Professor Interview

In terms of why I chose the US and not other places—other spaces were very limited to me as a North African and Tunisian. I had family connections to the US that allowed me to come, but regardless I would have always chosen the US. While there is a lot more Tunisian immigration to France, to Italy, the European atmosphere towards North Africans is very different from American attitudes. For example, in France, islamophobia always means Arabophobia—and both are normalized and expected. It could matter less that you are attending professional events as a university professor.

As an international student in the University of Notre Dame, I found myself in a school that didn’t have enough resources for the academic area I was studying—Middle Eastern studies and literature. There were no resources for Arabic literature at all, so I had to work with the French department because of Francophone connections to North Africa, which in itself was a challenge. When I went to Columbia University for my PhD, they had these resources, and I was in a department made up entirely of international students. Whilst this wasn’t the case in Notre Dame, the real problem was rooted in a lack of resources for Arabic literature, rather than a lack of internationalism. This is partly because they are a Catholic university, and so are more invested in geographies of Catholicism. 

Places like Berkeley or Columbia have a lot of resources if you’re interested in this area—this is very important for international students who do not come here to study scientific subjects, but rather something in the arts, because they need to be in an environment with people who converse in their culture and area of study. Otherwise, their difficulties would be compounded. 

To navigate through life abroad, finding the international community would help. Even though I have now been in the US for 12 years, I still only find myself able to socialize with, in both professional and personal settings, an international crowd. It’s simply because, even though I don’t know you or your background, and I don’t speak your language, I know already that we share a ton of similar experiences. I can simply start speaking about plans for the summer, such as going home to family, and they would pick on that. On a personal level, I’ve always found it a lot easier to develop friendships with people from all over the world.

One difficulty is that I am used to the academic experiences in the US. I’m used to the academic discourse in the US. I’m not as used to everyday language and interactions. 

You know the concept of the academic bubble? 

So sometimes when I’m in outside spaces, when I’m trying to strike up conversations, it is not really successful (laugh).