In Search of Self: A Study of Queer Arab Women in the United States Post-Migration
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The following thesis explores the conditions that lead queer Arab women to migrate from their Arab country of origin and how their lives unfold while living in the United States. The framework of this thesis is comprised of literature involving transnational sexualities, queer Middle Eastern studies, queer diaspora and migration, transnational queer of color critique, and queer ethnography. Methods used to obtain data include autoethnography, conducting interviews with queer Arab women in diaspora, and analyzing survey data completed by the same aforementioned population. Common themes of this content analysis include coming out discourses, womanhood in Arab culture, and visibility in the Arab world. Conclusions of this research indicate that queer Arab women in diaspora experience dissonance in longing for representation and visibility while also feeling shame and fear in coming out of the closet.