Dini Kimlik Merkezli Seçici Bütünleşme: İslamofobi Koşullarında Müslüman Amerikalıların Toplumsal Katılımı

Abstract

Bu çalışma, güçlü bir Hristiyan muhafazakârlığı kimliğine sahip Texas eyaletinin Lubbock kentinde yaşayan Müslüman Amerikalıların kimlik müzakerelerini ve toplumsal bütünleşme biçimlerini, yaygın İslamofobi ortamında nasıl şekillendiğini incelemektedir. Otuz katılımcıyla yapılan derinlemesine görüşmeler ve etnografik gözlemler üzerine inşa edilen bu nitel araştırma, ayrımcılık ve aidiyet deneyimlerinde dini görünürlük, cinsiyet, ırk/etnisite ve sosyoekonomik statünün kesişimsel etkilerini analiz etmektedir. Bulgular, dışlayıcı toplumsal koşulların Müslüman kimliğini sembolik bir direnç alanına dönüştürdüğünü, ancak bu durumun entegrasyonu engellemek yerine etik temelli alternatif bir bütünleşme biçimini ürettiğini göstermektedir. Katılımcılar hiyerarşik bir kimlik yapısı geliştirmekte; Müslüman kimliğini birincil ve özsel, Amerikalı kimliğini ise ikincil ancak tamamlayıcı bir aidiyet biçimi olarak konumlandırmaktadır. Çalışma, dini kimlik merkezli bütünleşme kavramını geliştirerek, Müslüman Amerikalıların bütünleşmesini adalet, özgürlük ve eşitlik gibi İslami ve Amerikan değerleri arasındaki etik uyum temelinde gerçekleşen seçici bir entegrasyon biçimi olarak tanımlamaktadır. Bu süreçte İslami kurumlar ve inanç temelli dayanışma ağları, bireylerin toplumsal katılımını ve aidiyet duygusunu destekleyen örgütsel alanlar haline gelmektedir. Bu bulgular, İslamofobi deneyimleri ile dinsel kimlik arasındaki etkileşimin Müslüman Amerikalıların kimlik inşası ve seçici entegrasyon süreçlerinde belirleyici bir rol oynadığını ortaya koymaktadır. Bu bağlamda çalışma, asimilasyon–çoğulculuk dikotomisini aşan, toplumsal bütünleşmede alternatif bir analitik çerçeve sunarak göç, kimlik ve azınlık bütünleşmesi literatürüne özgün bir katkı sağlamaktadır.

Keywords

• İslamofobi
• Müslüman Amerikalılar
• dini kimlik
• seçici bütünleşme
• kimlik müzakeresi

Religious Identity-Centered Selective Incorporation: The Social Participation of Muslim Americans Under Conditions of Islamophobia

Abstract

This study examines how Muslim Americans living in Lubbock, Texas, a city characterized by strong Christian conservatism, navigate their identities and pursue social integration amid pervasive Islamophobia. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 30 Muslim Americans and ethnographic observations, this qualitative research analyzes how religious visibility, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status influence experiences of discrimination and belonging. The findings reveal that discriminatory social conditions transform Muslim identity into a site of symbolic resistance, yet rather than hindering social incorporation, these dynamics produce an alternative, ethics-based mode of selective integration. Participants develop a hierarchical identity structure in which Muslim identity is positioned as primary and essential, while American identity is viewed as secondary but complementary. The study introduces the concept of religious identity-centered integration, framing Muslim American integration as a selective process grounded in the ethical alignment between Islamic and American values, such as justice, freedom, and equality. Islamic institutions and faith-based solidarity networks emerge as organizational spaces that facilitate social participation and cultivate a sense of belonging. The analysis highlights the ongoing tension between Islamophobia and religious identity in structuring Muslim Americans' identity work and their pathways toward integration. Moving beyond the assimilation-pluralism binary, this reseach offers a new analytical framework for understanding how religious identity functions as a transformative resource for social incorporation. Thus, the study contributes to scholarly discourses on migration, identity, and minority integration.

Keywords

• Islamophobia
• Muslim Americans
• religious identity
• selective incorporation
• identity negotiation

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