Introduction
These days, the majority of countries have open boundaries, so people have an opportunity to travel wherever they are eager and move to a particular state in order to receive education and change living standards. For this reason, people actively communicate with residents of other countries and get acquainted with the specialties of their life and culture. The United States is one of the places, which attracts numerous tourists for its range of opportunities. In addition, it is a popular destination for international students, who are determined to receive a high-quality education, and immigrants, who are willing to change their lives. Therefore, a huge variety of nations, races, and cultures may be seen in the US. One of the most numerous groups of immigrants is Muslims. In order to understand intersectionality and cross-cultural awareness deeply, I have conducted an interview with one of the British Muslims. This way, the purpose of this paper is to present the findings from the interview and reveal the differences and similarities in lifestyles.
Intersectional Identities
First of all, it is essential to provide some basic information about the interviewee. As one of the main conditions of the conversation was confidentiality, the name of the respondent was changed with her approval. Jane is a 15-year-old Arab girl, who has moved from Saudi Arabia to the US in her childhood with her family. The respondent is a representative of the European race and Arab nation. Her family adheres to Islam to a great extent, and for this reason, they venerate the traditions thoroughly, though they have not visited their native country for a significant period of time freedom (Murphy, Hunt, Zajicek, & Norri, 2009). They regularly attend local mock and pray in accordance with Islam traditions. However, her family may be considered relatively democratic in the context of Jane’s personal freedom (Murphy et al., 2009). She also has no serious mental or physical disabilities, and her sexual orientation is traditional.
System of Oppression
Like most Muslim teenagers, who live in other countries, she has encountered social oppression, though Jane highlights that she has not perceived the political or economic impact due to her early age. After the move, Jane had to enter a local state school and learn with classmates, who are Catholic in the majority. During this period, the interviewee had some problems with socialization. As the children were too young to respect the traditions and values of particular traditions, Jane faced misunderstanding to no small extent (Cramer & Plummer, 2009). Although teachers made efforts to improve the class environment and the attitude to Jane, children used to laugh at her hijab and other specialties (Itzhaky & Kissil, 2015). Moreover, the classmates expressed concerns about the connection between Muslim tradition and terrorism (Sue, Capodilupo, Torino, Bucceri, Holder, Nadal & Esquilin, 2007). However, it should be noted that the situation has changed drastically after some time of learning together. Today, Jane has no problems communicating with her classmates. Moreover, she has a great number of friends and enjoys spending time with them.
Strength/Resiliency
Although Jane has encountered severe oppression as a child, she recollects this experience without negative emotions. One of the major aspects, which helped her resist and cope with misunderstanding and insults, was her family, which is her main strength. Furthermore, the respondent mentions the wisdom of her parents, who managed to explain the situation to her and teach her the correct reaction, and this fact significantly contributed to her resiliency. Being a child, she learned how to answer jokes at her expense in a hilarious manner. She attempted to demonstrate that she is not offended by a bully. Indeed, Jane has a habit of responding in a kind and amusing manner to someone, who tried to make fun of her, which also highlights the strength of her character.
The interviewee shares the approach, which helped her to be resilient during this period. She believes that whether a person is determined to laugh at her outlook or adherence to a particular tradition, he or she reveals their personal weakness. Firstly, such a person definitely has low self-esteem, and he or she is eager to assert themselves by insulting someone (Urdang, 2010). Secondly, such a behavior illustrates the fact that an offender lacks education and has a blinkered vision (Sisneros, Stakeman, Joyner, & Schmitz, 2008). Jane was resilient due to the assumption that jokes do not reveal problems in her but in the bully. She learned how not to be insulted and to defend herself properly, which made her a strong girl.
Distinctions
I could easily notice some differences between me and the respondent. She is single, while I am married for 5 years, and she is a schoolgirl, but I am a university student. In addition, Jane spends all her time studying, though I attempt to combine my part-time job with a university education. Interestingly, being a Japanese girl, who has migrated to the US, I also encountered some cultural differences. The interviewee has provided me with deep insight into the lifestyle and perception of women in her country. Predominantly, Arab women cannot take action even in the context of routine questions and needs independently. Women are considered to be some kind of supplement to men, and their only ambitions are considerably restricted. Their priority is family life, and they do not have an opportunity to build a career. However, in America, women actively fight for equality and prove that they should have the same rights and opportunities as men do. For this reason, the perception of women in American society is significantly more liberal as compared to Arabian countries.
Another aspect, which should be highlighted, is the extent Muslims adhere to and follow Islam traditions. Although Jane does not wear a hijab on a regular basis, she always keeps all the customs connected with praying. In addition, it can be noticed that she treats adults with special respect. It is uncommon for American teenagers, who tend to accuse parents and teachers of inappropriate attitudes to them and fight for freedom. Moreover, Muslims appreciate family bonds significantly and always attempt to provide the members with essential support.
Self-Reflexivity
It is worthy to note that I had no prejudices while conversating with Jane. Indeed, I was interested in comprehending deeply, how religious viewpoints may affect the life of a person. I compassionated Jane to a large extent, as such an attitude during childhood may appear to be a challenging ordeal. However, I was inspired by the wisdom of her parents, as well as her resilience. She was not disappointed in this regard, indeed, she attempted to benefit from the hardship she faced. At the moment, the respondent creates an impression of an intelligent and mentally strong person. I was also surprised by the reality of lifestyle, which Arabian women have to stick to, and appreciated my living conditions, which seemed to be apparent and habitual for me.
Theoretical Framework
In order to conduct an ethological analysis of the interview, the concept of intersectionality was applied. It is useful for conceptualizing the respondent in accordance with the discrimination she has encountered (Rakić, Steffens, & Sazega, 2020; Ortega, & Faller, 2011). Murphy et al. highlight, “Conceptualized primarily as a theoretical perspective and guiding paradigm […], intersectionality posits that socially constructed categories of oppression and privilege […] simultaneously interact to create unique life experiences” (p. 7). The concept of intersectionality focuses on overlapping experiences and identities, which are helpful in understanding pre-conceived notions.
Interview Questions
I have applied the examples of questions, which were provided by the teacher in order to start a conversation and give the respondent some time to feel comfortable. I have attempted to be flexible and not to focus on the exact question plan. Whether I noticed that the topic might be covered more comprehensively, I changed my plan of the conversation. In addition, I attempted not to restrict the interviewee, and whether I saw that there was something she was eager to share, I listened to her without stopping. This way, we discussed the topic of oppression to a large extent, as it was one of the most meaningful experiences in Jane’s life. Moreover, I added the question about their family organization and attitude to religious traditions among other family members.
Conclusion
In present-day development, there is a wide range of cultures, which traditions are engaging to be explored. The interview with Jane, a Muslim teenage girl, living in the US, revealed a great amount of interesting information for me. Unfortunately, occasionally, people lack understanding of other cultures, which prevents some people from a satisfactory lifestyle. They stick to prejudices, which are hyperbolic in the majority of cases. In order to benefit from the communication between cultures and acquire a unique experiences, it is essential to get acquainted with them and treat their representatives with respect and understanding.
References
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