Arab-American Studies

In comparison with other ethnic groups in the U.S., the Arab-American community has received little study. In part this is due, no doubt, to its relatively small size, which is estimated to be about one and one half to two millions. Recently however, there has been an ethnic revival in the urban areas of the U.S. It became obvious in the late ’60s and early ‘70’s that many members of ethnic groups had not “melted”, had not lost their pride and cultural values, and that some had been forced to be ashamed of their foreign origin in public, and lived in a form of dual existence. The politics of ethnicity, always a part of the American class and political structure, also became more publically discussed in the 1960s. In large part this was due to the success of the Black expressions of identity and unity, but in the case of the Middle Eastern Arab communities, it was also in response to the conflicts in the Mid-East, and to the U.S. policies in relation to those conflicts. The heavy governmental support of the expanding settler state of Israel, and the inability to find expression of the Arab side through the mass media caused a growing alienation from U.S. policies and a new feeling of cultural and political awareness. This was particularly true after the 1967 Mid-East War, and more recently as a result of such a policy as Operation Boulder, a special surveillance policy instituted by President Nixon which specifically included Arab “ethnics.” The October War and the oil situation has also added a new and different dimension. It should be added, that in certain of the social sciences, there is a renewed emphasis upon migration studies, both in the national and international context.