Arab 'Whiteness' as a Tool for Resistance and Self-Preservation
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In the early 20th century, Syrian immigrants in North America began to strategically adopt 'whiteness' as a means to gain social legitimacy and navigate systemic barriers imposed by the racial hierarchy. Far from aspiring to an idealised whiteness, this choice was more about self-preservation within the racist social structure into which they had come, which rigidly and violently separated 'white' and 'non-white' realms and destinies. Unlike many immigrant groups who might have sought collective power in ipseic solidarity, Syrians leaned into assimilation, not because they rejected their heritage, but because they saw few viable alternatives for social mobility and protection. In emphasising a Phoenician ancestry and claiming Caucasian roots, Syrians actively sought to distance themselves from classifications like 'Asiatic' and 'African' that were associated with discriminatory immigration laws and restricted civil rights (Gualtieri, 21). This tactical embrace highlights a key tension in the racial landscape of the time: whiteness functioned as both an exclusive identity and an enforced survival tool. In adopting it, Syrians both confronted and were complicit in perpetuating the very structures they had to navigate, complicating their place within America’s racial politics. Ultimately, Syrians' coöptation of 'whiteness' was not a passive concession for self-preservation, but a deliberate negotiation and a form of resistance and agency, demonstrating how marginalised groups can navigate, and sometimes reshape, oppressive systems.