The right kind of people
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Before talking about external migration, Gualtieri emphasizes the importance of internal migration in building the Ottoman Empire. While immigration into the Ottoman Empire was attractive, the reality was that the citizens who already lived in the empire were incentivized to spread into areas that boasted agricultural and industrial output. External migration was even more challenging to control. As the Syrians began to journey to the United States, Gualtieri highlighted their dual role in the World Fairs. The first is one we have seen through previous classes, where we talked about Bengali Peddlers who migrated worldwide from South Africa to the UK to the United States, selling their "oriental goods." In the case of the Syrians, they labelled their goods as "wares from the Holy Land," further enticing that same group of upper and middle-class citizens who desired exotic and "authentic" products, continuing the theme of commodifying the "other."
The second part of their participation in the World Fair was as subjects rather than peddlers. The Western audiences were yet again fascinated by people who were different from them, so they took part in the Ottoman exhibit, a "living oriental exhibit." Across all of our readings, there have been many ways in which people are represented and treated in the West, whether that's something static like being part of exhibits or something more active on either side of the spectrum, whether assimilation or rebellion. While the difference in how they were perceived is one way that shaped immigrant identities, there is also a difference between those who assimilated and those who chose to return home. In this case, many Syrians only migrated with the desire to accumulate more wealth and return home. From an economic perspective, this is interesting. As aforementioned, it was challenging to control migration out of Mount Lebanon (despite their best efforts), but as these migrants sent money back, local economies still improved and benefited.
Asal continues to cover the background of Syrians from various perspectives as they integrate into American culture. With mixed feelings around labour, industrialist John H Barker recruited minorities such as Syrians into his workforce, saying, "the more ethnically diverse the local labor force was, the easier it would be for him to prevent labour organizing." This echoes what we saw with ayahs and lascars in the UK, where the immigrant workforce is seen as a cheaper and more manageable alternative for business owners. Asal goes on to highlight much of the contempt that surrounded Syrians, whether that be law enforcement who employed a sentiment of Syrians not being the "right kind of people" and disease carriers (trachoma) or the conflict between Syrian Christians and Muslims. It is also valuable to look at the fact that these divisions among Syrians did not prevent them from bringing stronger ties within their communities as organizations such as "Bader Elmoneer" formed among Shi'a Muslims, not only connecting them to Muslims in Michigan but also connecting them to those in South Dakota who were part of the same organization, emphasizing the solidarity among these immigrant communities.
Finally, on a different note, I enjoyed reading Curtis's work as it brought a fresh perspective that didn't only hinge on the experience of South Asians but also noted the racialization of East Asian races within Canada and the colonial foundations that excluded Indigenous communities. I appreciated that he referenced it as something continuous, not just a historical fact. He talked about how, initially, Canada viewed population growth as a strength; however, with the implementation of immigration acts in 1869 and 1910 (cash requirements or direct trade routes), it became difficult to understand whether population growth was something universally desired or just among what I previously mentioned as "the right kind of people." One final thing that caught my attention during the reading was the inconsistencies in labelling during historical records, as immigrants were initially labelled as "Turks" and later reclassified to include a variety of races. However, these races still overlapped, creating a lot of ambiguity and further emphasizing the complexity of immigrant identities abroad.