Citizenship as a Possession

In the article “‘I Was Born Here, but My Home, It’s Not here’: Educating for Democratic Citizenship in an Era of Transnational Migration and Global Conflict”, Thea Renda Abu El-Haj discusses the experiences of several Palestinian American students. She describes the dichotomy between being American and being Palestinian, and how this sense of nationalism is complicated by their citizenship. The article is set in the context of Palestinian youth after the events of September 11, 

2001.

El-Haj begins by setting up her argument, and defining the imagined community: “This idea of an imagined community references the ways that nations are ideologically constructed and reconstructed through discourse (e.g., media, public debates) and political practices (e.g., state policies, civil rights movements) as the boundaries of belonging are negotiated over time in relation to different groups of people” (288). Oppressed groups are seen as less than ideal and do not have solid relationships with these communities. As Jean Yonemura Wing wrote in her article from last week, “No matter for how many generations they have lived in this country, Asians have been, and still are, treated as foreigners “(458).  Likewise, since 9/11 Palestinian Americans have been increasingly treated as enemies. This poses an issue, as these groups are expected to assimilate while simultaneously being marginalized. 

One of the biggest questions that the Palestinian American teens have to grapple with is that of how to reconcile their citizenship with their sense of nationalism. El-Haj describes that many of these students were born in the United States, though some of them lived in Palestine before returning to America during the second intifada. The teens emphasize that being an American Palestinian does not mean the same as being both American and Palestinian. There is a general consensus among the teens studied that they are, first and foremost, Palestinian. More important to them than the place of their birth are the ties to family and ancestry, and a sense of pride and support for those involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

This uncoupling of national and citizenship identities causes conflict for these students. On the one hand, the economic opportunity afforded by American citizenship is invaluable. They recognize that they have more opportunities for educational, medical, and economic support than they would in the homeland. Yet due to their status as “other" many feel more comfortable in Palestine. In the following video, an older Palestinian American describes the idea of the American dream and how his life has been shaped by being a member of both groups. 

In El-Haj's article, one student describes “citizenship as a possession that she carried rather than an identity she inhabited” (299). This idea was fascinating to me, because it flies directly in the face of American nationalism. For many Americans (notably, mostly white), being American is not just a

tool we can use, but it is who we are. Those who assimilate to the ideology of the imagined community aim to become part of the “in crowd” rather than someone who is “out”. 

It seems that it would be much more difficult to teach students who want the benefits of the community without being totally part of it. How do we include in our classrooms those students who feel that they would rather be included elsewhere? El-Haj discusses the implications for educators of these students.  She says that “educators must build classroom communities that foster students’ and teachers’ capacity to speak and listen respectfully across differences…” (309). She also argues that “educators need ways of helping young people imagine being a democratic citizen that is distinguishable from, and larger than, their national identifications” (311).  In other words, students need to be able to see and hear perspectives that are different from their own. They should be given the opportunity to engage with their communities and see that many of their issues transcend national borders and are felt across a wide spectrum of people. In creating students who are global- and civic-minded, we can aim to correct the injustices of the world.