‘But you don’t look Lebanese’ is not a compliment and some thoughts on the casting of Princess Jasmine in Aladdin ‘19.

THOUGHT PIECE: Abeir Soukieh discusses the distorted physical standards imposed on Arab women in North American film.

Smile in connection

POEM: In his first English-language poem, Sanjaya Fernando describes how a smile can lead to lasting connections between culturally-different people.

INTERVIEW: Vesna Cvjetićanin talks with be:longing about nostalgia and its role in the migrant experience.

POEM: Jasmine Soukieh discusses the cumulative effects of persistent othering.

RECIPE: Food writer Emiko Davies shares with us a reflection and recipe from her third cookbook, Tortellini at Midnight.

POEM: Kaya Lattimore explores her bloodline in the stories of her ancestors, seeking out the breadth and depth of her history.

REFLECTION: Marwa Rida remembers all her grandma embodied while Marwa was growing up in Egypt and how much of it she’s carried with her to Australia.

THOUGHT PIECE: Abeir Soukieh discusses the hypocrisies and double-standards encountered by minorities living across cultures.

INTERVIEW: Darko Andreski of Dancers Without Borders talks to us about folk dancing across cultures.

YEAR IN REVIEW: Editors-in-Chief of be:longing, Dunja and Jasmine, reflect on the publication’s second year.