Date of Graduation

2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College/School

School of Education

Department

International and Multicultural Education

Program

International & Multicultural Education EdD

First Advisor

Emma Fuentes

Second Advisor

Monisha Bajaj

Third Advisor

Sarah Capitelli

Abstract

This qualitative research study explores how students in Northern California public schools are navigating the space between being Palestinian and being American while preserving and reconstructing Palestinian cultural ties and traditions. It also examines the ways in which schools and educators can better support students in this process of negotiation and development of a positive transnational identity. Through the collection of counter-narratives, this research works to disrupt the Islamophobic dominant narrative that pervades the educational system and other institutions as well as the wider society in the United States.

The findings of this research include the identification of Islamophobia as a major impediment for positive, integrated identity development for Palestinian-American youth in Northern California. The data also suggests that while students are interested in a curriculum which better reflects the diversity of the students in an increasingly globalized world, of greater importance is the development of a critical mindset through the application of culturally sustaining pedagogies that enable students to learn to think more critically, be more open and inclusive, participate constructively in discussions, and take action to shift oppressive discourses and challenge systems of oppression.

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