The Contested Whiteness of Arab Identity in the United States

Implications for Health Disparities Research

Bibliographic Data

ID8076878
AuthorsSarah Abboud (0000-0002-3822-7484, Sarah Abboud and Em Rabelais are with the Department of Women, Children, and Family Health Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago. Perla Chebli is a PhD candidate with the Community Health Sciences Division, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago., corresponding author), Perla Chebli (0000-0002-0344-442X, Sarah Abboud and Em Rabelais are with the Department of Women, Children, and Family Health Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago. Perla Chebli is a PhD candidate with the Community Health Sciences Division, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago.), Emmeline Rabelais (0000-0002-1646-4139), Em Rabelais (Sarah Abboud and Em Rabelais are with the Department of Women, Children, and Family Health Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago. Perla Chebli is a PhD candidate with the Community Health Sciences Division, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago.)
Year2019
Volume109
Issue11
Pages1580-1583
Publication date2019-09-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2019.305285
PMID31536397
OpenAlexW2974641424
LanguageEN
Citations received31
References cited19

In response to the Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities' (NIMHD) new health disparities research framework, we call on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to acknowledge Arabs in the United States as a health disparity population. Arab classification as White leads to their cultural invisibility and perpetuates a cycle of undocumented health disparities.We provide examples of how this contested identity reinforces challenges associated with identifying this population and contributes to enactments of structural violence and undocumented health disparities. Decades of research with Arabs in the United States provides consistent evidence that their health does not fit the health profile of White Americans and that Arabs do not benefit from Whiteness and White privilege associated with their White racial categorization. On the contrary, Arabs in the United States experience discrimination and health disparities that require urgent attention; this can be achieved only by identifying the population with a racial category other than White.We conclude with recommendations to NIH and NIMHD to revise their definition of health disparity populations to include Arabs in the United States

Categorization · Criminology · Environmental health · Ethnic group · Health equity · Identity (music · Political science · Population · Population health · Privilege (computing · Public health · Race and health · Sociology · White (mutation · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Law

Tools

Open DOISci-HubOpen Access