East Dearborn homes for tea like he remembers seeing in Beirut. The Shatila Bakery his family would order from for their celebrations is now right down the street. And there was the time he gave his Lebanese name to a front desk Dearborn hotel clerk, and Abou-Zeineddine didn’t get a confused look.

“I was getting ready to spell it slowly and acknowledge how long it was, and the man repeated it back to me in Arabic. He looked up my name without hesitation. I had never had that happen in the U.S. before,” says Abou-Zeineddine, who taught at a liberal arts college in Ohio before coming to ��-Dearborn in 2018. “I taught an Arab American literature course prior to moving here and would include slides of Dearborn — a place we all know as the Arab capital of the U.S. — but you have to meet the people to truly understand how wonderfully unique it is.”

The creative writing professor realizes not everyone can do that. So he’s gathering creative nonfiction essays — in photograph and written form — to share with others on what it’s like to live in the local Arab American community for a future book.

“Voices of Arab Detroit: Narratives of Boundaries and Belonging” is a project he’s working on with Center for Arab American Studies Director Sally Howell and noted Arab American researcher Nabeel Abraham. Abou-Zeineddine says there’s a wide variety of topics covered in the collected essays.

During the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters Research SLAM he presented at last week, Abou-Zeineddine says the works don’t only talk about the positive aspects of the Arab American community; they also bring up taboo topics. Those include Arab Americans who identify as queer and are afraid of familial rejection, people who are pressured to follow traditional family paths and are considering a different direction, and women who talk openly about violence they’ve experienced in their homes.

“I’m impressed with the courage shown by the people who have stepped forward to tell their stories and let people in the community who are experiencing this to know that they are not alone. These are topics not typically discussed openly,” he says. “Speaking critically of issues in the Arab American community, in my opinion, shows love for it. It shows you want what’s best for your community and for the serious issues to be rectified.”

Adding to the burgeoning field of Arab American literature, the nonfiction essay project has a planned spring 2021 publication date with Wayne State University Press. And Abou-Zeineddine says he’s looking forward to sharing the voices of the people in his new community.

“I wanted to come to Dearborn because I knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. And now I have the good fortune to work on a project that shares what it’s like to live in this community — from the people who live here — with others.”

Faculty Research

Language, Culture, and the Arts

Off

Thu, 11/07/2019 - 14:47

Adding to the burgeoning field of Arab American literature, Assistant Professor Ghassan Abou-Zeineddine is gathering creative nonfiction essays to share what it's like to live in the local Arab American community

��-Dearborn’s Center for Arab American Studies receives grant to advance intercultural understanding

admin — Mon, 07 May 2018 17:22:49 +0000

��-Dearborn’s Center for Arab American Studies receives grant to advance intercultural understanding admin Mon, 05/07/2018 - 13:22

Center for Arab American Studies logo

A University of Michigan-Dearborn project designed to cultivate stronger relationships among Muslims and their non-Muslim neighbors has received funding through the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts’ Building Bridges 2017-18 Grants Program.

��-Dearborn’s Center for Arab American Studies (CAAS) was awarded $216,677 for the expansion of “Halal Metropolis,” a three-year project inviting the community into a multidisciplinary, architectural and place-based exploration of how Muslim culture has enriched key public spaces in Detroit and southeast Michigan.

“We are incredibly grateful for the Doris Duke Foundation’s commitment to support projects that build and strengthen relationships in our community,” said CAAS Director Sally Howell. “Through ‘Halal Metropolis,’ we plan to demonstrate the many ways in which Muslims are contributing to the economy and culture of the region, and especially the revitalization of Detroit.”

“Halal Metropolis” is a collaboration between Howell, photographer Razi Jafri and artist Osman Khan that will culminate in a 2019-2021 exhibition. The exhibition will focus on the streetscapes, sartorial displays, spoken word traditions, vernacular architecture, storefronts and other means through which Muslims communicate their presence to one another and to non-Muslims.

CAAS was one of 15 U.S.-based grantees selected for funding by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts’ Building Bridges 2017-18 Grants Program. Harnessing a wide range of media, including theater, spoken word, literature, documentary film and radio, the grantees will develop pop-up and long-term cultural programming in their communities across the U.S. The grantees, which range from arts and media institutions to higher education and social service organizations, span many approaches and locations across the country but are all united in the goal of increasing harmony and connections for mutual well-being.

“When our trust and connections to one another break down, we are all the poorer for it,” said Zeyba Rahman, senior program officer for the Building Bridges Program. “One of the most tested and reliable ways in which we can ignite cross-community understanding and dissipate fear is through storytelling. It can serve as the glue that binds us together by providing direct entry into one another’s inner worlds and become the basis for lasting relationships. We are honored to support these 15 new projects, which creatively reimagine ways to promote social cohesion in our communities while celebrating the cultural contributions of Muslims to our American identity.”

These organizations were selected from a pool of more than 200 initial applicants requesting more than $26 million in funding for their projects—more than a 100 percent rise from the previous year, which saw 98 applicants requesting approximately $10 million. The new grantees of the Building Bridges Program’s fifth annual open competition for funding are receiving project support ranging from $50,000 to $300,000.

Victors for ��-Dearborn

Metropolitan Impact

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Mon, 05/07/2018 - 17:21

The grant, funded through the Building Bridges Program of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts, supports the expansion of ‘Halal Metropolis.’

Khoury family recognized by Center for Arab American Studies for lifelong contributions to the Arab American community

nlerma — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 14:51:53 +0000

Khoury family recognized by Center for Arab American Studies for lifelong contributions to the Arab American community nlerma Mon, 11/06/2017 - 09:51

Khoury family

Nabil Khoury (’85 B.S.) vividly recalls spending many hours as a youth working with his dad in their garage, packing medical supplies and equipment to send to the war-torn Middle East.

“My father, who is now a semi-retired physician, supported humanitarian efforts in areas of conflict,” said Khoury, attending physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at St. Mary Mercy Hospital in Livonia, Mich., and medical director of the Together Health Network. “He even helped equip intensive care units at hospitals in places like Lebanon. My mother co-wrote an Arabic cookbook. Funds from the thousands of copies sold supported similar humanitarian causes.”

Khoury’s parents—Elie Razmi Khoury and Farideh Khoury—immigrated to the U.S. from the Middle East in the early 1960s. They engaged in charitable causes tirelessly for decades, without fanfare, never seeking credit.

But recognition came in September, following a significant gift by Khoury, his wife, Mouna, and sister, Dina Khoury Hanby (’91 B.A.) to ��-Dearborn’s Center for Arab American Studies (CAAS). Donor gifts helped CAAS secure a prestigious $100,000 National Endowment for the Humanities challenge grant. In recognition of the Khoury’s gift, the center named its office space in honor of Elie and Farideh Khoury for their lifelong contributions to the Arab American community.

“The naming is a validation of all the good things they’ve done in their lives,” Khoury said of his parents. “We wanted to honor them, to let them know we and the community deeply appreciate all the charitable work they did for others.”

Earlier this fall, CAAS and ��-Dearborn honored Khoury’s parents with a special office name plaque unveiling ceremony. Among the nearly 70 attendees were family members, friends, community members, ��-Dearborn students and administrators, and CAAS staff. Speakers included Khoury; ��-Dearborn Chancellor Daniel Little; College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters Dean Martin Hershock; and CAAS Director and Associate Professor of History Sally Howell.

Founded in 2001, CAAS promotes the understanding of the Arab American history and experience, including Arabic-speaking immigrants to the United States.

“The center has three goals,” said Howell. “To offer classes on the history, culture and political concerns of the Arab American community, to encourage and support research on Arab American topics, and to connect the campus and our students with the Arab American community through partnerships with service organizations.”

The center currently offers a minor and a certificate program in Arab American Studies. The NEH grant will help create an endowment for the center, supporting a full range of scholarly, academic and community activities. This includes a new class for the Winter 2018 semester: “Public Cultural Work in Arab Detroit.” The course will allow students to explore different approaches to public humanities work and engage in intensive research with a local cultural institution. Students will also have the opportunity to present their findings publicly.

“NEH grants are very competitive and prestigious,” Howell said. “To receive one is strong acknowledgement that the center’s activities are relevant, important and moving in the right direction. Now, we want to grow the endowment so we can continue to expand the center and its offerings for students.”

Khoury said his family’s long history of activism motivated him to support the center and enhance its academic presence.

“We want the center to be a point of light—an institution representing the best of Arab American culture,” Khoury said. “It will be a place where people study and discuss our culture so Arab Americans can take pride in who we are and what we offer to our country.”

Visit the Center for Arab American Studies website to learn more about the center and ways to support it.

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Mon, 11/06/2017 - 14:48

CAAS named its office space after Elie Razmi Khoury and Farideh Khoury following a significant gift by Nabil Khoury (’85 B.S.), his wife, Mouna, and sister, Dina Khoury Hanby (’91 B.A.).

Center for Arab American Studies raises $100k in four months, meets NEH challenge match

sgedert — Tue, 23 May 2017 12:11:09 +0000

Center for Arab American Studies raises $100k in four months, meets NEH challenge match sgedert Tue, 05/23/2017 - 08:11

To receive full federal support, a 100 percent match was needed from external gifts.

Center Director Sally Howell thought she had two years, according to the NEH terms, to raise the $100,000 needed.

But instead—due to overwhelming support in the community— the center met their goal in under four months.

“We plan to use the money to encourage undergraduate students to consider careers in public cultural work,” said Howell, who said the community rallied around meeting the center’s challenge grant goal due to possible budget cuts to the NEH. “Many of our students are first-generation college students and have a more utilitarian understanding of what education is. It’s good that they realize education will open professional doors, but I want them to know that college can provide even more.”

For Howell, “more” includes community-engaged research and opportunities to share their findings with public audiences.

Howell, associate professor of history, said the NEH grant will be used to create a class that introduces students to a variety of research methodologies, gives them hands on research experience, and aids then in interpreting and analyzing data patterns. The class also will assist undergraduates in bringing their gathered information to the public through exhibits, documentaries, the web or other methods.

The 300-level Arab American studies course—which will begin in the winter semester and be tied to a summer research project—will prepare and encourage students to identify ways to make the cultural history of the area, along with their own place within this history, more transparent.

“We want to introduce the value and excitement of doing public cultural work, and the importance of doing it in your own community. We are fortunate to have such a rich history and culture right here with our Arab and Muslim communities,” said Howell, who notes that both Arab and Muslim communities have been in the area for more than 100 years and that their histories are deeply embedded within those of Detroit and the auto industry since the early 1900s.

Not only is the history important for students to explore, but also how the area continues to be shaped by new migrations. For example, the Iraqi population continues to grow in the Detroit area.

For the inaugural class, Howell said they’ll explore the Iraqi refugee experience. She said it’s important to document the experiences of refugees so that their struggles can be shared and learned from.

“They are a very important part of our community and not much is written about them,” said Howell, who noted the class will conduct oral histories as part of their research. “They are right here and we can learn so much from them and their experience. We can ask what advice they would give to Syrian families today and also address the many misconceptions about refugees that currently dominate news headlines about them.”

For students to have a well-rounded approach to their research, Howell said the course will bring leading scholars on public history into the classroom and partner with a community organization, like the Detroit Historical Society or the Arab American National Museum.

She said she’s looking forward to working with students on this new endeavor for the center. And she’s grateful for the people who helped make it happen.

“This was our first effort to go out into the community in this way and we were met by genuine support. It was very encouraging to see how much our work is valued,” said Howell of the center’s new $200,000 endowment. “Because of this, we met our fundraising goal in a fraction of the time. It makes you think that the sky is the limit.”

Visit the Center for Arab American Studies website for more information and ways to give.

Experiential Learning