City Charity: Stigma, Speech Genres, and the Performance of American Muslim Identity

• In Event: 2323 - Student Forum Refereed Roundtable
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: 7. Multifaceted Forms of Identity Construction

Abstract

Since 9/11, American Muslims have experienced heightened levels of suspicion, hostility, and discrimination. And since Donald Trump’s ascent to the White House in 2016, this anti-Muslim sentiment has been reinforced by political rhetoric that characterizes Muslims as a threat to national security and American values. Drawing on photo elicitation interviews and participant observation, I argue that participants in a Muslim volunteer group—City Charity—attempt to resist negative stereotypes by engaging in voluntary service to their community. In this analysis, I integrate theoretical insights from Goffman and Bakhtin to conceptualize the interactions that take place in the City Charity lunch line. I suggest that City Charity has two “audiences” (Goffman 1959) that may be identified by their respective “speech genres” (Bakhtin 1986).

Author

• Elena van Stee, University of Pennsylvania