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Oral History Records and Their Contribution to the Question of Identity: The Case of the Arab American Community in the United States

Archaeologies volume 18, pages 526–557 (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

This paper discusses the topic of hyphenated identity as it pertains to the Arab American community in central Ohio, U.S.A. It aims at highlighting the experiences of this minority group and bringing them to the forefront as knowledge creators. The paper focuses on creating and carefully analyzing a digital cultural record of Arab American voices. The paper uses the methodology of digital oral history to answer the following questions: (1) how digital oral history projects can help us understand individuals with hyphenated identities; (2) what factors shape the Arab American identity, and (3) what common practices are used by this group to balance preserving their identity and heritage, while integrating within White American culture.

Résumé

Cet article traite du sujet de l'identité mixte ainsi qu'elle existe au sein de la communauté arabo-américaine dans le centre de l'Ohio, aux États-Unis. Elle a pour objectif de mettre en exergue les expériences de ce groupe minoritaire et de leur assigner une place de premier plan en tant que créatrices de connaissances. Cet article s'attache à créer et analyser avec le plus grand soin une archive culturelle numérique de voix arabo-américaines. L'article s'appuie sur la méthodologie d'histoire orale numérique pour répondre aux questions suivantes: (1) comment les projets d'histoire orale numérique peuvent nous aider à comprendre les individus aux identités mixtes; (2) quels sont les facteurs donnant forme à l'identité arabo-américaine, et (3) quelles sont les pratiques communes utilisées par ce groupe pour équilibrer la préservation de son identité et de son patrimoine, tout en s'intégrant au sein de la culture américaine blanche.

Resumen

Este documento analiza el tema de la identidad con denominaciones compuestas en lo que respecta a la comunidad árabe estadounidense en el centro de Ohio, EE. UU. Su objetivo es resaltar las experiencias de este grupo minoritario y traerlos al frente como creadores de conocimiento. El documento se centra en la creación y el análisis cuidadoso de un registro cultural digital de las voces árabes estadounidenses. El documento utiliza la metodología de la historia oral digital para responder a las siguientes preguntas: (1) cómo los proyectos de historia oral digital pueden ayudarnos a comprender a las personas con identidades con denominaciones compuestas; (2) qué factores dan forma a la identidad árabe estadounidense, y (3) qué prácticas comunes utiliza este grupo para equilibrar la preservación de su identidad y herencia, mientras se integra dentro de la cultura blanca estadounidense.

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Notes

  1. The quotations cited in this paper represent the direct words of the interviewees. They are transcribed verbatim as they were spoken; they may have some issues of coherence and/or cohesion. The author, in her effort to maintain the authenticity of these quotes, did not make any edits or corrections.

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Acknowledgements

The work leading to this paper was funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation through The Ohio Five Colleges Digital Collections Grant. The recording tools were provided by Denison University Information Technology Services. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to our partners from the Arab American community whose contributions have made this project possible. They are Wafa and Munjid Hinnawi, Gehan and Mohammad Jallaq, Lubna Atif, Souzan Elkest, Amal Al-Ajarmeh, and Rana Odeh. Special thanks also go to the individual members who contributed to the creation of this Oral history project. Collaborators include the following staff and students at Denison University: Instructional Technologist (Cheryl Johnson), Deputy Director of Denison Libraries (Debra Andreadis); students: Hannah Bennett, Jimmy Fennessey, Mohamed El Sayid, Alexis Grimm, Olivia Reynolds, Adam Venrick, Fatimah Elghazawi, Victoria Alrabaa and Joshua Lahoud. I am also especially grateful to Cheryl Johnson for her support and review of the digital aspects in this paper. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to the editorial team for their continued guidance and all their hard work to making this publication possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Modern Languages, Denison University, Fellows Hall - 301S, 100 West College Street, Granville, OH, 43023, USA

    Hanada Al-Masri

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  1. Hanada Al-Masri
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Correspondence to Hanada Al-Masri.

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Al-Masri, H. Oral History Records and Their Contribution to the Question of Identity: The Case of the Arab American Community in the United States. Arch 18, 526–557 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-022-09463-0

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Key Words

  • Identity
  • Arab Americans
  • Digital Oral history
  • Central Ohio