Emergent Panethnicity Among Middle Eastern Americans In Detroit.

This paper presents preliminary research about the emergence of panethnic sentiment among Middle Eastern Americans. Drawing on historical and theoretical comparisons to the formation of well-established panethnic groups in the United States, this study appropriately begins in the Detroit, Michigan area, a city widely considered a center of Middle Eastern American culture. New empirical research in the present study relies upon in-depth interviews with Middle Eastern American activists, conducted in the summer of 2005 in and around Detroit. These interviews provide insights into the potential shifting of barriers between Middle Eastern American subgroups during resistance to government policies, hate crimes, and discrimination directed at anyone who fits the profile of an Arab or Muslim in the United States. Crucially, these interviews also reveal potential difficulties likely to trouble a panethnic Middle Eastern American movement. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]