American Studies الدراسات الأمريكية
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- ItemMargaret Sanger, Reproductive Rights, and the Eugenics Movement:Navigating the Tensions Between Feminist Advocacy and Scientific Racism(Al-Quds University, 2025-08-25) Abeer Fuad Hashem Zughaiyer; عبير فؤاد هاشم زغيرThis thesis explores the life and contributions of Margaret Sanger, a key figure in the early birth control movement, to investigate the conflicts between the struggle for reproductive rights and the impact of eugenic ideology in the early twentieth century. Sanger’s advoca-cy was groundbreaking; she challenged oppressive laws, established clinics, and founded organizations that enhanced women's access to contraception. In doing so, she propelled feminist battles for bodily autonomy and contributed to the groundwork for contemporary reproductive rights. However, Sanger’s legacy is complicated by her association with the eugenics movement. At a time when eugenic concepts heavily influenced public health and social policy, she frequently presented birth control as a method to better society while also empowering women. This strategy enabled her to forge political alliances and obtain re-sources, but it also linked her movement with racial and class-based disparities. For many African American communities and other marginalized groups, this raised worries that birth control was less about individual choice and more about controlling their populations and regulating their reproductive rights. By examining Sanger’s writings, public addresses, and academic works, this thesis emphasizes both the liberating and exclusionary aspects of her efforts. It posits that Sanger’s legacy cannot be viewed simply as either a feminist achievement or eugenic involvement; rather, it embodies a complex convergence of both. Her narrative demonstrates how movements for social change can both challenge and per-petuate the inequalities of their era.
- ItemHow American Social Movements Frame Political Violence: The Case of Shireen Abu Akleh from April 2022 to the present(Al-Quds University, 2025-08-26) Hiba Ibrahim Issa Albabish; هبة إبراهيم عيسى البعبيشThis thesis examines how American social movements and media framed political violence abroad, focusing on the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in May 2022. It analyzes how advocacy groups and U.S. media responded, the narratives they created, and how these frames shaped public opinion and political accountability. Using social movement theory, framing analysis, and critical media studies, the study shows that advocacy organizations quickly mobilized to demand justice, emphasizing press freedom, human rights, and U.S. responsibility. However, their efforts faced barriers such as political alliances, media hesitancy, and government silence. The analysis compares coverage across different sources: Palestinian media was clear, Israeli media often deflected responsibility, U.S. mainstream outlets were ambiguous, and alternative sources like the Zeteo documentary Who Killed Shireen? made bold claims. The thesis also highlights the role of cultural perceptions and stereotypes, drawing on Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism, to explain how American audiences interpreted the frames. By showing how Shireen’s journalist role, U.S. citizenship, and symbolic value were used in advocacy, this study clarifies the challenges of transnational justice campaigns, the limits of moral framing in U.S. foreign policy, and the uneven resonance of different narratives. The findings have implications for future advocacy strategies and U.S. accountability in international human rights cases. Keywords: political violence, framing, Shireen Abu Akleh, social movements, media, United States, advocacy, journalism, accountability, Orientalism
- ItemThe Impact of Anti-Arab Racism in Social Media on the Mental Health and Daily Lives of Arab Americans (2016-2025)(Al-Quds University, 2025-08-27) Hanin Elias Yousef Salsa; حنين الياس يوسف سلسعThis study investigates the psychological effects of anti-Arab racism on Arab Americans, with a focus on Palestinian communities after the 7th of October war, and the role of social media in amplifying discrimination. Using an intersectional approach, it examines how ethnicity, religion, and gender intersect with systemic biases to intensify stress, anxiety, and social withdrawal, particularly during politically sensitive events. Data from surveys and in-depth interviews reveal limited engagement with formal mental health services, largely due to cultural mistrust, language barriers, and a shortage of culturally competent care. Participants frequently relied on active coping strategies—such as physical exercise, and other coping strategies such as community involvement, activism, volunteering, and meaningful work—as substitutes for therapy, consistent with Abou Ziab (2016). Findings highlight the need for culturally responsive, patient-centered mental health services that address language, religious values, family dynamics, and intergenerational trauma. The study also emphasizes the importance of community-based interventions, increased visibility of Arab American therapists, and anti-racism training for mental health professionals. Despite a small sample size, the research provides valuable insights into the mental health challenges, coping strategies, and structural barriers experienced by Arab Americans, offering a foundation for future research and culturally informed interventions. Keywords: anti-Arab racism, anti-Palestinian racism, Arab Americans, social media discrimination, intersectionality, mental health disparities, coping strategies.
- ItemFeminist Narratives by Walker and Morrison and Their Analysis of Women’s Resistance(Al-Quds University, 2025-08-28) Eyad Ghassan Hussein Hreiz; إياد غسان حسين حريزThis thesis examines the feminist narratives of Alice Walker and Toni Morrison, focusing on their representations of women’s resistance to patriarchal structures in The Color Purple (1982) and Beloved (1987). Both authors foreground the experiences of African American women whose voices have historically been silenced, offering literary spaces where memory, trauma, and survival converge as acts of defiance. Drawing on feminist and womanist theoretical frameworks, the study analyzes how Walker and Morrison reconstruct narratives of oppression through storytelling, maternal bonds, spirituality, and communal resilience. The research situates the novels within the broader historical and cultural contexts of slavery, segregation, and Black feminist thought, emphasizing the ways in which literature functions as both testimony and resistance. Through comparative close readings, the thesis demonstrates that Walker and Morrison challenge dominant historical discourses by presenting Black women not as passive victims, but as agents of cultural transformation. Their works reveal how personal survival and collective memory become intertwined in the ongoing struggle against patriarchy and racial oppression. Ultimately, this study argues that Walker and Morrison extend the boundaries of American literature by redefining feminist resistance through the lens of African American womanhood. In doing so, they not only reclaim silenced histories but also affirm the enduring power of narrative as a form of liberation. Keywords: Alice Walker; Toni Morrison; patriarchy; oppression; resistance; Black feminism; female agency; empowerment; intersectionality; African American women’s literature.
- Itemاتجاهات المجتمع الفلسطيني في قطاع غزة نحو المساعدات الاكريكية للسلطة الفلسطينة منذ أوسلو 1993- 2006(Al-Quds University, 2008-05-21) رياض صلاح اسماعيل عمر; Reyad Salah Omar