Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Muslim-Minority Youth Negotiating Identity

• In Event: Roundtable Session 79
  In Roundtable Session: Negotiating Identity: Religion, Language, Race, and Place

Abstract

This paper reports a small case-study investigating the limitations and constraints faced by a group of Muslim-minority girls, specifically Shia Ismaili Muslim girls, attending American public high school as they negotiate and perform their identities inside and outside of school space. The subjects of this study are in a particularly precarious position as they share the stigma of being "Muslim in America" and a minority within the larger Muslim community. Theoretically, this study approaches identity through a sociological lens. Methodologically, the study prioritizes the voices of a traditionally silenced population through semi-structured interviews and a focus group. The central finding of this study demonstrates the subjects' inability to house multiple identities harmoniously in the school environment.

Author

• Natasha Merchant, University of Washington