Becoming Arab in London: Performativity and the Undoing of Identity

Ramy M. K. Aly

ISBN 10: 0745333583 / ISBN 13: 9780745333588

Published by Pluto Press, 2015

About this Item

Looks critically at the idea of 'Arab-ness' and the ways in which ethnic subjects are produced, signified and recited in London. Series: Anthropology, Culture and Society. Num Pages: 272 pages, illustrations. BIC Classification: 1DBKESL; JFSL1. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 137 x 216 x 15. Weight in Grams: 334. . 2015. Paperback. . . . .

Seller Inventory # V9780745333588

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Becoming Arab in London: Performativity and the Undoing of Identity
• Publisher: Pluto Press
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0745333583
• ISBN 13: 9780745333588
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

In this, the first ethnographic exploration of gender, race, and class practices among British-born or British-raised Arabs in London, Ramy M. K. Aly looks critically at the idea of “Arab-ness” and the ways in which London produces, marks, and understands ethnic subjects. Looking at everyday experiences, Becoming Arab in London explores the lives of young people and the ways in which they perform or achieve Arab ethnicity. Aly uncovers narratives of growing up in London, the codes of sociability at Shisha, and the sexual politics and ethnic self-portraits that construct British-Arab men and women.
            Drawing on the work of Judith Butler, Aly emphasizes the need to move away from the concept of identity and toward the idea of race, gender, and class as performance. Based on seven years of fieldwork, during which time the author immersed himself in London’s Arab community, Becoming Arab in London is an innovative and necessary contribution to the study of diaspora and difference in contemporary Britain.

About the Author

Ramy M. K. Aly is a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Anthropology at the American University in Cairo.