Becoming Arab in London: Performativity and the Undoing of Identity

by Ramy M. K. Aly

This book is the first ethnographic exploration of gender, race and class practices amongst British born or raised Arabs in London. Ramy M.K. Aly looks critically at the idea of 'Arab-ness' and the ways in which ethnic subjects are produced, signified and recited in the city.

Looking at everyday spaces, encounters and discourses, the book explores the lives of young people and some of the ways in which they 'do' or achieve 'Arab-ness'. Aly's ethnography uncovers narratives of growing up in London, the codes of sociability at Shisha cafes and the sexual politics and ethnic self-portraits which make British-Arab men and women.

Drawing on the work of Judith Butler, Aly emphasises the need to move away from the notion of identity and towards a performative reading of race, gender and class. What emerges is a highly innovative contribution to the study of diaspora and difference in contemporary Britain.

248 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 2014

Reviews

[* · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great work and insightful for those seeking to understand the interrelation of identity and place.

To be able to immerse yourself in this, one must be familiar with Butler’s work and the historical context of Arab London.

I have enjoyed reading this piece of work very much.