Exploring Dearborn's Arab-American Tapestry | Ghassan Zeinnedine

Ghassan Zeinnedine talks to us about the complexities of faithfully depicting a multi-layered community through short-stories, and the history of Arab-American immigration. We also explore the Arab-American experience in the post-9/11 era, looking at what anxieties and tensions are still felt in the Dearborn and wider communities.

Ghassan Zeinnedine is an author and assistant professor of creative writing at Oberlin college. He is also the co-editor of the creative non-fiction anthology Had Baladuna: Arab American Narratives of Boundary and Belonging. His debut collection “Dearborn” examines the diverse range and complexities of the Arab American community in Dearborn, Michigan. In ten tragicomic stories, Zeineddine explores themes of identity, generational conflicts, war trauma, migration, sexuality, queerness, home and belonging, and more.


The afikra Podcast

The afikra Podcast is our flagship series featuring experts from academia, art, media, urban planning, and beyond, who are helping document and shape the histories and cultures of the Arab world through their ‎work.

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Reimagining Sacred Spaces: Curating the Diriyah Islamic Arts Biennale | Sumayya Vally

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Palestine & The Politics of Seed Preservation | Vivien Sansour