Skin Tone and Occupational Status Among European and Arab Americans
2009-05-01
Title
Skin Tone and Occupational Status Among European and Arab Americans
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Published Date
2009-05-01
Publisher
Hubert H Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
Type
Thesis or Dissertation
Abstract
On the morning of September 11, 2001 nineteen hijackers of Saudi, Emirian, Lebanese, and Egyptian origin commandeered four American commercial jet airliners and carried out a series of terrorist attacks against the United States. Following these events a large number of Arabs, Middle Easterners, and Muslims living in the United States became victims of hate crimes, xenophobia, and violence. While discrimination against these groups in the United States is not a new occurrence, the attacks of September 11th have introduced renewed significance into the stereotypes of the Arab terrorist, Muslim terrorist, and the unfamiliar or foreign other. This context heightens the potential for discrimination to result in disparate economic outcomes for persons of Arab or Middle Eastern origin as well as Muslims. This paper explores the presence of labor market discrimination against these groups. Specifically, I examine the effect of adherence to Islam and skin color on the occupational status of self-identified Arab Americans. Using data from the Detroit Arab American Study 2003 and Detroit Area Study 2003 I find that complexion does not influence the occupational status for Arab Americans but does affect the occupational status of a comparison group of ethnically European Whites. Further, identifying as Muslim does not appear to have an effect on the occupational status of Arab Americans.
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professional paper in partial fulfillment of the Master of Public Policy degree requirement
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Previously Published Citation
Coffee-Borden, Brandon. Skin Tone and Occupational Status Among European and Arab Americans. May 1 2009. May 27 2009. Hubert H Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
Suggested citation
Coffee-Borden, Brandon. (2009). Skin Tone and Occupational Status Among European and Arab Americans. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/50383.
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