Please think about these questions while you are making:
-What inquiry do you have in your secondary field or arts? What influences or problems do you see?
In ethnic studies, we often talk about the complexity of identity, and how there are many factors that shape the way people relate to others and see themselves within society. Through group identities and affiliation, people try to define themselves and others. I want to explore: how have my cross-cultural experiences and American upbringing effected my identity?
-How may your secondary field or arts help you to explore the inquiry?
By looking at other examples of the experiences of minorities and immigrants/the children of immigrants, I can better understand how having a sense of belonging to another culture along with an American identity shapes how we experience and view the world. By examining intersectionality, I can also examine how everyone’s experiences differ, but also find parallels between us.
-How does your collage reflect your research inquiry for the final project?
In the background are images of environments that have shaped my identity. There are images from Colorado: the old and new Islamic Centers in Fort Collins, Horsetooth Reservoir, and Viestenz-Smith Park. I also have images of Syria: the Citadel of Aleppo (from which my last name originates), and a view of Aleppo’s rooftops (probably taken from a roof or balcony). These images are black and white so that they don’t distract from the foreground. The color images are things that influenced who I was growing up, and who I am today. I wonder sometimes, how my childhood perspective may have been different if I had toys that reflected my identity. The Barbie doll shown was my favorite doll growing up. I had named her Rachel, because as a child I resented my name, and the fact that no one pronounced it correctly, and I had wished that I was named Rachel: that way I would have fit in more with my classmates. I gave her a hijab and jalabiya, to reflect my own cultural clothing that I saw my family members and people at my mosque wear. In Syria, most women wear hijab. The mammoth is actually a large statue that I climbed on as a child, it is at Fossil Creek park. We had lots of picics there with friends growing up. So, out of his trunk are a mix of American and Arab foods: Chick-fil-a chicken nuggets, and maamoul, which are traditional date cookies I make with my family on holidays. The Walt Disney logo is combined with the Toyor-al-Jannah logo. I absolutely loved Disney films growing up, although none of them felt relatable to me: Jasmine, the Arab princess, was nothing like the women I knew. I listened to Toyor-al-Jannah Islamic music for children growing up-it helped me with my Arabic and helped me understand more about my culture. I was practically obsessed with the Lion King film growing up, I watched it all the time, and I knew it word for word. I especially loved the Hakuna Matata scene, where Simba walks across the log and grows up. I added a hijabi stepping onto the log, to represent the way I have grown up, and sought to embrace my Syrian culture. I combined crab apple blossoms that bloom in spring with hijabs: they both symbolize beauty, one to celebrate, and one to conceal. Hijab makes me feel confident and protected, and I have always believed it helps people see inner beauty over outer beauty. On the left side, I included an image of my favorite food: vegetarian stuffed grape leaves. They are decorated with the crabapples that grow in my front yard. This is one of the foods that my white American friends thought was strange, but I unapologetically loved it. Food has always been something that I feel connects me to both sides of my identity: I love American and Syrian dishes, and I grew up eating both frequently.
-What will you have to prepare in order to discover the inquiry at a deeper level?
There is no Arab or Muslim American division of ethnic studies at CSU, so I would have to examine the things that are applicable to all ethnic studies divisions. I also may have to do my own research on the Arab American experience through various media (writing, article, journals, art, poetry, etc.)