Bint Arab: Arab and Arab American Women in the United States (Paperback)

by Evelyn Shakir (Author) "At first, most of us-both immigrants and children of immigrants-called ourselves "Syrians," a catch-all term for people from the eastern end of the Mediterranean..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, Arab American, Middle East (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Shakir (English, Bentley Coll.) tells the long-neglected story of the bint arab?the Arab woman?in the United States. Drawing on primary sources such as club minutes, census records, and dozens of interviews, she explores the experience of late 19th- and early 20th-century immigrants, mostly Christian peasants from Lebanon and Syria, and their American-born daughters. Later, she moves on to the well-assimilated granddaughters. The work concludes with Muslims who have emigrated over the last quarter century from many Arab countries, particularly Palestinians. While attempting to correct stereotypes of Arab women as passive and downtrodden, Shakir gives voice to women caught in a tug of war, usually within the family, between traditional values and the social and sexual liberties permitted women in the West. Leavened with personal reminiscences by the author, this work introduces a gallery of spirited women. Essential for all scholars and students of America's social and religious diversity.?Shirzad Alkadhi, Montreal, Quebec
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
“Weaving together the personal narratives of a number of women of different generations and experiences (including those in her own family), Shakir compares their lives and experiences as they negotiated their way between the demands of their own cultural tradtions and the opportunitites provided by their new adopted country. A rich and complex portrait of Arab women and their culture emerges, one that should serve as a corrective to the negative and simplistic stereotype about Arab womern in the West.”–Choice

“A sweeping mosaic, rich and colorful in human experience, brought to life in a collection of observations of life in their lands of origin and, primarily, in the U.S., where events in the Middle East continued to shape their identity.”–Al Jadid

“A gem of a book....[and a] valuable insight into the changing generational perspectives of whatit means for an Arab-American woman to be a good daughterm sister, wife, and mother.”–Journal of Palestine Studies

“Shakir presents the material in a coherent, logical manner, adding comments or background where necessary, but never judging. Bint Arab is a worthwhile book for Arab Americans and all others interested in knowing more about the women of this little-known ethnic group.”–International Migration Review

“A major and enjoyable contribution to the understanding of Arab and Arab American women....[Shakir] gives voice to women's struggles when they navigate between their Arab family values and those of their new country.”–MESA (Middle Eastern Studies Association) Bulletin

“American libraries and bookstores have long been waiting for a book like Evelyn Shakir's Bint Arab....Shakir has written a thoughtful and moving text that brings to light, through a skillful blend of scholarship and oral storytelling, the largely untold history of a century of Arab immigration to the United States....Never before has the Arab-American experience been chronicled in just this fashion....Shakir should be thanked for having had the courage to write it.”–Wellesley

“[T]he women's voices which Shakir enlists to flesh out the big picture bring fresh insights to an otherwise stale story. Compelling as they are diverse, the stories stand on their own as worthy of interest. They touch on every conceivable subject--marriage and divorce, religious fundamentalism and modern feminism, cultural racism and social embarrassment, domestic violence and interdenominational marriages. The Lebanese and Palestine women assembled by Shakir, immigrants and native born, engage the reader's interest as they wrestle with various pressures and demands placed on them to conform to mainstream culture....[A]dds a new dimension to the understanding of what, for the lack of a better term, has been called the Arab-American experience.”–Journal of American Ethnic History

“Shakir manages to provide an interdisciplinary approach in her work, giving the reader an insight into Arab customs and traditions, and into the women's intimate consciousness....The book is a valuable reference on the America society seen through Arab women immigrants' eyes....It is with great joy and interest that I read this book!”–Journal of Third World Studies

“As the first full-length study of Arab American women, past and present, Bint Arab is an exciting new supplement to courses on Islamic and Middle Eastern cultures. Its in-depth portraits not only make good reading but also help shatter Western stereotypes of the Arab woman. This is a book that will appeal to students at every level.”–Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad Professor of History of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations Georgetown University

“In this well-researched and well-written work, Evelyn Shakir tells the story of Arab women who have come to the United States, from the earliest peddlers to the most recent Palestinian refugees. Through oral histories and personal memories , she breathes life into a cast of diverse, lively, and memorable characters. Bint Arab is a welcome and needed contribution to the literature of American ethnic and women's history.”–Rudolph J. Vecoli Professor and Director, Immigration History Research Center University of Minnesota

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Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Paperback (August 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275956725
• ISBN-13: 978-0275956721
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #660,791 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long-Awaited, July 5, 1998

By A Customer

As an Arab American woman, I have been desperate in my search for common experiences, for familiar voices and shared stories. Picking up this book made me realize that I am not alone, but furthermore a member of a community! It also made me realize that I had even bought into the hype of American media. The book shares anecdotes and gives a detailed history of Arab american women. It is pieces of history, small tales threaded together to form a priceless 'misbah,' prayer beads for every Arab American. It taught me what I needed to learn. Or re-learn.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling, September 29, 2000

By	Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Bint Arab: Arab and Arab American Women in the United States (Hardcover)

This book is a personal yet highly informative ethnographic survey of three generations of Arab American women. The author introduces her grandmothers, who came to the US in the nineteenth century. She investigates their motivations for immigrating and how they and their cohorts adapted to the new country. A central figure in the book is the author's mother, a and successful businesswoman, who is presented as an example of the first American generation. Shakir describes how second generation Arab American women sought to find places for themselves between the Arab and American cultures, and how third generation women connected or reconnected with their heritage. In the last part of the book, Shakir turns her attention to more recent arrivals since 1948, mostly Palestinians, and the reasons why they have assimilated less to American culture.

The author does an exceptional job throughout explaining the traditions of her culture to those who may not be aware of them. Only at the beginning does she seem to idealize the homeland Lebanon somewhat, rather than consider it impartially; this was probably due to her elders' expressed attitudes as she was growing up. This book will be of interest to anyone studying the process of immigration and acculturation, as well as those of Arab American ancestry.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vague Stereotypes Rapidly Dissolve, December 18, 2001

By A Customer

For a reader seeking to understand the experience of women of Arab heritage in the US, reading Evelyn Shakir's book makes an excellent first step. One's vague stereotypes about this group dissolve after reading a few pages. Starting at the beginning of the 20th century, she paints a vivid and colorful picture of these women and their families, ethnic communities, business enterprises, and interaction with Anglo-American society. I found the descriptions of the earlier 20th century to have the evocative quality of E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime. Shakir does not gloss over the difficulties that these women had with their patriarchal-minded males; she also depicts their numerous victories in redefining their roles as women. (The author's own mother won such a victory, setting up a successful small clothing factory in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.)

Shakir's family was Christian, as were most of the earlier generations of Arab immigrants, and her account of their generation draws much from family memories. (She also did considerable research in books and periodicals by and about Arab Americans, enriching her account while never making it ponderous.) When dealing with today's largely Muslim immigrants, she takes a different approach. She gives the reader lengthy transcriptions of Arab women's accounts of their experiences, taken from interviews or, in one case, from a conversation among four sisters. I would guess that, feeling unfamiliar with their culture, she preferred to let the Muslim women speak for themselves. This drew me in as effectively as did the earlier part of the book. Taken as a whole, Bint Arab is a very readable and richly detailed portrayal of an ethnic group with whom other Americans would do well to become better acquainted.