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Arab American History Conference Celebrates Scholar's Pioneering Spirit
Throughout his long, fruitful life, Dr. Michael W. Suleiman (1934-2010), exemplified the American Dream. An immigrant from Palestine who arrived in the United States as a young adult, Suleiman worked hard, excelled and became the leading authority in his chosen field – what is known today on university campuses as Arab American studies.
Just before his death last year, Suleiman – Distinguished Professor at Kansas State University and a key contributor to the founding of the Arab American National Museum (AANM) – asked some of his closest friends and colleagues to create a conference in his name, to keep his academic spirit and energy alive by encouraging scholars from around the world to conduct, present and discuss new research in the field.
Far from a dry examination of times past, CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN ARAB AMERICAN STUDIES: NEW TRENDS AND CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES, at the AANM Friday, Nov. 4 through Sunday, Nov. 6, offers a series of fascinating snapshots into various aspects of Arab American history, demographics, culture and art.
Leading scholars from colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, Europe and the Arab World are participating; see complete list below, sorted by location. Among topics being explored are:
– Effects of the events of Sept. 11, 2001 on Arab Americans
– Immigration and assimilation
– Sexuality and issues of gender in the Arab American community
– Diversity within the Arab American community
– Americans’ awareness of Arabs and Muslims through history
– Arab American cultural productions (literature, visual art, performance)
– Arab Americans’ and Arab American organizations’ Internet usage
“The field of Arab American studies is important and timely, given the long history of often-unflattering and inaccurate depictions of Arabs and Arab Americans in the U.S.,” says Dr. Matthew Jaber Stiffler, AANM researcher. “Arab American studies scholars have been working for decades not only to document their own history, but also to examine the position of Arab Americans within contemporary societal issues like race, gender and sexuality, citizenship, and U.S. foreign policy.”
The weekend conference will also mark the opening of the Michael W. Suleiman Collection at the Arab American National Museum Library & Resource Center, a special non-circulating research collection of approximately 1,000 books, theses, and dissertations relating to the Arab American experience personally assembled by Suleiman over the course of his career.
“Dr. Suleiman was involved with the AANM since its inception, and we will forever be indebted to him for all he has given to this institution,” says Museum Director Dr. Anan Ameri. “His legacy is now even richer because of this collection, the fruit of more than 30 years’ work and his labor of love. We are honored to preserve it and make it readily accessible to students and researchers in perpetuity.”
The conference is open to the public but will be of special interest to sociologists, historians, community leaders, elected officials, journalists, college students, educators, history enthusiasts and anyone interested in learning more about Arab Americans.
“Dr. Suleiman was never content with how much he knew about Arab American studies or how rapidly the field had grown. He insisted we research meticulously, that we theorize with sophistication, and that we write to reach a broad audience,” says Suad Joseph of University of California-Davis, who organized the conference with Elaine Hagopian of Boston’s Simmons College, and Nadine Naber and Lisa Suhair Majaj, both of University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
“Those values of cutting-edge research carried out rigorously, theorized thoughtfully and composed for the wider social communities in which we live guided our vision for this conference. We tried to represent the broadest possible range of current research, especially new terrains of research. And we formulated the conference to ring true to the issues and to alert us to the new ways in which scholarship is being formulated,” Joseph says.
The full conference schedule and online registration are available at www.arabamericanmuseum.org; registration is $20 for professionals and $10 for students. Questions about this event may be directed to AANM Researcher Dr. Matthew Stiffler at 313.624.0205 or mstiffler@accesscommunity.org.
<b>Conference Highlights</b>
-Keynote speech by Dr. Jack G. Shaheen, 12:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4
The noted scholar, author and leading authority on Hollywood’s portrayal of Arabs speaks about the development of the Arab American community.
-Opening of the Michael W. Suleiman Collection, 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4
This non-circulating research collection of approximately 1,000 books, theses, and dissertations relating to the Arab American experience was personally assembled by Dr. Suleiman and bequeathed to the Museum’s Library & Resource Center.
-Poetry reading honoring Dr. Evelyn Shakir (1938-2010), 12:15 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5
Poet George Ellenbogen will pay tribute to Shakir, his companion of 32 years, fellow educator at Bentley College in Massachusetts and a fiction writer, personal essayist, and groundbreaking scholar of Arab American literature.
-Readings from Arab & Arab American Feminisms, 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5.
Conference participants including leading Arab American authors, artists and scholars present readings from this groundbreaking anthology (Syracuse University Press, 2011) known for its multi-genre, transnational approach to an often-overlooked field.
<i>Dr. Michael W. Suleiman (1934-2010) was one of the first and most prolific scholars of Arab American studies. Born in Palestine in 1934, he immigrated to the United States in 1956. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1965, Dr. Suleiman taught at Kansas State University, where he was later awarded the title of University Distinguished Professor. Through his groundbreaking research on Arab Americans, Dr. Suleiman became the recognized authority in the field of Arab American studies.</i>