Transnationalism and Belonging:

Abstract

This study explores the complex interplay between transnationalism, identity, and belonging in Sahar Mustafah’s The Beauty of Your Face (2020). It investigates whether transnational connections hinder or fuel the immigrant’s sense of belonging, particularly within the post-9/11 American socio-political landscape. Drawing on postcolonial and transnational theoretical frameworks—including the works of Homi Bhabha, Stuart Hall, Avtar Brah, Edward Said, and Carol Fadda-Conrey—the study examines how identity is shaped and reshaped across cultural, racial, and spiritual dimensions. The analysis highlights how racism, white mainstream norms, and patriarchal expectations render identity formation complex and hinder immigrants’ sense of belonging, within both American society and ArabMuslim community. The study also reveals how faith, emotional ties, and spiritual awakening—particularly through Islam—serve as powerful sources of belonging and resilience. By analyzing themes such as marginalization, Islamophobia, inherited trauma, and healing, the research demonstrates that Mustafah’s protagonist undergoes a symbolic return to faith and cultural memory, which reconfigures her sense of self and community. The study ultimately presents identity as one that is not defined by geography, but by emotional and spiritual reconnection. Through a multidisciplinary lens, the dissertation affirms that transnational connections can offer immigrants a path to reclaim agency, identity, and belonging in a world that often renders them invisible.