Date of Award
5-1-2019
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Anthropology
First Advisor
Hill, Dr.Jonathan
Abstract
In southeast Michigan, tens of thousands of Iraqi American transmigrants have made a home for themselves in metro Detroit in recent decades and they sustain most of their religious beliefs, social norms, cultural values, and national ties. At the same time, they have had to change their social life in sometimes radical ways as they adjust to American society. These changes have led them to build their own cultural and social identity which differs from both American and Iraqi identity and consists of a transnational Iraqi American identity. This study will explore the sociocultural identities that have emerged within the Iraqi-American community in Dearborn and Detroit. The study provides an illustration of the transnational networks, activities, patterns of living, and ideologies that recent migrants have created to span their homeland and host societies. The study is based on ethnographic fieldwork in Dearborn and Warrendale in addition to social media, ethnographic discourse analysis, and study of the community social networks.
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