"People Like Us Don’t Actually Matter": The Experiences of Middle Eastern/North African College Students

• In Event: Navigating Racialized and Gendered Spaces: Critical Insights on Race and Gender in Higher Education

Abstract

The 2023 Israel and Palestine war has sparked racialized political shock against Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) communities globally. This has become especially pronounced on U.S. college campuses, where MENA students are experiencing a surge in anti-MENA, xenophobic, and Islamophobic discrimination (U.S. Department of Education, 2023; Zdanowicz, 2023). The present proposal outlines a qualitative study examining the impact of racialized political shock on MENA students’ sense of belonging in U.S. four-year universities. Informed by MusCrit (Ali, 2021), this study utilizes counter-storytelling to amplify the experiences of MENA students. The preliminary findings reveal that MENA students have experienced heightened discrimination, alienation, and lack of protection from university administrations, which has hindered their sense of belonging on campus.

Authors

• Saba Lily Modaressi, University of Southern California

• Jessica T. Decuir-Gunby, University of Southern California