Jennifer: Stereotypes
I recently traveled to Algeria and married an Algerian Muslim man. Since returning home, I've been hit with the reality of prejudice in America. I started thinking about social psychology as a cultural phenomenon, comparing my experience in Algeria to coming home to the United States. In my month traveling in Algeria, I never once felt excluded as an outsider. I expected Algerians to have a stereotype of Americans, but as studies have shown, once they saw me as an individual, they didn’t apply the stereotype to me. It also helped that they saw that I respected their culture. One key factor, I imagine, was my willingness to convert to Islam in order to be married in Algeria. Because religion is one of the most important cultural factors in Algeria, I became part of the ingroup and therefore not subject to bias.
Upon returning to the United States, I witnessed a lot of ethnocentrism, even by those closest to me, especially in regards to Islam: “I could never cover my hair everyday.” “Do you think the people there would be so excited that you converted if they really knew who you were?” “I’m so glad you’re safe, I was really worried about you.”
The American perception about Muslim women is that they are not allowed to do things for themselves. Interestingly, I never felt more spoiled in my life as I did in Algeria. There were definitely differences; however, the perception is totally culturally biased. There were places that women didn’t frequent, such as cafés, and yet I didn’t feel excluded but cherished. My Algerian friend said to me, “It’s so sad that you have to work,” and this struck me so funny because often we as Americans feel sad for women in Muslim countries and the lack of opportunity to work and be independent. I hadn’t really considered it the woman’s choice until then.
I'm learning to be patient with my friends, family, and clients, realizing that I’m fortunate to be able to travel and become a part of a family in a different country. Mostly, my experience has made me cognizant that a lot of prejudice comes from ethnocentric judgments, and not understanding the worldviews of people from different cultures. I’m learning to be even more receptive and open to difference than I was before my trip.