The Plight of Arab Americans in Youssef El Guindi's Back of the Throat: The Intersection of Islamophobia, Orientalism, and Nationalism

This article explores how Yussef El Guindi’s Back of the Throat (2005) illustrates the plight of Arab Americans due to the interplay of Islamophobia, Orientalism, and nationalism, which in turn results in various forms of prejudice and racism against Arab Americans in the United States. The primary goal is to explore how Orientalist tropes shaped the Islamophobic and nationalist sentiments targeting Arab Americans, which steer them into perennial wretchedness by delineating an unrealistic portrayal of their culture and religion. In other words, El Guindi uses Khaled not only as a character but also as a useful critical tool to explore how the US government treats Arab Americans by drawing attention to the harsh realities faced by many people like Khaled. This article will be organized into two sections: the first will explore postcolonial theory, drawing on Edward Said’s insights on Orientalism, while the second will analyze the play through this theoretical lens.