Asian American Studies

Please join us on Thursday, April 16^th for a dynamic talk from Dr. Eman Abdelhadi, Assistant Professor of Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago and co-author of the groundbreaking speculative fiction novel Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune 2052-2072. Dr. Abelhadi’s talk will be held in Room 2035 in the Campus Instructional Facility, 1405 Springfield Avenue. The talk begins at 5:00 PM. A reception and book sale will follow the event. 

Talk Title: Adrift: US Muslims and the End of Liberalism

Abstract: Arab and South Asian Muslim Americans once seemed poised for a trajectory of cultural, economic and political assimilation into conservatism. In 2000, most voted Republican. During the 9/11 era and the global "War on Terror," the state criminalized, targeted, and surveilled Muslim communities, driving a generation of Muslims into the political left. Further antagonized by the first Trump campaign and subsequent presidency, Muslims' place in the broad-tent umbrella of Democratic Party seemed secure by October of 2023. Then Gaza. Declared a genocide by all of the world's major human rights organizations and the overwhelming majority of genocide scholars, Israel's 2-year assault on Gaza slaughtered at least 71,000 people--primarily women and children--with the full political and economic backing of both parties. Indeed, the Biden administration funded the deadliest months (15) of the genocide, and the Harris/Walz campaign further alienated Muslims, and much of their base, by refusing to commit to any change in policy and even denying a Palestinian speaker from the DNC stage in 2024. Where will Muslims go next? This talk traces the political possibilities for American Muslims through the Trump era and beyond.