South Asian and Middle Eastern Communities in the United Kingdom and the United States - Research Proposal Example

Diaspora: South Asian and Middle Eastern Communities in the UK and the US: A Comparative Study Proposal: Middle Eastern and Asian cultures are becoming more important to business; especially when fears that have arisen in the average American public in the face of the recent years of terrorism. This has lead to increased occurrences of racism in the workplace. Therefore, this proposal contends the introduction of this training course syllabus for university students as it will reduce the misinterpretation of Middle Eastern / South Asian cultures and other nationalities. The goal of this syllabus is through a thorough examination of the history, religion, politics and the modern synthesis of these cultures ancient origins is to create a better understanding and tolerance in the workplace. The syllabus will include the following areas, displacement, homelife, religion, immigrant integration in the West. It will also touch upon some very modern problems for those of South Asian or Middle Eastern Origin, which are the problem of gender in a primarily Islamic culture; the problem of traditional religious belief and its conflict in the modern era, finally it will consider the problem of identity in the modern era. Literature Review: The laws of liberal democratic states have set up value neutral laws that are based in an androgynous view of the sex and culture. Equality of women is one of the biggest threats to traditional South Asian and Middle Eastern cultures, because the objection to the hijab; as well as the liberalization of women in the workplace is seen as a threat to the traditional roles of men and women. Afghanistan prior to the war was seen as a prime example; whereby the forced hijab, legal regime of no education and the legitimate sale and property ownership of women were accepted.1 This view is of fundamental Islamic thought and not the more liberal thinking of Westernized Muslims. This course will compare liberal Middle Eastern and South Asian thinking with that of the fundamentals that many Westerners believe is main-stream. In the introductory weeks the syllabus will consider traditional cultural approaches to the law and modern Western thinking. It will question whether neutrality and equality is really present in the West, because this is not the reality of situation, because the state, family and labor market is based on systemic discrimination of women and minority cultures. In other words, white men have created the system and have inherently based the position of women and minority cultures, at best as second-class citizens and at worst for women as the property of men. Within the Islamic world modernity is fought against especially in respect to the role of the women. These traditional roles are still celebrated and marrying is tantamount for the women at an early age to produce a family, which results in the parents endeavoring to find a suitable partner to look after their daughter and the family name. In the Islamic world the role of the women is celebrated through poetry and song2; whilst the man is her protector and knight in shining armour.3 Women's rights theorists within both Islamic countries and the West are arguing that women should have equal economic opportunities in the workplace and although having a family to many women is still important this does not meant that a women has to sacrifice her career. This is classed as a threat to traditional Islamic culture and has been met with resistance.4 This has made the theory of re-distribution key to creating equality economically, socially and politically for women within Islamic countries and in the West. Therefore this discussion will consider the theories of re-distribution and then apply them to women's social and political situations, which then should cause changes in women's social image and therefore create a situation of equality in the family. Women's groups would argue that if women were allowed to live up to their full capabilities in the workplace then arranged marriages would not be necessary because women would not be at a disadvantage. There are many problems faced by women in the region, such as resistance to women leaving their traditional role as the mother and homemaker.5 There will be eight weeks devoted to this area will examine Western and Eastern feminist thinking and will try to correlate it with this region's thinking. It must be identified that there are many cultures and religions in the region; however, the most predominant is Islam, which will be primary focus of this course. The main contenders in advancing modernity are women's rights theorists, because it is argued that traditional South Asian and Middle Eastern cultures sell your daughter to gain economic or status benefits.6 Therefore this has lead to resistance to change and the introduction of human rights for traditionalists, because human rights and liberalization equate to the disintegration of culture.7 This was especially seen in the partition of Pakistan from India, because Gandhi introduced the notion of equality and rights which traditional fundamental Islamic teachers resisted and lead to the bloody division of India.8 However the culture of Islam is not bound to the inequality of men and women, but the notion of equality and respect for between the genders.9 Therefore by bringing true systemic change it will cause a change in social views and policy, which will bring true equality to the family home, which Westernized Asians and Western theory would argue is not possible.10 This is supported by Bawer: "While non-Muslim Europeans live in democracies, most Muslims in thesame countries inhabit theocratic enclaves where they are expected to tread a narrow path or suffer the consequences. Muslim women have it worst. Not only are they subject to the often tyrannical authority of husbands, fathers and community leaders, if they seek to escape that authority, they cannot necessarily expect support from the police and other government agencies, which often feel that 'intruding' in such matters would show disrespect for immigrant culture."11 The Oslo-basedOrganization Human Rights Service produced a book entitled, Female Intergerin which illustrated that "the systematic abuse of 'family reunification' [through the practice of arranged marriage] has dramatically transformed the way in which spousesare chosen within the Muslim community. This has not only made realintegration [within the new culture] all but impossible; it has also resulted in a pattern of exploitation of young women."12 The subject of equality of gender is one of the biggest issues that threaten traditional Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures, because even in the Hindu culture especially with the recent uprise of the Hindu Right the traditional role of the mother as wife and home maker is paramount.13 The threat of equality is not to the cultures per se, but to the power divide within these cultures. Modernity can easily be integrated in to Middle Eastern and South Asian culture. This can be seen as greater numbers of Asians emigrate to the West, issues of cultural assimilation versus adherence to tradition cultural norms have to be addressed by both the immigrants and the host countries. However, some traditional practices are condemned in the West. The forced use of the hijab is one. If the woman is free to choose, as the Qur'an dictates at 18 then this is fair; but fundamentalist groups such as Al Queda have taken the choice away.14 This is the approach that the liberal Indian Muslims who decided to emigrate to Kenya rather than to stay in the fundamentalist Republic of Pakistan took.15 In addition the reluctance to educate girls is look upon negatively; as well as forced marriages in order to gain a better social or monetary status Even without moving to a new country, traditional cultural practices everywhere are coming under increasing pressure from modern, and largely Western, ideas16. Recent emigrants tend to gather in neighborhoods with other emigrants, and in the beginning of their residence maintain the "old ways" as much as possible.17 However, as the new residents interact with the media and population of their new home, and as their children are born into or raised in the new culture, traditional practices are challenged outright or at least modified. These modifications often occur good reason, such as where legal statutes define the minimum age at which a girl or boy can marry, or how many spouses one may have, whether a girl decides to take the hijab.18 In the study, "Perceptions of arranged marriages by young Pakistani Muslim women living in a Western society,"19 the attitudes of second generation female Muslim Pakistanis towards arranged marriages was examined. It acknowledged the challenges of adapting to life in the West as far as language, culture, and religion. The study sought to see whether Western values had been assimilated to the extent that they influenced how the immigrants chose their mates. Not surprisingly, the study found that the children of Pakistani parents tended to be more adapted to the Western way of life and its culture, and that this was a significant source of conflict between children and their parents, especially when it came to the question of marriage. The problem with this study as with Western Feminist Literature is that it does not recognize that arranged marriages are a form of protection for their children from undesirable matches. This is the same as the Western mother in law syndrome where the person who has married their child is not what they would have chosen. In the article "Arranged Marriage and the Holi Festival,"20 the benefits of arranged marriage that are the focus, such as a lower divorce rate. This is because parents look at the long term compatibility of the couple not the fallacy of love. The practice is not only common; it is the norm in India where 95% of the population marries through arranged marriages. Prospective mates are chosen based on social caste and other factors, such as economic status and educational level.21 Therefore the Western fallacy that women are not empowered through arranged marriages may not be true, because there are a lot of successful married women in India; rather than the outdated beliefs of sati, i.e. new wives being burned to death as a result of the bride's family being unable to meet the demands of the groom's family, a recent development in urban families has been to do away with the dowry altogether.22 Hence, traditional South Asian culture can be seen as a beneficial approach and not against modern thinking.23 There is no doubt from a review of the existing literature that the issue is large and complex, with many ramifications, predictable and otherwise, for both the Muslim population in the West and the West itself. Ongoing research in whether South Asian and Middle Eastern Culture can be integrated without the loss of identity will no doubt serve to help separate fact from fiction and sensationalism from cultural identity so a clearer picture of this practice and its implications for the future can begin to emerge.24 It is this fear that a loss of identity and culture that has resulted in jihad; especially in the male population. Women are being liberated are seen as a threat to the traditional Islamic culture; as well as the new human rights and era of economic liberalization. The final two weeks will explore this area, as this is an interesting backdrop into understanding the family life of traditional South Asian and Middle Eastern families. Week One to Two: Traditional Legal & Cultural System in South East Asia and the Middle East identified through Music and Poem: Week One - Political Theory: Week Two - Legal And Social Implications of Music and Poem Davies, Kristina Nelson. 2002. "The Qur'an Recited." Austin: U. of Austin Press. In The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music (Volume 6: The Middle East), Virginia Danielson, Scott Marcus and Dwight Williams (eds.). NY: Routledge, 17-63. Marsh D & Stoker G, 2002, Theory and Method in Political Science, Palgrave MacMillan Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. 1997. "Islam and Music: The Legal and the Spiritual Dimensions." In Lawrence E. Sullivan, (ed.), Enchanting Powers: Music in the World's Religions, 219-236. Cambridge: Harvard U. Press. Rosenberg A, 2002, Philosophy of Social Science: A Contemporary Introduction Routledge Fletcher, Peter. 2001. World Musics in Context: A Comprehensive Survey of the World's Major Musical Cultures. Oxford U. Press. 94-112. Thapar, Romila. 2002. Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300. Berkeley: U. of California Press. 98- 36. Shiloah, Amnon. 1995. Music in the World of Islam: A Socio-Cultural Study. Detroit: Wayne State U. Press. 18-44, 68-75. Marcus, Scott. Draft: Music of the Middle East. Used with permission of author. "The Call to Prayer: A Communal Endeavor" Week Three: Music as a Cultural Backdrop to the Roles of Men and Women: Joseph, Suad. 1999. "Brother-Sister Relations." In Intimate Selving in Arab Families: Gender, Self, and Identity, Suad Joseph (ed.) Syracuse U. Press. 113-40. Marcus, Scott. Draft: Music of the Middle East. Used with author's permission. "Upper Egyptian Music for Weddings and Festivals: Mizmar/Tabl Baladi" "The Arab Rhythmic Modes" "Zaffa (Wedding Procession) Music" Yaqub, Nadia. 2002. The Palestinian Groom's Wedding Eve Celebration. In The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music (Volume 6: The Middle East), Danielson, Marcus, and Williams (eds.). 573-78. Sbait, Dirgham H. 2002. Palestinian Wedding Songs. In The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music (Volume 6: The Middle East), Danielson, Marcus, and Williams (eds.). 579-592. Week Three to Four: Islamic v's Western Feminist Thought: Week Three - Western Feminist Thought Week Four - Islamic Feminist Thought through Music: R. Sandland (1995) "Between 'Truth' and 'Difference': Post structuralism, Law and the Power of Feminism", 3 Feminist Legal Studies 4 C. Smart (1989) Feminism and Power of Law, London, Routledge Swedenburg, Ted. 2000. "Sa'ida Sultan/Danna International: Transgender Pop and the Polysemiotics of Sex, Nation, and Ethnicity on the Israeli-Egyptian Border." In Mass Mediations: New Approaches to Popular Culture in the Middle East and Beyond, Walter Ambrust (ed.). U. of California Press. 88-119. Stokes, Martin. 1992. "Islam, the Turkish State and Arabesk." Popular Music 11/2: 213-27. Langlois, Tony. 1996. "The Local and Global in North African Popular Music." Popular Music 15/3; 259-73. Week Four to Nine The Role of Men and Women in South Asia and the Middle East - Culture Clash Western Born South Asian and Middle Eastern Youths Resistance to Traditional Views: Week Four: Traditional South Asian and Western Approaches to Role of Men and Women Week Five: Feminist Approaches to Women's Equality Week Six: Western View of South Asian and Middle Eastern culture's approach to the role of Men and Women Week Seven: Westernized South Asians and Middle Eastern Youths resistance to Traditional Roles of Men and Women Week Eight: Generation Gap and fear that Tradition will be lost Week Nine: A Modern Approach to the Role of Men and Women in South Asian and Middle Eastern Culture: Bawer, 2003, "A trap for Muslim women in Europe," International Herald Tribune: June 27th 2003 Hege Storhaug, 2003, Female Interging Oslo-basedOrganization Human Rights Service Domestic Abuse Project can be found at www.mndap.org Follingstad, D.R., Wright, S., Lloyd, S., &Sebastian, J. (1991). Sex differences in motivations and effects in dating violence Family Relations, 40, 51-57 Gin, N.E., Rucker et al (1991) Prevalence of domestic violence among patients in three ambulatory care internal medicine clinics Journal of General Internal Medicine, 6, 317-322. Hamberger, L.K et al (1992) Prevalence of domestic violence in community practice and rate of physician inquiry Family Medicine, 24(4), 283-7. Hale & Pearl et al, 2002, The Family, Law and Society: Cases and Materials Butterworths James Heitzman, 1995, India: A Country Study, Library of Congress Press Hoggett, 2002, The Family, Law and Society, LexisNexis UK Mahendra, 1998, Unto the Breach, The Practioner, in the NLJ 148(6857) Mathur, "First Comes Marriage, then comes love" http://www.geocites.com/Wellesley/3321/win4a.html Stark, E., & Flitcraft, A.H. (1988) Women and children at risk: A feminist perspective on child abuse International Journal of Health Services, 18(1), 97-118. Stark, E., & Flitcraft, A. (1995) Killing the beast within: Woman battering and female suicidality International Journal of Health Services, 25(1), 43-64. Violence Against Women Online Resources, which can be found at: http://www.vaw.umn.edu/documents/bridges/bridges.html#id73548 Zaidi, 1999, Perceptions of arranged marriages by young Pakistani Muslim women living in a Western society, Thesis submitted to the University of Windsor Ontario Canada Week Nine to Twelve: Joseph, May. 1999. "Ujaama and Soul" from Nomadic Identities: the Performance of Citizenship. U. of Minnesota Press. 37-48. Gopinath, Gayatri. 2005. Impossible Desires: Queer Diasporas and South Asian Public Cultures. Duke U. Press. 29-62. Hutnyk, John. 1996. "Repetitive Beatings or Criminal Justice" 1996. In Dis-Orienting Rhythms: The Politics of the New Asian Dance Music, Sanjay Sharma, John Hutnyk and Sahwani Sharma (eds.). London: Zed Books156-89. Desi Hip Hop: http://www.amherst.edu/nsharma/research/hip-hop.html Maira, Sunaina. 2004. "Youth Culture, Citizenship and Globalization: South Asian Muslim Youth in the United States after September 11th." Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East 24/1: 219-31. Swedenburg, Ted. "Islamic Hip-Hop Versus Islamophobia: Aki Nawaz, Natacha Atlas, Akhenaton." In Global Noise: Rap and Hip-Hop Outside the USA, Tony Mitchell, (ed.), Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan U. Press. 57-85 Malik, Iftikhar H. 2004. Islam and Modernity: Muslims in Europe and the United States. London: Pluto Press. "Islam and Britain: Old Cultures, Odd Encounters." 64-92. "Islam and the United States: New Friends or Old Enemies" 156-80. Muslim Hip Hop: http://www.muslimhiphop.com/ DEEV: Hip-Hop in the Persian Diaspora: http://thespiritofman.blogspot.com/2005/10/iranian-rapper-sing-on-freedom.html http://deevorg.temp.powweb.com/ Exam Questions: 1) How is the traditional role of men and women within the Islamic Culture expressed through poem and song 2) Are Islamic and other South Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures oppressive to women 3) Are the traditional Islamic and traditional South Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures eroded by Western Ideals Is this highlighted through dispora in Westernized youths of these traditional cultures Read More