In the midst of my research, I realized that I had entered into the project with some preconceived notions about what the experiences of Muslim Americans would be in Greek Institutions. I think that I had an idea that all Muslim American students would have similar experiences, because of their common religion and the fact that most non-Muslim Americans hold a common stereotyped view of Muslims, because of the media's handling of 9/11 and the attitudes disseminated and propagated through the channels of American culture in general.
However, in the midst of my research I came to realize that I was also a victim of American society's distortion of who a Muslim was, as if that was a person's only identifying factor. The reality of the complexity of identity had not occurred to me. The student I interviewed would not even remotely have the same experiences, because they were vastly different people that held vastly different beliefs, had vastly different values, and were shaped by were influenced by unpredictable and diverse ways of life and experiences.
I realized that there might have been an inherent flaw/bias in my research. I was trying to generalize the experiences of Muslim Americans, which takes away the overwhelming human component in trying to understand people. One can see how this might be a problem. So, instead of trying to "redefine multiculturalism," I turned inward and tried to redefine my goals for this project. I now think that multiculturalism is an extremely relative and subjective term that does not do a good job depicting much of anything. I think that in an ideal world, we should adjust our own attitudes and viewpoints to create an unbiased space where the true diversity in people's identities can be expressed and accepted.
Of course, just because something is ideal, does not make it realistic, nor does it mean that others would find this idea idyllic either. But, if I could leave that idea, my contribution, with the academic community and with broader society, and it was heard, that would be enough for me. There is never a guarantee of changing the world, or anything for that matter, but that should not stop us from trying.
However, in the midst of my research I came to realize that I was also a victim of American society's distortion of who a Muslim was, as if that was a person's only identifying factor. The reality of the complexity of identity had not occurred to me. The student I interviewed would not even remotely have the same experiences, because they were vastly different people that held vastly different beliefs, had vastly different values, and were shaped by were influenced by unpredictable and diverse ways of life and experiences.
I realized that there might have been an inherent flaw/bias in my research. I was trying to generalize the experiences of Muslim Americans, which takes away the overwhelming human component in trying to understand people. One can see how this might be a problem. So, instead of trying to "redefine multiculturalism," I turned inward and tried to redefine my goals for this project. I now think that multiculturalism is an extremely relative and subjective term that does not do a good job depicting much of anything. I think that in an ideal world, we should adjust our own attitudes and viewpoints to create an unbiased space where the true diversity in people's identities can be expressed and accepted.
Of course, just because something is ideal, does not make it realistic, nor does it mean that others would find this idea idyllic either. But, if I could leave that idea, my contribution, with the academic community and with broader society, and it was heard, that would be enough for me. There is never a guarantee of changing the world, or anything for that matter, but that should not stop us from trying.