By Shaghayegh Hanson
On May 1, 2019, the Persian Cultural Center hosted author Neda Maghbouleh, who discussed her new book, The Limits of Whiteness. Maghbouleh is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto, and her book is a groundbreaking, empirically-based study of the identity dilemma faced by Iranian-Americans who are at once technically classified as “white” by the federal government, but seen as “not white enough” by mainstream society. In other words, in everyday life, at schools, in airports, in their neighborhoods, and at their workplaces, Iranian-Americans are not treated as white and often experience intolerance and hate for being of Iranian descent.
Maghbouleh alternated readings from her book with explanations of the complex sociological effects of being in a group that is legally and racially invisible, but realistically set apart based on a variety of factors, such as skin color, cultural norms, and foreign-sounding names. Far from presenting a dry set of statistics, Maghbouleh recounted the experiences of the 80 young people she tracked for her study: for example, Roya was told she must check the “White/Caucasian” box on school forms rather than the “other” box, and Donya, who attended a mostly white school, was called a “gorilla” for having a unibrow. There was also the story of Amir and his older brother, who attended school in the rural mid-west. They were called names such as “sand ni**er” and “camel jockey.” Amir’s older brother was confronted by twenty or so varsity football players who yelled, “You American-hating motherf***r! F***ing terrorist scum!”
Maghbouleh presented these stories alongside documented historical and legal evidence of the disparate treatment of Iranian-Americans. From a 1979 sepia-toned poster in a Texas restaurant depicting the lynching of a turbaned man and stating, “Let’s Play Cowboys and IRANIANS!” to the effects of 9/11, Maghbouleh provided the backdrop influencing the negative treatment experienced by second-generation Iranian-Americans.
Following Maghbouleh’s presentation there was a lively question and answer session, followed by a book signing. The event was a truly educational, riveting, and timely look at where Iranian-Americans find themselves in the social and legal structure of their adopted homeland. Maghbouleh’s book is a must-read—an authoritative and fascinating examination of Iranian-Americans living on the edges of whiteness and traversing its limits.
Maghbouleh, Neda (2017), The Limits of Whiteness. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
