The New Normal: Generational Understandings of the Aftermath of September 11, 2001 and to Today

By Kyna Patel

This thesis examines the experiences and understandings of Muslims and non-Muslims of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent related to the attacks and aftermath of September 11, 2001 through the 2016 presidential election. Through the use of transcripts, the narrators describe what changes they have felt and witnessed individually, politically, and with their families. By looking at recent and archived interviews, I highlight the similarities and contrasts that arise between generations and through history when xenophobia and Islamophobia are increasingly visible.

Patel-Thesis-2018-Final-Electronic-Copy

 

Kyna Patel is originally from Lakeland, Florida. She graduated from New College of Florida in 2015 with a B.A. in Anthropology. Her first experience with oral history was in 2013 when she interviewed a third gender community in Bahucharaji, India about religion and gender identity.

Kyna’s research interests include race, identity, local history, foreign language, gender, immigration, borders, movement, visual culture, and civil rights. Recently she was an English Teaching Assistant in Germany through the Fulbright Program and was one of several members of the Diversity Group. She is an avid photographer and enjoys reading fiction