Targeted Transnationals

Book excerpt: Following 9/11, the securitization of state practices and policies has chipped away at the citizenship and personal rights of all Canadians, particularly those of Arab descent. This book argues that, in a securitized global context and through racialized immigration and security policies, Arab Canadians have become “targeted transnationals.” Negative media representations have further legitimized their homogenization and racialization. With an eye to the implications for human rights, multiculturalism, and integration, the contributors to this book draw on qualitative interviews, policy, and media analysis to examine state practices towards, and media representations of, Arab Canadians. They also present voices that counter the dominant discourse and trace forms of community resistance to the racialization of Arab Canadians. Targeted Transnationals concludes with reflections on the challenges to integration, and the relevance of multiculturalism in the context of globalization and transnationalism.