Tag: Sociology
Video: Endorsements of “Islam, Race, and Pluralism in the Pakistani Diaspora”
Prophet Muhammad’s Model of Integration for the U.S. and the Ummah
I had the pleasure last Saturday of breaking the fast with the Clear Lake Islamic Center, the Muslim American Society, and other members of their communities at an annual Ramadan gathering in Seabrook, Texas. I was invited by my friend Dr. Mohamed Shalaby, who asked me to speak on Prophet Muhammad’s model of integration and how…… Continue reading Prophet Muhammad’s Model of Integration for the U.S. and the Ummah
Race is a Social Construct, Not a Biological Reality
You’ve seen it on my page before – “race is a social construct and not a biological reality.” Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah of NYU is a leading thinker on this subject, and he concurs: “The way we talk about race today is just incoherent. The thing about race is that it is a form of…… Continue reading Race is a Social Construct, Not a Biological Reality
Second-generation Pakistani-Irish Individuals Face Identity Challenges
By Amy McCaig Published first on Rice University News and Media Second-generation Pakistani-Irish individuals are facing identity challenges among Ireland’s mainstream views of national identity or “Irishness,” according to a new study from Rice University. “What Does It Mean To Be ‘Irish’? Perceptions of Irish Identity Among Young Pakistani Men” appeared in a recent edition…… Continue reading Second-generation Pakistani-Irish Individuals Face Identity Challenges
Article: What Does it Mean to Be ‘Irish’? Perceptions of Irish identity Among Young Pakistani Men
I am happy to share my new publication “What does it mean to be ‘Irish’? Perceptions of Irish identity among young Pakistani men” in Diaspora Studies (published by Routledge – Taylor & Francis). Abstract: The aim of this paper is to contribute to the discussion surrounding national identity by considering a particular set of empirical…… Continue reading Article: What Does it Mean to Be ‘Irish’? Perceptions of Irish identity Among Young Pakistani Men
Irish Diaspora May Get the Right to Vote in Irish Elections
New legislation initiated by Jimmy Deenihan, the Junior Minister for the Irish Diaspora, will allow Irish passport holders living in diaspora to vote in Irish elections. Irish Central reports: The matter of voting rights at home for the hundreds of thousands who have left Ireland in recent years has been a constant matter of protest among…… Continue reading Irish Diaspora May Get the Right to Vote in Irish Elections
Ethnic Vs. Civic Nations: A Comparison Between England, Ireland, and the United States
Jonathan Freedland’s article in the Guardian on English identity discusses the differences between the “ethno-nation” which is defined by “blood and soil” and the “civic nation” which is defined by egalitarian values and democratic institutions. These two types of competing national identities are also discussed in my PhD dissertation which focuses on the experiences of young first- and second-generation Pakistani…… Continue reading Ethnic Vs. Civic Nations: A Comparison Between England, Ireland, and the United States
Family, Religion and Identity Experiences in the Pakistani Diaspora: A Case Study of Young Pakistani Men in Dublin & Boston
This presentation provided an overview of data collected during an exploratory case study based in qualitative research regarding the lived experiences of Pakistani men between the ages of 18 and 35 living in Dublin and Boston. I offered a theoretical backdrop on diaspora theory and its related concepts, a general introduction to Pakistanis, the origins…… Continue reading Family, Religion and Identity Experiences in the Pakistani Diaspora: A Case Study of Young Pakistani Men in Dublin & Boston
Speech to Trinity College Dublin’s Sociology Society
Trinity College Dublin’s (TCD) Sociology Society (SocSoc) has invited me to speak tonight at 7pm in the Graduate Students Union Room on TCD’s campus. The speech will include a discussion on three topics: 1) my research into Islam; 2) my articles for the Huffington Post; and 3) my experience with Journey into America. The key…… Continue reading Speech to Trinity College Dublin’s Sociology Society
Racist Attacks Against Pakistanis in Dublin Must Stop
Racial harassment, discrimination, and violence against Pakistanis in Dublin has spiraled out of control. Last week, Al-Minnah Foods, a halal food store in Cookstown Industrial Estate, was ransacked at night. Images of the ransacking, which were posted on Facebook, show graffiti, including the words ‘Pakis out’ and ‘Niggrs out’, on white walls in the store.…… Continue reading Racist Attacks Against Pakistanis in Dublin Must Stop
Top sociologist Zygmunt Bauman believes Pope Francis gives “entire humanity a chance”
Source: Vatican Insider “I am in awe at everything Francis is doing: I believe his pontificate gives not just the Catholic Church but the entire humanity a chance.” This is according to Polish-born sociologist Zygmunt Bauman, who coined the phrase “liquid modernity”. In an interview with Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, Bauman said “Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s…… Continue reading Top sociologist Zygmunt Bauman believes Pope Francis gives “entire humanity a chance”
Stereotypes
”Modern life is hurried and multifarious…there is neither time nor opportunity for intimate acquaintance. Instead we notice a trait which marks a well known type, and fill in the rest of the picture by means of the stereotypes we carry about in our heads…the subtlest and most pervasive of all influences are those which create…… Continue reading Stereotypes
When a “Spic” sings God Bless America
Racism and ignorance feed off each other like no other. Here’s a classic case. During the 2013 M.L.B. All Star game, many Americans took to Twitter to share their raw emotions (see more of those feelings here) over a “Spic” and “Mexican” singing God Bless America. The singer, Marc Anthony, was born in NYC, which makes…… Continue reading When a “Spic” sings God Bless America
Darwin vs. Jesus
By Akbar Ahmed A debilitating tension between Darwin and Jesus lies at the heart of American identity. It is not so much about how society originated and evolved, but whatdefines and motivates it. The core principles of the Darwinian thesis and Christianity are diametrically opposed and cannot coexist simultaneously in one society without causing severe friction. Darwin represents…… Continue reading Darwin vs. Jesus
Politics: Considering questions about communism
To what extent is communism a fundamental principle of Christian theology? To what extent is the implementation of communism the correct path for the realization of republican ideals and virtues? What are the similarities and differences between communism and socialism? How could the abolition of private property and inheritance be realized? How can our needs…… Continue reading Politics: Considering questions about communism
Video: I’m not racist, but… (Shit White Girls Say… to Black Girls)
This is what sociologists call microaggression: ‘Why isn’t there a White Entertainment Television?’ ‘Jews were slaves too, but you don’t hear us complaining about it all the time…’ ‘You can say the N word but I can’t? How is that okay?’ ‘He’s so cute for a black guy’. ‘The thing I like about them is like…… Continue reading Video: I’m not racist, but… (Shit White Girls Say… to Black Girls)
Male dominated culture
Religion: A ‘modernist’ Muslim for all those who think they’ve never existed
Saiyid Ahmad Khan was the founder of Islamic modernism, that is, the development in Islamic thought which bears comparison with the development of higher criticism and modernism in Christian thought. He was deeply concerned that Islam should make sense in the light of Western science; he was no less concerned that Muslims should be reconciled…… Continue reading Religion: A ‘modernist’ Muslim for all those who think they’ve never existed
Video: Marry Me
The following 6 minute short film is about a girl who loves a boy and a boy who loves his bike. The film took first place in Tropfest Australia 2008, “the world’s largest short film festival.” It has me thinking about how we raise our children, from toddlerhood. Consider: a girl ensconced in pink is obsessed…… Continue reading Video: Marry Me
Image: Guns for a Christmas present
Nothing like some guns to celebrate the birth of Christ! This is how guns become ‘normal’ in the USA. Buy a kid a gun and he or she will love you forever.
Sociology: The way to understand ‘race’ and ‘racism’
Stuart Hall is a theorist who has contributed a great deal to our understanding of identity and racism. He is one of the ‘founding fathers’ of cultural studies and here discusses race as a floating signifier. I was not able to find all the videos but you should be able to search for them on…… Continue reading Sociology: The way to understand ‘race’ and ‘racism’
Politics: How to spot a fascist
Dr. Lawrence Britt examined the former fascist regimes in Germany, Italy, Spain, Indonesia, and several Latin American countries and found 14 defining characteristics common to each. Considering the saliency of several current issues, such as Congressman King’s ‘radical Muslim’ hearings to the influence of the media and rampant corruption and militarism, one has to wonder…… Continue reading Politics: How to spot a fascist
Boston Imam leading the charge to help Somali youth off the streets
When Somali youth have made story-lines over the last few years, they have generally done so for the most unfortunate of reasons, mainly that some are going to Somalia to join and fight for Al-Shabaab. A different perspective, however, appeared today in the Washington Post about the challenges Somali youth face while growing up in…… Continue reading Boston Imam leading the charge to help Somali youth off the streets
James Baldwin at the Crossroads of his Identity Crisis
One can only face in others what one can face in oneself. On this confrontation depends the measure of our wisdom and compassion. This energy is all that one finds in the rubble of vanished civilizations, and the only hope for ours. – James Baldwin, ‘NOBODY KNOWS MY NAME’
Quoted: Whitman, Tagore, and Rumi
I just picked up Eboo Patel’s Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation at New England Mobile Book Fair in Newton, Massachusetts. To be honest, I wasn’t searching for it; I pretty much stumbled across it randomly in the extremely small ‘Islam’ section (it’s small…… Continue reading Quoted: Whitman, Tagore, and Rumi
Religification of Pakistani-American youth
Note: Ameena Ghaffar-Kucher’s research here is quite similar to my own. I want to share with you her important findings. One of Ameena Ghaffar-Kucher’s explications examines a cultural production process called religification, in which religious affiliation, rather than race or ethnicity, has become the core category of identity for working class Pakistani-American youth in the United…… Continue reading Religification of Pakistani-American youth
How You Could Be Racist and Not Even Know It
Derald Wing Sue et al. (2007) posit that micro-aggression racism is: a contemporary form of racism that is invisible, unintentional, subtle in nature, and typically outside the levels of conscious awareness, but it creates a hostile and invalidating climate nonetheless. According to Sue and Colleagues, the cumulative of micro-aggressions may be just as harmful as…… Continue reading How You Could Be Racist and Not Even Know It
Thick and thin religion
Kavirah (2010) argues that the growing religiosity in many parts of the world is quite different from our traditional understanding of religion (in his writing, he refers to rising Hindu identity and nationalism). He argues that we need to distinguish between ‘thick and thin religion’. Thick religion encompasses traditional rituals, practices, and beliefs, whereas thin…… Continue reading Thick and thin religion
Speaking with Hamza Yusuf on American Identity
Location: Hamza Yusuf’s home, California Date: November 2008 Topic: American identity and Muslims in the USA Project: Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam Principal investigator: Akbar Ahmed Filmed by: Craig Considine © Akbar Ahmed
Nafs and the stages of ‘self’
The Arabic word nafs is variously translated as ‘soul’, ‘self’, or ‘ego’. The nafs has seven levels or stages of development that correspond more or less to the seven stages of the Sufi Path. The Path, which leads to a transformation of consciousness, can therefore be described as the refinement and purification of the soul. The seven…… Continue reading Nafs and the stages of ‘self’
New challenge in Ph.D. process
I learned today that the Department of Sociology would like me to take on a new challenge: to teach the Junior Sophister (JS) module ‘Researching Society’. This third-year course is a step up from what I’ve been teaching for the past two years – Introduction to Sociology at the Junior Freshman (JF) level. I’m happy…… Continue reading New challenge in Ph.D. process
Religion: The science of the sociology of religion
Note: Christian Smith of the University of Notre Dama recently wrote an important piece in Footnotes of the American Sociological Association on the importance of taking the sociology of religion seriously. Essentially, Smith wonders ‘why, when it comes to religion, do so many sociologists suddenly stop being sociological and become ideological and ignorant?’ The…… Continue reading Religion: The science of the sociology of religion
A clever little video to answer ‘what is social science?’
Source: You Tube Soomo Publishing’s ‘Animated Introduction to Social Science’ defines the broad-spectrum discipline of social science. You can see more of Soomo Publishing’s educational videos by visiting http://www.soomo.tv.
Study Questions to Guide Discussion on Islamophobia
Some thought-provoking questions which sprang from my reading of: The Politics of Multiculturalism in the New Europe by Tariq Modood and Pnina Werbner (1997). 1. What are the key features of ‘Islamophobia’? 2. How would you compare ‘Islamophobia’ to anti-Semitism? What about anti-Judaism? 3. To what extent would you agree that ‘Islamophobia’ is more a form…… Continue reading Study Questions to Guide Discussion on Islamophobia
Wondering About Ireland’s Immigration System
I’m heading tomorrow morning to meet with a Pakistani friend who I met back in January. This young man, whose name I’ll keep anonymous for security purposes, is a native of Islamabad, Pakistan. He arrived to Dublin via work visa over eight years ago. When his work visa ended he filed the necessary paperwork to live (legally) in Ireland. His…… Continue reading Wondering About Ireland’s Immigration System
Personal: Nominated for Excellence in Teaching Award
Today I’m being nominated by several of my superiors in the Department of Sociology for the 2011/2012 TCD Alumni Excellence in Teaching Award in the School of Social Science and Philosophy at Trinity College Dublin. This is obviously a tremendous honour for me. I’m very passionate about teaching and take my job seriously. This is…… Continue reading Personal: Nominated for Excellence in Teaching Award
Questions about President Obama’s St Patrick’s Day 2012 speech
In case you haven’t noticed, I run another blog for an Introduction to Sociology course for first year students here at Trinity College Dublin. I try to post something 4 or 5 times per week to keep students engaged in current events and other academic insights. My latest post explores the question ‘Can President Obama…… Continue reading Questions about President Obama’s St Patrick’s Day 2012 speech
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