Education and employment among Arab Americans: Pathways to individual identity and community resilience

Abstract

Education and employment are highly valued in Arab culture owing to the manner in which both bring honor to the family. Achievement in both areas enhances psychological resilience, including cognitive and social competence, and academic success lays the groundwork for occupational success. Both schools and jobs are embedded in larger ecological systems which have witnessed an increase in anti-Arab bias following September 11, thereby requiring greater resilience on the part of Arab Americans to succeed. Increased bias complicates the developmental task of identity formation; yet, as socializing contexts, features of both schools and work can also serve as protective factors. This chapter describes aspects of both settings which can serve to support resilience on the part of Arab Americans while also requiring resilience in adapting to institutional sources of bias. Resilience is conceived of as a socially constructed process developing within an ecological framework rather than as a static trait.