The intersectionality of disability, religion, ethnicity, and gender : ǂb Muslim Arabs in the United States
Date
2023
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The diversity in disability experience in the United States calls for an intersectional approach that takes religion, ethnicity, and gender seriously. Intersectionality recognizes that individuals can belong to multiple disadvantaged groups, which can create multiple systems of disadvantage. To analyze these systems of disadvantages, it is necessary to look at the intersectionality of the different categories individuals claim and belong to. Thus, this qualitative research implemented an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to investigate the complex intersectionality of disability (sensory, mental, and illnesses), religion (Islam), ethnicity (Arab Americans), and gender (females, males, nonbinary) among this population in the United States. This research focused on the following question: How do Arab Americans (men, women, and nonbinary) who identify as Muslim and disabled make meaning of their disability identity? I recruited nine participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data for this study. Through data analyses, I identified three theoretical themes representing participants' experiences: 1) How One is within their Family & Community, 2) Surrendering to God's Will, and 3) Geographical & Cultural Journeys. A fourth theme, Asserting Self: Negotiation of Experiences and Body Knowledge, served as the anchoring phenomenon representing how participants made meaning of their disability identity.
Description
Keywords
Muslim Arabs, Disability, Intersectionality, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Disability identity