What’s it like growing up as a Palestinian American?
For Susan Muaddi Darraj, a Palestinian American author of books for adults and children, including the Farah Rocks series, the answer is in a word: complicated.
Muaddi Darraj discussed her upbringing in an installment of Hunter’s Promoting Civil Discourse & Intellectual Dialogue series: “The Intersection of Identity: Growing Up Palestinian-American,” on February 13.
Muaddi Darraj explored the tensions of growing up Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and American in her novels, including the well-received Behind You Is the Sea, which follows characters from an immigrant family in Maryland as they confront a diverse country with different mores and values.
“Our identity is central to our sense of self and influences all our decisions in life,” said Hunter Interim Provost Manoj Pardasani. “The ability to self-reflect and understand our positionality in the world around us is key to developing purpose and direction. Individual stories like the one shared by Muaddi Darraj are a model for self-discovery. I encourage all members of the Hunter community to attend this event.”
The discussion aligned with a campaign to foster civil discourse and tolerance across CUNY’s 25 campuses, which was announced by CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez this past August during a visit to Hunter College.
Watch the video below.
