Arabs in the Americas: Interdisciplinary Essays on the Arab Diaspora comprises twelve essays by Arab and non-Arab writers from the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Middle East. Offering more than just an introduction or a celebration of the Arab American presence in the Americas, the essays aim at expanding readers' understanding of what it means to be part of the Arab diaspora and to live in the Americas. Chapters are written from a wide range of experiences and academic disciplines, and focus on ethnic and cultural studies, American studies, and Arab studies and examine important aspects of the Arab diaspora in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. Organized into four sections, «Arriving in the Americas,» «The Experience of the Americas,» «Assessing the Americas,» and «After 9/11,» this book features different experiences of Arabs living in North and South America from a perspective that is both scholarly and reflective. Arabs in the Americas: Interdisciplinary Essays on the Arab Diaspora comprises twelve essays by Arab and non-Arab writers from the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Middle East. Offering more than just an introduction or a celebration of the Arab American presence in the Americas, the essays aim at expanding readers' understanding of what it means to be part of the Arab diaspora and to live in the Americas. Chapters are written from a wide range of experiences and academic disciplines, and focus on ethnic and cultural studies, American studies, and Arab studies and examine important aspects of the Arab diaspora in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. Organized into four sections, "Arriving in the Americas," "The Experience of the Americas," "Assessing the Americas," and "After 9/11," this book features different experiences of Arabs living in North and South America from a perspective that is both scholarly and reflective. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix Introduction The Arab Diaspora in the Americas: Latin America, the United States, and Canada Darcy A. Zabel 1(18) Part 1: Arriving in the Americas 1. The Passage from West to South: Arabs between the Old and New World Carol N. Fadda Conrey 19(10) 2. Margins of Memory on the Rua 25 de Mar Constructing the Syrian-Lebanese Past in Sao Paulo, Brazil John Tofik Karam 29(16) 3. The Syrian World in the New World: The Contextual Beginnings of Arab American Literature and the Part It Played in Identity Formation Hani Ismaeal Elayyan 45(16) Part 2: The Experience of the Americas 4. Multiple Identities: Lebanese Arab Christians in the American West Kirk Scott 61(18) 5. Stereotypes, Popular Culture, and School Curricula: How Arab American Muslim High School Students Perceive and Cope with Being the "Other" Nader Ayish 79(38) 6. Arabs in Honduras: Immigration, Integration, and the Palestinian Presence Sharon Lopez and Katharine S. Speer 117(16) Part 3: Assessing the Americas 7. Gazing East from the Americas: Assessing the Cultural Significance of Modern Arab American Literature Steven Salaita 133(12) 8. Belly Dancing for Liberation: A Critical Interpretation of Reclamation Rhetoric in the American Belly Dance Community Amira Jarmakani 145(24) 9. Not Just Disney: Destructive Stereotypes of Arabs in Children's Literature Carolyn Speer Schmidt 169(14) Part 4: After 9/11 10. Arab? Muslim? Canadian? A Question of Identity Omar Alghabra 183(8) 11. Apologies and Amnesias: Protestant Engagement with Arab American Communities since 9/11 Deirdre King Hainsworth 191(20) 12. Being Arab: Growing Up Canadian Rula Sharkawi 211(20) NOTES ON THE CONTRIBUTORS 231