Nurturing Al-Nafs: Centering Black and Queer Muslims in a Dialogue on Intersectional Identity Development

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 2:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Identity, Belonging and Flourishing Along the Margins

Abstract

This research centers the experience of Black and Queer Muslims in U.S. high schools with a particular question of how the socio-political context of post-9/11 Islamophobia and Trump-era terror has impacted the intersectional identity development of said communities. Conducted in four focus groups, this study uplifts the experiences of Black and/or Queer Muslims who graduated from U.S. high schools from 2007 to 2017 as they competed to both make sense of their hidden and opposite identities. With my qualitative analysis, I provide three recommendations for educators to consider in the informal and formal actions in school settings that can support the long-term development and livelihood of Black and/or Queer Muslims in U.S. schools.

Author

• Toomi Al-Dhahi, Rutgers University