I’m just trying to fill my kids up: parents’ pre-emptive (re)construction of identities amidst rising anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States

Abstract

ABSTRACT This qualitative study examines 16 Muslim parents’ communication with their children after Donald Trump’s electoral victory and amidst increasing Islamophobic and anti-Muslim rhetoric in the United States. Our analysis highlights communication interactions, informed by participants’ perceived demonization of Muslims in media and political discourses, intended to counter negative stereotypes and cultivate strength, confidence, and belonging in their children. Drawing on cultural identity theory, we theorize pre-emptive avowals and ascriptions to describe participants’ communication labor to cultivate resistance in their children to Islamophobia and various forms of racism. We conclude by considering unique and intersectional communication labor in minoritized families and discussing directions for future research.