Tahseen Shams

Here, There, and Elsewhere

The Making of Immigrant Identities in a Globalized World

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Tahseen Shams explores how geopolitics in the homeland, hostland, and beyond shape Muslim-American and immigrant identities in a globalized world.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Stanford University Press
• Seitenzahl: 264
• Erscheinungstermin: 4. August 2020
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 231mm x 155mm x 23mm
• Gewicht: 522g
• ISBN-13: 9781503610699
• ISBN-10: 1503610691
• Artikelnr.: 57163236

Autorenporträt

Tahseen Shams is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto.

Inhaltsangabe

Contents and Abstracts
1Societies Interconnected
chapter abstract
This chapter introduces a new concept for thinking about the places that
are neither the immigrants' homeland nor hostland, but which are
nonetheless salient in their identity-making processes. Extending the
foundational frameworks of international migration that focus exclusively
on the dynamics within or between the sending and receiving countries, this
chapter provides an overview of the book's key argument-that contrary to
dyadic explanations, how immigrants self-identify and how they are
identified by others are shaped by geopolitics unfolding in the homeland,
hostland, and "elsewhere." The chapter also outlines the book's
methodological justifications and sources of data, namely ethnographic
observations, interviews, and social media data of sixty South Asian Muslim
Americans in California.
2Beyond Here and There: The Multicentered Relational Framework
chapter abstract
"Elsewhere" does not mean everywhere. Using examples from both contemporary
politics and immigration history, this chapter uses a new analytical
model-the multicentered relational framework-to show how a faraway foreign
place gains salience for an immigrant group and becomes an "elsewhere."
Serving as the theoretical spine of the book, this chapter outlines the
variations of "elsewhere" and its limitations. The chapter next expounds
the three facets of the multicentered relational framework-namely,
homeland-hostland, hostland-"elsewhere," and "elsewhere"-homeland-to show
how each reveals different dimensions of immigrants' collective identity
formation.
3Global Dimensions of Homeland Ties
chapter abstract
This chapter shows how immigrants' homeland ties gain global dimensions
based on hostland-"elsewhere" interactions. Using examples of Bangladeshi,
Pakistani, and Indian immigrants' homeland politics, it shows that the
struggles for nation-building in the sending countries are not insulated
within just those societies but are instead shaped by their interactions
with "elsewheres," specifically the Middle East and Europe. These struggles
are at times mirrored among the immigrant communities in America, while
some homeland cleavages lose relevance over time. Yet some other homeland
boundaries gain life anew as they take on new, globally informed meanings
for the immigrants based on hostland sociopolitics and "elsewhere'
dynamics.
4The Geopolitics of Being "Good Muslims" in America
chapter abstract
This chapter shows how "elsewhere" geopolitics exacerbate social pressures
on Muslim and "Muslim-looking" groups in post-9/11 America. Often
stereotyped as model minorities based on their race/ethnicity, South Asian
Americans, if they are Muslim, are viewed as threats in moments of crisis.
Members of this immigrant group often strive to present themselves as
"good," "moderate" Muslims and highlighting the universal values they share
such as peacefulness. Islamic organizations also highlight the
compatibility of Islam with American values by "Islamizing" aspects of
American culture on the one hand, and "Americanizing" tenets of Islam on
the other. The strategies of individuals can inadvertently lead to
political silence, whereas organizational strategies can involve Muslims in
U.S. politics, advocating for their interests here and "elsewhere."
5"Muslims in Danger" Both Here and Elsewhere
chapter abstract
This chapter traces how and why "elsewhere" gains salience in immigrants'
self-identification, at times more than their homelands. Many South Asian
Muslim immigrants interpret their collective position in America using
examples of "elsewheres" where Muslims are also a stigmatized minority.
These "elsewhere" examples combined with the homeland's colonized past, the
post-9/11 U.S. context, and ongoing tensions between the hostland United
States and the Middle East reinforce the immigrants' worldview that "the
West" is biased against "the Muslim world." This perspective leads them to
participate politically in ways they believe will favorably impact not only
the condition of Muslims in America but also anticolonial efforts of
Muslims in the Middle East. These examples of "elsewhere" orientations
demonstrate immigrants' long-distance nationalism and political
transnationalism.
6Taking Precautions Here for "Muslims in Conflict" Elsewhere
chapter abstract
Based on analysis of public and participant reactions to six ISIS
attacks-two in Europe (Paris and Brussels), two in the Middle East (Beirut
and Istanbul), and two in the United States (San Bernardino, California,
and Orlando, Florida)-this chapter shows that conflicts in "elsewhere"
Europe influence host country perceptions of South Asian Muslims more than
the conflicts in the Middle East do. The Islamist attacks in Europe and in
the U.S. generated comparable levels of response. Muslims' fear of backlash
and the precautions they took for their safety were comparable in each
case. Conversely, Islamist attacks in the Middle East generated low levels
of reaction, even from Muslims who self-identified with that region. This
incongruity is influenced by the media, geopolitics, global discourse on
Muslims, and the prevailing public imaginary of the West and the Muslim
world.
7Here, There, and Elsewhere
chapter abstract
This book presents several questions for migration and race scholars. Does
"elsewhere" influence black Muslim identities, or is it an immigrant
phenomenon? Are "elsewhere" effects present for predominantly non-Muslim
but racialized "Muslim-looking" groups, like Latino/a? With South Asian
Muslim Americans responding to Muslim-related contexts in the Middle East,
are places in South Asia with Muslim majorities then "elsewheres" for Arab
and Middle Eastern Americans? If not, why? How can the multicentered
relational framework be used to analyze immigrant identities outside the
U.S. context? This concluding chapter reflects on possible answers to these
questions and on the political developments unfolding globally.