Graduation Semester and Year

2018

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Communications

Department

Communication

First Advisor

Erika Pribanic-Smith

Abstract

The topic of this thesis is the understudied minority of Christian Arab-Americans (CAAs), and this research addresses the issues CAAs face in the United States with special attention to the factors that influence their cultural identity. The thesis provides a historical background on how Christian Arabs came to the United States and explains the factors that influence their identity struggle. The theoretical framework of my research is based on Berry’s (1997) acculturation model. Ten participants were interviewed for this study, and a thematic analysis was conducted in order to determine the extent to which religiosity and perceived discrimination affects/influences the participants’ acculturation mode. The findings can bring cultural awareness to society, and the research provides future researchers with a direction for studying the Christian Arab-American population.

Keywords

Arab-American, Identity, Acculturation, Christian, Religiosity, Discrimination, Alternation, Christian Arab-American, Culture, Christianity, Immigrants, Middle East, Perceived discrimination, Arab, United States

Disciplines

Communication | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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Communication Commons

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