Palestinian Chicago Identity in Exile

• Main Author: Lybarger, Loren D. (auth)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: University of California Press 2020
• Subjects: Ethnic studies; Middle Eastern history; History of the Americas; Social Science; Ethnic Studies; General; History; Middle East; Israel & Palestine; United States; State & Local
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

Chicago is home to one of the largest, most politically active Palestinian immigrant communities in the United States. For decades, secular nationalism held sway as the dominant political ideology, but since the 1990s, its structures have weakened and Islamic institutions have gained strength. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and interview data, Palestinian Chicago charts the origins of these changes and the multiple effects they have had on identity across religious, political, class, gender, and generational lines. The perspectives that emerge through this rich ethnography challenge prevailing understandings of secularity and religion, offering critical insight into current debates about immigration and national belonging.