Rather than turning backward and remembering 9/11, this book sets out to reflect on how the event... more Rather than turning backward and remembering 9/11, this book sets out to reflect on how the events of September 11, 2001, have shifted our perspectives on a whole series of political, economic, social, and cultural processes. Beyond 9/11 raises the question how the intense debates on the 2001 terrorist attacks and their aftermaths have come to shape our present moment and frame what lies ahead. At the same time, this collection acknowledges that the label «9/11» has often bracketed cultural complexities we have only begun to understand. In Beyond 9/11, contributors from the fields of American studies, political science, economics, history, theology, and the arts reappraise the cultural climate and the global impact of the United States in the second decade of the twenty-first century.
Article in Islamic Monthly
New Faces of America: Leaders, Politicians and Entrepreneurs
As minor... more Article in Islamic Monthly New Faces of America: Leaders, Politicians and Entrepreneurs
As minorities in America step into fulfilling successful roles in society, we begin to see a new face of what America represents. Minorities have emerged as successful entrepreneurs, politicians and leaders in American society.
In the August 2013 issue of The Atlantic, Jordan Weissmann sets forth an argument that entrepreneurship is the ultimate white privilege. His reasoning is based on recent studies showing that entrepreneurs have certain common characteristics, including a tendency toward breaking society’s rules. Given that people who are white and affluent can break rules with fewer consequences than others, Weissmann concludes that entrepreneurship fits squarely in the domain of white privilege. While it’s an interesting argument, it has little to say about how the entrepreneurial drive of minorities, immigrants and people of color created some of the world’s most innovative, creative and game-changing companies. Google, Yahoo and YouTube can claim founders with immigrant roots. If an implication of Weissmann’s argument is that non-white entrepreneurs have to work harder than white entrepreneurs to succeed given their inherent disadvantage, this is probably not news to anyone. In our issue on entrepreneurship, Saad Ansari explains how minorities come with a unique set of networks and range of economic practice that provide additional traction for them in the marketplace. Furthermore, if we consider that economic growth in emerging markets will outpace growth in places like the U.S. and Europe for many years to come, the ability to create products and services that address the needs of consumers beyond the confines of the U.S. market may also suggest that for America to remain competitive in the global marketplace, luring entrepreneurial talent from around the world to address global problems is more important now than ever. Ivan Light provides a thoughtful analysis on the rise of immigrant entrepreneurs in America.
We also feature several American Muslims who successfully won seats in local government this year, and we include an interesting story about two Muslims vying for the same political office in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
We also profile Abdallah bin Bayyah, one of the few Muslim scholars who is respected by virtually all sects in Islam, which has turned him into a scholar celebrity. Bin Bayyah is often seen as a critical face to American Islam, with almost every prominent American Muslim scholar and leader considering him their teacher. Governments frequently ask him to address questions of extremism and religion. While few Americans know of him, he may very well be the most influential scholar of Islam when it comes to Muslims in America. However, America’s right wing considers him a controversial figure and often criticizes his work. Our magazine is no stranger to interviewing controversial figures, and in our interview with Bin Bayyah, we ask him about how he reacts to religion, violence and about his impression of Muslims living as a minority in America.
Also touching upon the theme of America’s changing face is our feature on a young Syrian refugee living in America and an article on America after the Boston bombing written by Yvonne Haddad and Nazir Harb.
We also ask three notable experts to weigh in on some of the most challenging, and changing, issues in the U.S. today: gun control, immigration and health care.
David Cole addresses President Barack Obama and drones, and Salma Hasan Ali features a prominent Indian artist who is reviving the dying art of embroidery.
For the first time ever, this issue also weaves in much of our online multimedia content with our podcasts, audio documentaries and readers’ responses to some of our most highly trafficked online articles.
This issue is released at a time when Americans are observing minorities assuming critical roles in society as they also quickly become prominent and successful Americans.
This research investigates the explanatory power of Arabic dialects in describing why the `Arab S... more This research investigates the explanatory power of Arabic dialects in describing why the `Arab Spring' is a transnational regional phenomenon rather than an isolated local event specific to Tunisia or Egypt? Is the Arabic language (standard), or its colloquial variants (dialects), part of the explanation, and to what extent? In a December 31, 2011 YouTube posting, Al-Arabiya spotlights language as a critical component of the Arab Spring uprisings. In countries where certain kinds of speech and particularly anti-regime expression are monitored, regulated, and punishable by both legal and extra-legal means, an imperative like /irHal/ (MSA: `depart') is interpreted by regime security apparatuses as action. Elliot Colla explains that the "slogans the protestors are chanting are couplets--and they are as loud as they are sharp." This poetry is "not an ornament to the uprising," but rather it is a veritable "soundtrack and also composes a significant part of the action itself." In the Arab Spring uprisings, then, poets are warriors. Code choices about Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Colloquial Arabic (CA) in the context of the Arab Spring reflect Reem Bassiouney's concept of "involvement," a psycho-social objective related to the speaker's intended level of audience engagement. Its corollary, "ideation," is the "translation of this aim into different types of discourse." In the Arab Spring, involvement is a choice the chanter makes after determining a communicative aim and then decides upon a method of ideation, and finally arrives at a code choice based on her/his perception of the intended audience. This analysis argues that there is an illocutionary element at play in the "travel" of the revolutionary chants, and therewith its requisite sentiments and objectives, across Arab state borders. The chants are designed to increase public engagement and sustain the tenor of the uprisings in order to provoke the revolutionary movement, or action. The language of the Arab Spring is a critical form of action. The shouted slogans of the demonstrators take the form of couplets with predictable and simple rhyming patterns that set the tone and meter of the protests. These `couplet-slogans' carry the sentiments and objectives of the revolutionaries across national borders, down streets and alleys, but also transmit the entitlement, the right, the messages, and the impetus to revolt into the mouths and feet of the public at large, but also into lexicons, syntaxes and synapses of spectators who, in turn, are driven to activism. In participating in a protest one understands her/his words to be a form of revolutionary activism, or involvement. In most cases, the language of the Arab Spring slogans has been colloquial Arabic, which, this research argues, contributes to the transnationalism of the uprisings because dialects are perceived to be the authentic speech of ash-sha'b (the people) and therefore travel more easily across borders. With the words of the people echoing across borders, revolutionary action is inspired. This analysis suggests that the chanters in the uprisings believe the revolution to be popular (sha'bi) and, while they perceive their audiences to be Arabs of all nationalities, they choose to speak and be moved by colloquial rather than standard Arabic. While the regime speaks MSA, the protestors speak colloquial Arabic to engage locals and use MSA to interact with and spread the revolution regionally.
Rather than turning backward and remembering 9/11, this book sets out to reflect on how the event... more Rather than turning backward and remembering 9/11, this book sets out to reflect on how the events of September 11, 2001, have shifted our perspectives on a whole series of political, economic, social, and cultural processes. Beyond 9/11 raises the question how the intense debates on the 2001 terrorist attacks and their aftermaths have come to shape our present moment and frame what lies ahead. At the same time, this collection acknowledges that the label «9/11» has often bracketed cultural complexities we have only begun to understand. In Beyond 9/11, contributors from the fields of American studies, political science, economics, history, theology, and the arts reappraise the cultural climate and the global impact of the United States in the second decade of the twenty-first century.
Article in Islamic Monthly
New Faces of America: Leaders, Politicians and Entrepreneurs
As minor... more Article in Islamic Monthly New Faces of America: Leaders, Politicians and Entrepreneurs
As minorities in America step into fulfilling successful roles in society, we begin to see a new face of what America represents. Minorities have emerged as successful entrepreneurs, politicians and leaders in American society.
In the August 2013 issue of The Atlantic, Jordan Weissmann sets forth an argument that entrepreneurship is the ultimate white privilege. His reasoning is based on recent studies showing that entrepreneurs have certain common characteristics, including a tendency toward breaking society’s rules. Given that people who are white and affluent can break rules with fewer consequences than others, Weissmann concludes that entrepreneurship fits squarely in the domain of white privilege. While it’s an interesting argument, it has little to say about how the entrepreneurial drive of minorities, immigrants and people of color created some of the world’s most innovative, creative and game-changing companies. Google, Yahoo and YouTube can claim founders with immigrant roots. If an implication of Weissmann’s argument is that non-white entrepreneurs have to work harder than white entrepreneurs to succeed given their inherent disadvantage, this is probably not news to anyone. In our issue on entrepreneurship, Saad Ansari explains how minorities come with a unique set of networks and range of economic practice that provide additional traction for them in the marketplace. Furthermore, if we consider that economic growth in emerging markets will outpace growth in places like the U.S. and Europe for many years to come, the ability to create products and services that address the needs of consumers beyond the confines of the U.S. market may also suggest that for America to remain competitive in the global marketplace, luring entrepreneurial talent from around the world to address global problems is more important now than ever. Ivan Light provides a thoughtful analysis on the rise of immigrant entrepreneurs in America.
We also feature several American Muslims who successfully won seats in local government this year, and we include an interesting story about two Muslims vying for the same political office in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
We also profile Abdallah bin Bayyah, one of the few Muslim scholars who is respected by virtually all sects in Islam, which has turned him into a scholar celebrity. Bin Bayyah is often seen as a critical face to American Islam, with almost every prominent American Muslim scholar and leader considering him their teacher. Governments frequently ask him to address questions of extremism and religion. While few Americans know of him, he may very well be the most influential scholar of Islam when it comes to Muslims in America. However, America’s right wing considers him a controversial figure and often criticizes his work. Our magazine is no stranger to interviewing controversial figures, and in our interview with Bin Bayyah, we ask him about how he reacts to religion, violence and about his impression of Muslims living as a minority in America.
Also touching upon the theme of America’s changing face is our feature on a young Syrian refugee living in America and an article on America after the Boston bombing written by Yvonne Haddad and Nazir Harb.
We also ask three notable experts to weigh in on some of the most challenging, and changing, issues in the U.S. today: gun control, immigration and health care.
David Cole addresses President Barack Obama and drones, and Salma Hasan Ali features a prominent Indian artist who is reviving the dying art of embroidery.
For the first time ever, this issue also weaves in much of our online multimedia content with our podcasts, audio documentaries and readers’ responses to some of our most highly trafficked online articles.
This issue is released at a time when Americans are observing minorities assuming critical roles in society as they also quickly become prominent and successful Americans.
This research investigates the explanatory power of Arabic dialects in describing why the `Arab S... more This research investigates the explanatory power of Arabic dialects in describing why the `Arab Spring' is a transnational regional phenomenon rather than an isolated local event specific to Tunisia or Egypt? Is the Arabic language (standard), or its colloquial variants (dialects), part of the explanation, and to what extent? In a December 31, 2011 YouTube posting, Al-Arabiya spotlights language as a critical component of the Arab Spring uprisings. In countries where certain kinds of speech and particularly anti-regime expression are monitored, regulated, and punishable by both legal and extra-legal means, an imperative like /irHal/ (MSA: `depart') is interpreted by regime security apparatuses as action. Elliot Colla explains that the "slogans the protestors are chanting are couplets--and they are as loud as they are sharp." This poetry is "not an ornament to the uprising," but rather it is a veritable "soundtrack and also composes a significant part of the action itself." In the Arab Spring uprisings, then, poets are warriors. Code choices about Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Colloquial Arabic (CA) in the context of the Arab Spring reflect Reem Bassiouney's concept of "involvement," a psycho-social objective related to the speaker's intended level of audience engagement. Its corollary, "ideation," is the "translation of this aim into different types of discourse." In the Arab Spring, involvement is a choice the chanter makes after determining a communicative aim and then decides upon a method of ideation, and finally arrives at a code choice based on her/his perception of the intended audience. This analysis argues that there is an illocutionary element at play in the "travel" of the revolutionary chants, and therewith its requisite sentiments and objectives, across Arab state borders. The chants are designed to increase public engagement and sustain the tenor of the uprisings in order to provoke the revolutionary movement, or action. The language of the Arab Spring is a critical form of action. The shouted slogans of the demonstrators take the form of couplets with predictable and simple rhyming patterns that set the tone and meter of the protests. These `couplet-slogans' carry the sentiments and objectives of the revolutionaries across national borders, down streets and alleys, but also transmit the entitlement, the right, the messages, and the impetus to revolt into the mouths and feet of the public at large, but also into lexicons, syntaxes and synapses of spectators who, in turn, are driven to activism. In participating in a protest one understands her/his words to be a form of revolutionary activism, or involvement. In most cases, the language of the Arab Spring slogans has been colloquial Arabic, which, this research argues, contributes to the transnationalism of the uprisings because dialects are perceived to be the authentic speech of ash-sha'b (the people) and therefore travel more easily across borders. With the words of the people echoing across borders, revolutionary action is inspired. This analysis suggests that the chanters in the uprisings believe the revolution to be popular (sha'bi) and, while they perceive their audiences to be Arabs of all nationalities, they choose to speak and be moved by colloquial rather than standard Arabic. While the regime speaks MSA, the protestors speak colloquial Arabic to engage locals and use MSA to interact with and spread the revolution regionally.
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New Faces of America: Leaders, Politicians and Entrepreneurs
As minorities in America step into fulfilling successful roles in society, we begin to see a new face of what America represents. Minorities have emerged as successful entrepreneurs, politicians and leaders in American society.
In the August 2013 issue of The Atlantic, Jordan Weissmann sets forth an argument that entrepreneurship is the ultimate white privilege. His reasoning is based on recent studies showing that entrepreneurs have certain common characteristics, including a tendency toward breaking society’s rules. Given that people who are white and affluent can break rules with fewer consequences than others, Weissmann concludes that entrepreneurship fits squarely in the domain of white privilege. While it’s an interesting argument, it has little to say about how the entrepreneurial drive of minorities, immigrants and people of color created some of the world’s most innovative, creative and game-changing companies. Google, Yahoo and YouTube can claim founders with immigrant roots. If an implication of Weissmann’s argument is that non-white entrepreneurs have to work harder than white entrepreneurs to succeed given their inherent disadvantage, this is probably not news to anyone. In our issue on entrepreneurship, Saad Ansari explains how minorities come with a unique set of networks and range of economic practice that provide additional traction for them in the marketplace. Furthermore, if we consider that economic growth in emerging markets will outpace growth in places like the U.S. and Europe for many years to come, the ability to create products and services that address the needs of consumers beyond the confines of the U.S. market may also suggest that for America to remain competitive in the global marketplace, luring entrepreneurial talent from around the world to address global problems is more important now than ever. Ivan Light provides a thoughtful analysis on the rise of immigrant entrepreneurs in America.
We also feature several American Muslims who successfully won seats in local government this year, and we include an interesting story about two Muslims vying for the same political office in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
We also profile Abdallah bin Bayyah, one of the few Muslim scholars who is respected by virtually all sects in Islam, which has turned him into a scholar celebrity. Bin Bayyah is often seen as a critical face to American Islam, with almost every prominent American Muslim scholar and leader considering him their teacher. Governments frequently ask him to address questions of extremism and religion. While few Americans know of him, he may very well be the most influential scholar of Islam when it comes to Muslims in America. However, America’s right wing considers him a controversial figure and often criticizes his work. Our magazine is no stranger to interviewing controversial figures, and in our interview with Bin Bayyah, we ask him about how he reacts to religion, violence and about his impression of Muslims living as a minority in America.
Also touching upon the theme of America’s changing face is our feature on a young Syrian refugee living in America and an article on America after the Boston bombing written by Yvonne Haddad and Nazir Harb.
We also ask three notable experts to weigh in on some of the most challenging, and changing, issues in the U.S. today: gun control, immigration and health care.
David Cole addresses President Barack Obama and drones, and Salma Hasan Ali features a prominent Indian artist who is reviving the dying art of embroidery.
For the first time ever, this issue also weaves in much of our online multimedia content with our podcasts, audio documentaries and readers’ responses to some of our most highly trafficked online articles.
This issue is released at a time when Americans are observing minorities assuming critical roles in society as they also quickly become prominent and successful Americans.
New Faces of America: Leaders, Politicians and Entrepreneurs
As minorities in America step into fulfilling successful roles in society, we begin to see a new face of what America represents. Minorities have emerged as successful entrepreneurs, politicians and leaders in American society.
In the August 2013 issue of The Atlantic, Jordan Weissmann sets forth an argument that entrepreneurship is the ultimate white privilege. His reasoning is based on recent studies showing that entrepreneurs have certain common characteristics, including a tendency toward breaking society’s rules. Given that people who are white and affluent can break rules with fewer consequences than others, Weissmann concludes that entrepreneurship fits squarely in the domain of white privilege. While it’s an interesting argument, it has little to say about how the entrepreneurial drive of minorities, immigrants and people of color created some of the world’s most innovative, creative and game-changing companies. Google, Yahoo and YouTube can claim founders with immigrant roots. If an implication of Weissmann’s argument is that non-white entrepreneurs have to work harder than white entrepreneurs to succeed given their inherent disadvantage, this is probably not news to anyone. In our issue on entrepreneurship, Saad Ansari explains how minorities come with a unique set of networks and range of economic practice that provide additional traction for them in the marketplace. Furthermore, if we consider that economic growth in emerging markets will outpace growth in places like the U.S. and Europe for many years to come, the ability to create products and services that address the needs of consumers beyond the confines of the U.S. market may also suggest that for America to remain competitive in the global marketplace, luring entrepreneurial talent from around the world to address global problems is more important now than ever. Ivan Light provides a thoughtful analysis on the rise of immigrant entrepreneurs in America.
We also feature several American Muslims who successfully won seats in local government this year, and we include an interesting story about two Muslims vying for the same political office in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
We also profile Abdallah bin Bayyah, one of the few Muslim scholars who is respected by virtually all sects in Islam, which has turned him into a scholar celebrity. Bin Bayyah is often seen as a critical face to American Islam, with almost every prominent American Muslim scholar and leader considering him their teacher. Governments frequently ask him to address questions of extremism and religion. While few Americans know of him, he may very well be the most influential scholar of Islam when it comes to Muslims in America. However, America’s right wing considers him a controversial figure and often criticizes his work. Our magazine is no stranger to interviewing controversial figures, and in our interview with Bin Bayyah, we ask him about how he reacts to religion, violence and about his impression of Muslims living as a minority in America.
Also touching upon the theme of America’s changing face is our feature on a young Syrian refugee living in America and an article on America after the Boston bombing written by Yvonne Haddad and Nazir Harb.
We also ask three notable experts to weigh in on some of the most challenging, and changing, issues in the U.S. today: gun control, immigration and health care.
David Cole addresses President Barack Obama and drones, and Salma Hasan Ali features a prominent Indian artist who is reviving the dying art of embroidery.
For the first time ever, this issue also weaves in much of our online multimedia content with our podcasts, audio documentaries and readers’ responses to some of our most highly trafficked online articles.
This issue is released at a time when Americans are observing minorities assuming critical roles in society as they also quickly become prominent and successful Americans.