Race/Ethnicity

1. Race/Ethnicity 4/7/2010

2. Brief History of Race • Greek Mythology – Prometheus created a race of people from clay • Egyptians- when in power called the lighter group “the pale, degraded race ” • Aristotle – his race was the “hellenic” race which had spirit and intelligence (Nothern Europeans had spirit but lacked intelligence) • 14th Century – Islamic socialist, Ibn Khaldun, took an environmental approach saying that black skin was due to the hot climate of sub-Saharan Africa • 17th Century –different racial theories were used to justify slavery

3. 18th Century – became scientific Christoph Meiners - “binary racial scheme” – Caucasian = “racial purity” and Mongolian = everyone else Johann Gottfried Herder – regardless of cultural differences all humans belong to the same race Johann Friedrich Blumenbach – divided humans into five races based on craniometrical research analysis - “Caucasian” = the white race - “Mongolian” = the yellow race - “Malayan” = the brown race - “Ethiopian” = the black race - “American” = the red race

4. 19th century – moved towards a more biological approach • 19th century scientists -made claims that race is a valid scientific category that can be used to explain and predict behavior of an individual and a group • 20th century – American anthropologist, Carleston S. Coon, divided humanity into 5 races based on region • Present - a group of persons related by common descent or heredity (dictionary.com) (skin color, spirituality and intelligence, geographical location, cultural differences, heredity)

5. What is your definition of race? What have you learned in other classes?

6. Views of Ethnicity Primordialism – view that ethnicity has always existed in human history and that modern ethnic groups have historical connections Perennialism – view that ethnicity is ever changing and ethnic groups are generally short lived before they form new patterns Constructivism – sees flaws in both groups, view that ethnic groups are only products of human social interaction

7. Ethnicity • A. L. Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn investigated the various meanings of culture in the early 1950s (Kroeber & Kluckhohn, 1952), they found about three hundred different definitions. • “a people” • Based on an aspect of a relationship (not a group) • Group that considers themselves culturally distinct (culture, beliefs, identity) • Ethnicity is learned (race would be inherited) • Ethnicity is more concerned with the identification of “us” (race is more oriented towards the categorization of “them”)

8. Ethnicity What is your definition of Ethnicity? What have you learned? What ethnicity do you consider yourself? What about religion?

9. Race/Ethnicity Does the lack of a strong definition get in the way of ending racial discrimination? • Feminism example

10. History of Race and Ethnicity Race- The term race or racial group usually refers to the categorization of humans into populations or ancestral groups on the basis of various sets of heritable characteristics. The physical features commonly seen as indicating race are salient visual traits such as skin color, cranial or facial features and hair texture Ethnicity- An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage that is real or assumed- sharing cultural characteristics. This shared heritage may be based upon putative common ancestry, history, kinship, religion, language, shared territory, nationality or physical appearance.

11. You are able to check more than one category in these questions, allowing multiracial persons to identify themselves as multiracial. Because of the increasing diversity in the American population, the Census Bureau in 2000 decided to allow respondents to check all the boxes that they felt applied to their racial identity. This allows, for example, a person who has a White parent and a Bangladeshi parent to check both the White box and the Other Asian box with a Bangladeshi write-in.

12. Race and Ethnicity as a feminist issue Obstacles to Peace: Racialized Identities and Nationalisms- In context to the social-political construction of whiteness and blackness as it applies to Israeli and Palestinian women “Based on presentations and meetings at this conference there is no doubt that women within and between both regions share visions of freedom and equality; share common strategies for building coalition; and are extremely courageous in speaking out against violence and abuse. The resourcefulness, creativity, and ‘far-sightedness’of the women at this conference affirmed what I have most often experienced in my own activism in the Middle East- that hope for our planet comes from the persistence of women’s efforts. But again, women’s visions and projects, as well as women’s struggles, must be publicized and that is an extremely difficult task. The power of male dominated governmental bodies to inhibit women’s activities and the persistence of the notion that men are naturally more fit for governing than women among both men and women in general, are on-going and often life- threatening challenges.” Elise G. Young

13. To call oneself Jewish or Arab is to immediately invoke a clutch of linguistic, religious, cultural and racial features that are held to be common within each ethnic category. Who belongs to which ethnicity?

14. Palestine/Israel Feminist Issues • Women of Israel are in essence “not permitted” to marry outside their race or to anyone not from Jewish descent • Most Palestinian women can not access any form of media due to the suppression of available information for political reasons • Women from both backgrounds are normally not permitted in city meetings where health, education, economic development; political advocacy; human rights; building coalitions. ( this is true of war time areas, not truly consistant with urban city areas) • The Global Women’s History Project originated as ‘MNHAL (loosely translated as ‘replenishment’from the Arabic), a not-for-profit created by Elise G Young and Magda Ahmad to bring together women from the Middle East with women from the United States to develop mutually beneficial projects in 3areas such as health care and community organizing.

15. Current Debates of Palestinian Women in the Gaza Strip A Minority People • Palestinian people – 18% of Israeli population. • Palestinians in Israel resemble that of other minorities in western democracies. • Discrimination against ethnic groups in Israel comes from the state’s refusal to respond to demands for equality, affiliation and identification. • “Marking” or “profiling” – a term widely used in Israel towards Palestinians since the United States September 11 attacks. • Racism is not at the center of daily discussions of Palestinian women, but is found to be a central experience in everyday life. • Palestinian women considered a “minority” within the Palestinian minority. • Palestinian women are said to be located in a “third place” between cultural, gender, class, national and racial structures. Daily Life • Palestinian citizens of Israel operate in two worlds – the democratic and the traditional (non-democratic). This makes it difficult for Palestinians to develop as a democratic community in their domestic lives & in Israel’s political, cultural & economic lives. • The Palestinian residential areas suffer underdeveloped infrastructure, unemployment, housing shortages and high levels of crime and communal violence. • The women suffer domestic and sexual oppression.

16. Current Debates of Palestinian Women in the Gaza Strip Daily Life (con’t) • It is extremely rare for rural or city women to participate in any communal activities. (Women only or men & women.) Part of this is fear to leave the home and part is due to their culture/tradition. • Hamas Activists (Islamic Resistance Movement) do not think it appropriate for women to go out of the home without a male member of the family. • Speaking Arabic in public places could be risky at times & allowed in others, depending on the “liberal sensibilities” among the group. Education • Arabic schools suffer from - budget discrimination, poor human resources & the general conservatism of Arabic teachers. • In rural areas, girl’s education level has not improved. Many families fear for the girl’s safety while travelling the distance to school. • In cities, girl’s education level is better, travel time is less. The cities have a lower drop out rate for girls. • Palestinian college students often are not accepted into university housing. Preference goes to Israeli students and especially the “new immigrants”, the Jewish Army veterans. • Palestinian women, who finish college, have a hard time finding jobs because they are Arabic and they are women. This is true even in Arab owned businesses. Jobs go to Israeli men, Israeli women & then Arabic men, in that order. Arabic women, who do find jobs, have little chance of advancement.

17. Current Debates of Palestinian Women in the Gaza Strip Headscarf • During the intifada, a campaign arose in Gaza to impose the headscarf (hijab). Not to wear it was considered a social offense. • The few women, who would not comply, were affiliated with leftist groups. • Primary function of the headscarf was to signify a class/group identity rather than a gender identity. During the intifada, it also showed women’s political commitment to the intifada or the “Palestinian Cause”. • Bare-headed women were seen as vain, frivolous, or anti-nationalist. • Women were told the headscarf protected them from soldiers. Without the headscarf, they are seen as political activist and are visually a target for the military. • After the headscarf campaign was accomplished, the new goal was the imposition of the jilbaab (full length dress or coat). This was thought to further bring a “common cultural experience” to the women.

18. Israeli/Palestinian Women in the US

19. US Support of Israel • The US was the first to announce its recognition of a Jewish homeland in Israel

20. Palestinian Americans Palestinian American Women’s Association (PAWA) Mission Statement: The Palestinian America Women Association for Southern California (PAWA) is a not for profit, community-based organization working to enable Arab American Women to be productive, contributing members of society by promoting self-esteem, self-confidence, leadership development, personal and social growth for Arab American Women. PAWA works towards the emancipation and empowerment of Arab American women to enhance the quality of life and development of our community. Furthermore, we advocate for freedom, equality and justice. PAWA addresses the social and economic needs of all of our communities, focusing especially on the needs of women and children. Our primary means to achieve these goals include implementing educational cultural programs, providing services, and fostering cooperation amongst community organizations. Moreover, we work to establish and enhance bonds with other organizations whose goals we share. Studies of Palestinian Americans report that few say they have been the subject of overt discrimination based on their ethnicity. However, many say that they are often made to feel foreign, or not fully American. Certain people they encounter want to classify them as "Arab," as if this were incompatible with being an American. Some Palestinian Americans also find that they are accepted personally but that a distinction is drawn between them and their people in the Middle East. Many Americans apparently identify Palestinians with the few extremists who commit terrorist acts to publicize the plight of Palestine or to discredit by association the moderate factions they oppose.

22. Racial Discrimination and Stereotyping in the US Three B Syndrome: Stereotypes in the American media -belly dancers -bombers -billionaires “It is generally well recognized that Arabs have come under a renewed focus as the villains of Hollywood, the latest in a series of enemies threatening the foundations of American society and values. Arabs have been represented as villains since the dawn of Hollywood era, and recent stereotypes of Arabs abound, as terrorists with political aims, religious zealots, and uni-dimensional, or even portrayals of submissive, helpless women. There is some evidence, however, of an emerging voice in American entertainment that questions the negative and value laden representation of Arabs” -- Professor Jack Shaheen, Southern Illinois University http://www.ibiblio.org/prism/jan98/anti_arab.html

23. Post-9/11 Tensions Many innocent people have become the target of hate and backlash in post-9/11 America • • “We should invade [Muslim] countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.” Columnist Ann Coulter, National Review Online, Sept. 13, 2001 • “Just turn [the sheriff] loose and have him arrest every Muslim that crosses the state line.” Rep. C. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland security and Senate candidate, to Georgia law officers, November 2001 • “Islam is a religion in which God requires you to send your son to die for him. Christianity is a faith where God sent his Son to die for you.” Attorney General John Ashcroft, interview on Cal Thomas radio, November 2001 • “(Islam) is a very evil and wicked religion, wicked, violent and not of the same god (as Christianity).” Rev. Franklin Graham, head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, November 2001. “The flippancy with which U.S. media apply the word "terrorism" to Arab populations reinforces the notion that violence in the Arab world is ahistorical and therefore senseless. Arabs in turn become a people without narratives who belong to a culture incapable of rationality.” – Steven Salaita (Professor at Virginia Tech)

24. American Feminist Response to Palestinian Women • “That being said, all of the people who define themselves asfeminists who I know who are living in Palestine are primarilyconcerned with ending the occupation as a means to restoring the rightsand dignity of women in the territories.  They feel that the occupationis the primary source of the oppression of women.  Women are sufferingdirectly from the occupation because they are in the line of fire, theyare suffering direct violence from the IDF against them, and becausetheir freedom of movement is restricted, which makes it incrediblydifficult for them to go out and earn a living and thus gain someindependence.  Palestinian women have a certain amount of autonomyalready but they aren't really free to exercise it under occupation. For example they want the right to go out and work just like Americanwomen do but because of the myriad of checkpoints that they would haveto go through while at the same time trying to maintain a semblance ofnormalcy in their family lives, this is just not feasible.”

25. US and Israel today • The United States is Israel's leading ally and provides nearly $3 billion a year in aid to the Jewish state, about three-quarters of which goes to purchase U.S. military equipment. • "Our credibility in this process depends in part on our willingness to praise both sides when they are courageous, and when we don't agree, to say so, and say so unequivocally," Clinton said. "We objected to this announcement because we are committed to Israel and its security, which we believe depends on a comprehensive peace -- because we are determined to keep moving forward along a path that ensures Israel's future as a secure and democratic Jewish state living in peace with its Palestinian and Arab neighbors.“ – Hillary Clinton

26. Sources • http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_1991to_now_israel_us_support.php • http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/1026/p1s1-uspo.html/%28page%29/3 (***) • http://www.gazamom.com/ • http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/specialcoll/services/rjd/findingaids/UPWAf.html • http://mondoweiss.net/2009/02/phil-weiss-challenged-have-a-feminist-friend-thats-her-issue-so-when-israel-palestine-comes-up-she-has-a-resistance-to-an.html • http://www.pawasca.org/index.htm • http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11091.shtml • http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/48889-arab-and-muslim-americans-post-9-11 • http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/legislative/hatecrimes.html • http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/22/us.israel/index.html

27. ‘Fair and Lovely’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-9tcXpW1DE

28. The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Potential Ameliorative Feminist Considerations for the Issues of Race and Ethnicity

29. A) Political • Challenge the centrality of the military in negotiating and acting toward a resolution to the Israel-Palestine land dispute • Furthermore, (for Jewish Israeli women) reject gendered essentialisms and their intersections with militarism in nationalist paradigms; (for Palestinian women) reject gendered essentialisms in relation to honor, obedience and social obligation • Make gender an integral part of nation strengthening/building/restructuring politics

30. B) Legal • Implement the proposals of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) • Give primacy to the Basic Law of Palestine (specifically Articles 9, 10 section 1 and Article 13 section 1) over shari’a law Caveats (Particularly in the case of a one-state territorial solution) • Racializedpopulation control • Continued Israeli cultural and social imperialism and the externalization of frustration with the aforesaid hegemony on women • Submission to patriarchal and liberal bargains