Baba Made Me Do It
"Baba Made Me Do It" is a history podcast centered around Middle Eastern and Arab-American histories from the perspective of an Arab-American. We'll cover various histories about home and abroad to help create a better understanding for why things are the way they are. If you're Arab-American, or just someone who is curious about Middle Eastern History, this is the podcast for you.
Baba Made Me Do It
Baba Made Me Do It
There's this recurring joke that our babas will see us as failures if we don't pursue careers like engineering, law, or medicine. But have you ever wondered why our babas have fixated on these career paths for us? This episode will seek to explain why our babas encourage us to do so by looking at three eras of the Arab-American workforce, while trying to ignore the blatantly obvious reasons for why they want us to do so. By taking a look at US immigration policy and the changing mindsets of Arabs in the country, a whole new perspective will be found on why our parents want us to pursue those traditional careers.
Sources:
1. Ajrouch, Kristine J., and Amaney Jamal. “Assimilating to a White Identity: The Case of Arab Americans.” The International Migration Review 41, no. 4 (2007): 860–79.
2. Ameri, Anan, Dawn Ramey, and Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services. Arab American Encyclopedia. Detroit : U X L, 2000. http://archive.org/details/isbn_9780787629526.
3. Alzeer, Saad Rashed. “Occupational Choices Among Arab Americans In The U.s.: An Examination Of The Effects Of Gender, Educational Attainment, Generational Status, Country Of Origin, And Motivation,” n.d.
4. Cainkar, Louise. “The Social Construction of Difference and the Arab American Experience.” Journal of American Ethnic History 25, no. 2/3 (2006): 243–78.
5. “Effects of 9/11 on Arab American Assimilation - The Peopling of New York City.” Accessed April 10, 2023. https://macaulay.cuny.edu/seminars/napoli10/articles/e/f/f/Effects_of_9_11_on_Arab_American_Assimilation_e720.html.
6. History.com. “Arab Immigration to the United States: Timeline,” March 23, 2022. https://www.history.com/news/arab-american-immigration-timeline.
7. Kulczycki, Andrzej, and Arun Peter Lobo. “Deepening the Melting Pot: Arab-Americans at the Turn of the Century.” Middle East Journal 55, no. 3 (2001): 459–73.
8. Maira, Sunaina. “‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ Muslim Citizens: Feminists, Terrorists, and U. S. Orientalisms.” Feminist Studies 35, no. 3 (2009): 631–56.
9. Middle East Eye. “The Baba on Your Shoulder: Why More Arab-Americans Should Enter the Arts.” Accessed April 10, 2023. http://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/us-arab-americans-baba-your-shoulder-more-enter-arts.
10.Naber, Nadine Suleiman. “Imperial Whiteness and the Diasporas of Empire.” American Quarterly 66, no. 4 (2014): 1107–15.
11. NBC News. “Arabs in U.S. Wealthy, Well Educated, Report Says,” March 8, 2005. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7131422.
12. Nigem, Elias T. “Arab Americans: Migration, Socioeconomic and Demographic Characteristics.” The International Migration Review 20, no. 3 (1986): 629–49. https://doi.org/10.2307/2545708.
13. Widner, Daniel, and Stephen Chicoine. “It’s All in the Name: Employment Discrimination Against Arab Americans.” Sociological Forum 26, no. 4 (2011): 806–23.