Acculturation, Islamophobia and the Construction of Palestinian-American Identity in Sahar Mustafah’s The Beauty of Your Face

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigates the interaction between acculturation, acculturative stress and Islamophobia in Sahar Mustafah's novel, The Beauty of Your Face (2020). It analyzes the experience of cultural identity formation and belonging for Palestinians in America after the events of September 11th. The paper explores how Islamophobia and systemic discrimination hinder immigrants' ability to voluntarily integrate into their host society. The study also demonstrates the acculturative strategies the protagonist chooses and adopts during the complex acculturation process.        

Methods: Utilizing Berry's theory of acculturation, this research employs a qualitative textual analysis. Excerpts were chosen due to their thematic significance regarding the protagonist's process of acculturation and the sociocultural strains she endures throughout her journey of acculturation. These elements of the narrative are then methodically examined through the lens of Berry's acculturation model, with specific emphasis on the concepts of acculturative stress, Islamophobia and systematic discrimination.

Results: As represented through the Palestinian-American protagonist, the findings reveal that identity formation and cultural adaptation among American Muslims are influenced by factors that extend beyond the individuals' choices and the traditional acculturation framework. The study also shows that the protagonist's religious conviction and sense of rootedness serve as vital mechanisms of resistance, enabling her to reconstitute a fractured selfhood when confronted with violence and marginalisation.

Conclusions: The study concludes that acculturation is a constrained process, rather than a voluntary strategy of adaptation. It is not merely an individual choice, but a complex process shaped by the pressures of racial scrutiny, systemic xenophobia and social exclusion.