Abstract
Theoretically framed by cultural and transnational citizenship, this narrative inquiry study engages with the lived experiences and teaching practice of an Arab migrant social studies teacher named Mr. Ahmad (pseudonym). More specifically, we examined Mr. Ahmad’s understanding of his positions and sense of place as an Arab migrant in the United States and his active involvement in transnational politics and teaching endeavors across the borders to navigate his immigration status and racially minoritized position as an Arab migrant in the United States. This study further elucidates how Mr. Ahmad’s transnational engagement, along with his racialized experiences, served as a foundation for his teaching philosophy and pedagogy centering on cultivating students’ critical consciousness and action toward social justice and equity. By shedding lights on Mr. Ahmad’s narratives and agencies in claiming and exercising his belongingness and teaching and how they are informed by his distinctive racial and migratory backgrounds and complex life stories as an Arab migrant, this study will contribute to offering a more nuanced, multifaceted, and authentic portrayal of Arab and Arab American communities that transcends the existing, simplistic, essentialist, deficit-oriented, and Orientalist narratives against Arab and Arab American communities. The study will also contribute to an important yet significantly under-researched area of Arab and Arab American teachers, offering valuable and vital insights into future research and teacher education.