Transcultural Identities: Western Diaspora in the Arab World and Solidaristic Action

• In Event: Contested Belongings: Arab Diasporas and Western Expatriates in the Shadow of Empire

Abstract

This paper investigates how the definition of a diaspora is evolving, highlights the existence of diasporas in the Arab World, and advocates for further research that taps into the plethora of experiences and perspectives that these diasporic populations have to offer. The central research questions for this project are: How do Western diaspora in the Arab world experiences, perceptions, and voices, are to a great extent, missing in our contemporary academic scholarship? Moreover, how do such voices theorize “transcultural identity” as a form of citizen engagement at the center of transforming world politics in relation to the Arab world? This paper offers a novel attempt to articulate systemically the ways in which the Western diaspora's engagement with the Arab scene can contribute to the understanding of the emergence of a new orientalist discourse by exploring the methodological gaps in the prevalent Western discourse and theories. The role of the Western diaspora in the Arab world presents a unique opportunity to challenge and transform traditional modes of representation and the entrenched Orientalist discourse described by Edward Said in Orientalism. Said critiques how the "East" was subjected to "orientalization," becoming a static and stereotyped construct shaped through centuries of religious, literary, and scholarly production. This process, according to Said, involved constructing the Orient as a distorted image of the West—an aberration that served to affirm Western superiority and norms.

Moreover, the Western diaspora's embeddedness in Arab societies allows for the creation of alternative texts and representations, where the East is not a passive object but an active participant in shaping its own identity. This interaction serves as a counterpoint to Said's critique of the absence of the "Other" in Orientalist writings. The diaspora’s role as cultural mediators helps to destabilize the Orientalist ideology of an inferior East versus a superior West by highlighting commonalities, fostering cross-cultural understanding, and generating representations that resist the reductionist binaries of Self and Other. In this way, the Western diaspora in the Arab world not only challenges the Orientalist legacy but also redefines the modalities of representation, moving toward a more egalitarian discourse that acknowledges the agency, diversity, and evolving identities of Gulf societies. Their contributions represent a step forward in dismantling the pervasive influence of Orientalism and creating a framework for intercultural dialogue that reflects a more balanced and authentic relationship between East and West.

Author

• Eid Mohamed, Qatar University