MIA F
heterarchy
heterarchical structure: multiple power hierarchies entangled with one another in complex historical ways
Why is the concept of "white man's burden" inherently racist?
it's like saying oh POC needs help, and viewing them as inferior, when in reality they don't, like going to a "third world country" to build a house when they don't want them there. or like saying Africa's all underdeveloped when that is not the reality
example of cultural racism
ethnic/racial superiority within the muslim comunity, anti-blackness in muslim communities, "arab superiorty"
How does the census help Samhan identify the problems of racial classification, othering and the Arab American experience?
"Although Arab Americans are legally classified as "Caucasian" and as "white, non-European" by the Bureau of Census, this identification covers over discriminatory and racist practices that define them as "Other," and serves to further disempower Arab Americans in their political struggles."
How is Islamophobia orientalist? In other words, what are the Orientalist notions that Islamophobia relies upon?
"Orientalist views are characterized by racist, exotic and interior essentialist representations of Islam as frozen in time."
Describe Bernard Lewis' culture talk
"a clash of civilizations" ideology: Provided the more durable version of Culture Talk Muslims take refuge in times of crisis Abscence of secularism explains gap between contemporary Islam and modernity There are good AND bad muslims West should remain a bystander while Muslims fight their internal war
What was the five-part approach used to target the "Black Nationalist Hate Groups" and what groups were targeted?
1 Prevent the coalition of militant black nationalist groups. 2 Prevent the rise of a "messiah" who could unify, and electrify, the militant black nationalist movement. 3 Prevent violence on the part of black nationalist groups 4 Prevent militant black nationalist groups and leaders from gaining respectability, Pre
What percent of the World's Muslim population do Arabs represent?
12%
How many lynchings occurred in the South during the 1877 to 1950 time period?
3959
What comparisons can you draw between the depiction of Arab people in film and African people?
African people are also often characterized in similar ways, their culture is exaggerated, they're seen as barbaric, etc. Acknowledge Hollywood's unjust portraits of the past century. Revise classics to sensitize viewers.
What is Anti-un-Americanism and how is it different from Anti-Americanism?
Anti-"anti-Americanism": paranoid ideology stemming from phobias of possible anti-Americanism Anti-"un-Americanism": Being against anyone not fitting the basic means of being "American," or those not assimilated into the culture
What is culture talk? Describe how culture talk has shifted from the pre- to the post- Cold War era?
Culture talk: Assumes that every culture has a tangible essence that defines it, and then explains politics as a consequence of the essence Pre Cold-War: Focus on Africans (incapable of modernity) Post-Cold-War: Focus on Middle Eastern Islam (incapable of modernity AND resistant to it)
What countries engaged in producing "knowledge" about the Orient and why were they engaged in that particular type of knowledge production? How was that knowledge transmitted horizontally and laterally?
Britain and france, since they were the colonial powers horizontally - through self perpetuating cycle that western scholars serve as leading bodies of thought and present to the world orientalist viewpoints on "other cultures" Laterally - colonial enterprises, spice trades, world wars, Indian wars
What are some solutions to overcoming these stereotypes?
Changing the perspective/conversation Actually have Arabs on set to consult these tropes (a lot of movies depict "Arabs" speaking fusha 3rabee (formal Arabic dialect), for example, which NO ONE uses [except the president of Tunisia, but he's a strange bloke, that one] loll he's super formal and robotic it's honestly funny).
What are three other communities/contexts where people were accused of being Anti-American?
Communists Kind of open ended depends on your perspective for example protests can be un american if you're very republican/conservitive, etc. Anti-Americanism has arrived in a series of waves 1. In WWI, German Americans were harassed and persecuted 2. Persecution of Methodist ministers/church for being 'communists' during the Red Scare 3. Those thought to be communist after McCarthyism were persecuted 4. Japanese Americans during WWII (internment camps thanks to fdr being a racist doodoo head)
What is COINTELPRO and why, according to historian Howard Zinn, did the FBI release files about it? Whom did it target in the 1960s
Counter Intelligence Program Intelligence group that conspired against black and/or muslim americans Files were leaked by hippie group that broke into an office purpose to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize the activities of Black Natioanlist "hate-type" organizations and groupings, their leadership, spokesmen, membership and supporters, and to counter their prosperity for violence and civil disorder"
what is cultural racism
Cultural Racism is the general shift from biological racism to the belief that a group of people are inherently inferior due to their customs, rituals, values, and behaviors. This allows racists to be racist without even explicitly using race in the belief and tends to focus on the religion of other groups
What did Europeans focus on to escape being accused of racism?
Culture superiority (?) Religion over race? They are "required" to "help" other races because they believe they are superior
Why is the current era -- where there is no de jure segregation -- a more effective form of racism?
De jure segregation implies that laws are written about the specifics of what a person can do to segregate against another racial group. In the current era with no De Jure segregation there are no solidified rules for or against what a person can do which opens the door to more of the courts personal opinions about what is ok and what is not.
Be prepared to describe the meeting Muslims had with President Carter. Who attended? What was discussed?
December 5, 1979 Between Carter, National Security Advisor Zbingnion Brzezinski, and twelve representatives of varying American Muslim communites, including the Muslim Student Association, W.D. Mohammed's community, and Shi'i community. Discussed the Iran hostage crisis American Muslim reps expressed their desire for the release of the hostages and for the normalization of relations between Iran and the US, while rejecting any military action against Iran and conveying their willingness to offer their help in resolving the crisis They also informed Carter of the numerous attacks and assaults on American Muslims as a result of the crisis.
Explain, in your own opinion, why stereotypes about Black, Native, and Latino people have been largely un-done, while those about Arab people persist?
Due to persistent foreign policy matters/focuses; as of right now, western foreign policy is inherently interventionist yet also focusing on resources present across the Arab region. As a result, there is a need to dehumanize this group of people to justify western colonialism (whether it's under the principles of "they are barbaric and will destroy us" or "we need to instill democracy," the outcome remains the same) to allow them to engage in these neoliberal imperialist wars.
Would the person have done the illegal act if the FBI (informant) had not been provoking them? Give at least one example to prove your point.
Example: James Cromitie 1 of 4 "Newburgh Four" impoverished individuals struggling with Newburgh's grim epidemic of crack, drug crime and poverty targeted by Shad Hussein, FBI informant, who offered the men huge financial inducements to carry out the plot to fire a Stinger missile at US military planes Newburgh Four jailed, Shahed Hussein was not
What were the FBI "sting operations" and "entrapment." How are they done? What are their effects on the Muslim community?
FBI sting operations and entrapment are both tactics used by the FBI to convict individuals of crimes against the United States. Sting operations are performed by either wire tapping or "spying" on an individual in anticipation of them communicating some kind of incriminating evidence Entrapment occurs when the FBI provides the tools to an individual to commit a crime and then catches them when they commit that crime
What were the tropes (stereotypes) used to depict Arab people in film? (Shaheen mentions at least five)
Feminine/somehow also threatening, Barbaric, Rich, Villains, exotic, desire to be conquered Yet at the same time, men were viewed as sexually inept and also constantly seeking to kidnap and take Women for their "harems" Men as -> aggressive/dangerous YET feminine/'not real men'
According to Dr. Bazian, what are the ten effects of using the legal system to control and manipulate communities?
First, through the legal process, the FBI and the Homeland Security structures can immediately put the individuals and organizations out of business since an arrest or a search warrant is intended to halt all activities carried out by the identified subject Second, by arresting, charging or serving a search warrant the FBI and the Homeland Security can immediately produce negative responses in the community toward those individuals and groups targeted. Third, the legal process allows for a media frenzy to take place and a wider negative campaign permeating the society relevant to the targeted individuals and groups Fourth, through the arrests, raids and searches, the FBI and the Homeland Security people are able to indirectly direct the agenda of activists and community organizations. Fifth, another more damaging outcome of this approach is the real possibility for splits and fall-outs among community members who begin to point the fingers at each other and at those who were arrested, charged, raided, or searched. Sixth, the legal process allows for new and less experienced people to emerge at the local community scene and their initial period will be taken by figuring out who is who and what needs to be done at a time when the group is under siege. Seventh, the legal process is very expensive and if the community groups, who, for the most part, are first, and second-generation immigrants and possessing limited resources, are required to mount a large number of legal battles then their financial position is greatly impacted. Eighth, the legal harassment also leads to disrupting national networks built on years of trust and relations developed over generations. Ninth, the regional and national patterns of organizations and groups begin to take more of a localize characteristic due to the preoccupation with legal battles governed by specific associations and references to them. Tenth, through its legal harassment the government can set in motion a great tide of fear which begins to permeate every sector of the targeted community. Fear is a very important commodity and its introduction as an instrument of control is a strategic one. Fearful people will accept a variety of initiatives that under normal conditions would be considered unthinkable.
What are the two different ways of writing history, according to Mamdani?
Nationalist: Giving the nation an identifiable, glorious past Metanationalist: Equally glorified civilizational histories with the nation in a global context
What are stereotypical spaces and contexts that are used when Arab people are in a film?
Mythic location "Arabland." Arabland includes iconic images of threatening deserts, beautiful oases, and fabulous palaces complete with torture chambers and dungeons. "instant Ali Baba kit." This includes belly dancer outfits, long scimitars, magic carpets, turbaned snake charmers, and the like.
In the spirit of COINTELPRO, what are the four methods through which the US government tries to control activists today?
Infiltration Psychological Warfare From Outside Harassment Through the Legal System Extralegal Force and Violence
What five beliefs did Islamophobia cause people to believe?
Islam is monolithic and cannot adapt to new realities Islam does not share common values with other major faiths. Islam as a religion is inferior to the West. It is archaic, barbaric and irrational. Islam is a religion of violence and supports terrorism. Islam is a violent political ideology.
What is Dr. Bazian's counterargument to the following argument: Police are not the issue, the issue is "Black on Black violence."
It ignores the larger issue of racism which leads to the black on black violence. Sure, black people are killing each other at unprecedented rates, but why? It is because decades of racism, Jim Crow, and prejudice have put black people in that position. Simply deflecting the argument of black people dying to the police by saying black people are killing each other more redirects the blame to black people, which is flawed because the blame is still on the oppressors for putting black people in that position.
Whom does orientalism most reflect: 'orientals' or the scholars and societies that perpetuate it? How does orientalism as a body of ideas and representations change over time?
It most reflects the scholars and societies that perpetuate it. it is not what the land, culture, etc actually represent, but a system for POWER and the dominant interest of projecting an image of a people/land/culture in order to serve the DOMINANT powers interest. basically colonialism→ Orientalism changes over time to serve the interest of the dominant power
What is orientalism? What is manifest and latent orientalism?
Orientalism is the study of the East and the whole set of symbols and depictions of the East that serve to bolster Western power -Latent is in the backdrop -Manifest is deliberate Way of seeing the world in a dichotomy between the west and middle east. Western finds identity through contrasts with middle eastern other Middle eastern other is uncivilized, threatening, exotic
examples of orientalism
Orientalism is what causes the perpetuated stereotype in movies described in reel bad arabs as well as the notion post ww2
What two major events took place in 1492 in Spain that shaped European's conceptions of "us" and "them"?
Spain reconquered the islmaic spain region they also discovered the americas indigenous people were constructed as "people without religion" and were "the first racialized subject of the modern/colonial world"
what are the nine reasons Shaheen identifies as causing these stereotypes?
Stereotyping is self-perpetuating. News reports selectively focus on the extremist. Stereotypes are not only offensive but they are also comforting. Peer pressure in the film industry. Department of Defense Profit. Absent film criticism. Public indifference toward the stereotypes. Lack of an organized active lobby group in LA representing America's Arabs.
How are Islamophobia and Anti-Americanism mutually enforcing?
Terrorist attacks against Americans → Anti-Muslim rhetoric → Reinforces anti-American sentiment → New rounds of terrorist attacks
What are some examples of how the Islamophobic comments about Islam are hypocritical?
The Bush administration claimed they invaded Afghanistan to liberate Afghan women, but the Bush Adminstration had "been actively defending Christian patriarchal fundamentalism, opposing abortion and women's civil/ social rights
How does COINTELPRO relate to Arabs, Muslims and Southeast Asians today?
The COINTELPRO considers Arabs, Muslims, and Southeast Asians today as "enemies of the state"
How did COINTELPRO change under Republican vs. Democratic presidencies?
became far more magnified during later years of pres. johnson (democrat) in nixon's presidency he intensified the cointelpro structure (republican)
Name some of the industries that profit from the suffering of the Black community.
The death economy: prisons, guns, drugs
Wha t are the different functions of these lynchings?
To eradicate specific persons accused of crimes against the white community A mechanism of state-sanctioned terrorism designed to maintain a degree of leverage over the African-American population To eliminate or neutralize competitors for social, economic, or political rewards; and A symbolic manifestation of the unity of white supremacy
what are different kinds of islamophobia? Racisms?
cultural racism epistemic orientalism world-historical
What is the problem with North American intersectional feminism as it relates to Arab and Arab American women? What does transnational feminism contribute?
Transnational feminism complicates racialized discourses by emphasizing political, economic, and cultural inequalities alongside gender and by calling for transnational alliances that link domestic issues with United States' hegemony and foreign policies. The biggest example would be Barbara Bush's statement regarding the "need to free Iraqi Women and children" despite the war on Iraq killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Women and children.
How have Arab-Americans been racially classified over time? How did the racial classification change before and after WWI?
Typically arab-americans have been classified as white Before WWI, they weren't classified as white (classified as Syrians or Turks). However due to supreme court cases (I believe his name was Costa George Najour) litigated his way to whiteness.
What is Islamophobia according to Nimer?
Unfounded fear of and hostility towards Islam
Give an example of a time when an Arab or Arab American was legally classified as non-white, along with the consequence of their racial categorization
people classified as "nonwhite" in 1942, as today, are often denied immigration rights. Even though Arabs are presently classified as "Caucasian," "U.S. immigration policy extends preference to Europeans, but not to any Middle Eastern group," revealing how these classifications can be manipulated to favor dominant groups.
Describe Samuel Huntington's culture talk
the great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural" Ideology Cast Islam in the role of an enemy civilization Muslims could be only bad West should prepare for clash of civilizations
