Diaspora Egyptians going "back home"
Sep. 17th, 2012 10:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ajnabiehIf you are an Egyptian who has lived or was born abroad, in the West or elsewhere, and who now lives in Egypt, I want to meet with you while I'm in Egypt! Here is why.
(If you aren't, but know someone who is, or who is doing similar research, could you please pass this on?)
I'm interested in what the scholarly literature calls "transnational migration," meaning not just people who move from country to country, but people who live in one place but maintain close ties "back home." My interest is in understanding how these transnational ties change the way people think about their social and political worlds, and then what effects these have in their different political locations.
Right now, I'm interested in talking to Egyptians from the diaspora who have returned to Egypt or made new ties to Egypt after the revolution. I know that some of my Egyptian friends in New York identified strongly with the revolution, and thought seriously about returning, even though they had lived their whole lives in the US. I'd like to meet with people who actually did it, to talk with you about your choices, your thoughts, and what it's like to be 'back' fi umm al dunya!
Who am I?
I'm a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Toronto. I have a PhD in politics from the New School for Social Research, and my dissertation was on politics in the Arab community in New York City, where I lived for eight years. I'm a non-Arab American, originally from Philadelphia.
What is this all for?
I'm at the beginning of a new project, aiming to look at how transnational migration is changing how people talk and argue about politics in the middle east. (If you're interested, the term I like best is "social remittances," and Peggy Levitt developed it best.) I'm anticipating doing several years of research in different Arab countries, looking at how local politics changes in communities with strong ties abroad. I'm starting in Egypt, because things are changing right now (or trying to change!) which means people are talking and arguing more about the right way to move forward. These arguments are what interest me.
Use of Data and Confidentiality
I'm very concerned that people who participate in my research don't feel abused by the process, and that they feel like its useful. First, I keep all information you give me confidential; I use pseudonyms when I write about my interviews and observations, I keep my notes private and use abbreviations to make sure they aren't readable by others, and I make sure identifying details are changed or removed.
I also want to develop actual relationships with people in the process of conducting research. In particular, I'm anticipating this project being long-term, which means I'd like to stay in touch! For example, I'm Facebook friends with a bunch of people from my dissertation work, and we still hang out when I go to the city. If you're comfortable with remaining in contact with me, I'd love to do it. If you'd like to read drafts of what I'm writing about, that's awesome! (But if you only want to talk once and never again, that's fine too.)
What would talking to me entail?
I'd love to meet you for coffee, or lunch, or to hang out somewhere, to talk for an hour or two, to get introduced, and so I can talk to you about your experiences as a returned migrant. I'm in Cairo at the moment, but I can probably travel to other cities if you're somewhere else.
How to get in contact
The best ways to reach me are over email (emilyreganwills at gmail) or on twitter (@ajnabieh). I have been procrastinating getting an Egyptian cell number (I'm lazy!) but I'm also on Viber and Skype if you want to talk over the phone.
(If you aren't, but know someone who is, or who is doing similar research, could you please pass this on?)
I'm interested in what the scholarly literature calls "transnational migration," meaning not just people who move from country to country, but people who live in one place but maintain close ties "back home." My interest is in understanding how these transnational ties change the way people think about their social and political worlds, and then what effects these have in their different political locations.
Right now, I'm interested in talking to Egyptians from the diaspora who have returned to Egypt or made new ties to Egypt after the revolution. I know that some of my Egyptian friends in New York identified strongly with the revolution, and thought seriously about returning, even though they had lived their whole lives in the US. I'd like to meet with people who actually did it, to talk with you about your choices, your thoughts, and what it's like to be 'back' fi umm al dunya!
Who am I?
I'm a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Toronto. I have a PhD in politics from the New School for Social Research, and my dissertation was on politics in the Arab community in New York City, where I lived for eight years. I'm a non-Arab American, originally from Philadelphia.
What is this all for?
I'm at the beginning of a new project, aiming to look at how transnational migration is changing how people talk and argue about politics in the middle east. (If you're interested, the term I like best is "social remittances," and Peggy Levitt developed it best.) I'm anticipating doing several years of research in different Arab countries, looking at how local politics changes in communities with strong ties abroad. I'm starting in Egypt, because things are changing right now (or trying to change!) which means people are talking and arguing more about the right way to move forward. These arguments are what interest me.
Use of Data and Confidentiality
I'm very concerned that people who participate in my research don't feel abused by the process, and that they feel like its useful. First, I keep all information you give me confidential; I use pseudonyms when I write about my interviews and observations, I keep my notes private and use abbreviations to make sure they aren't readable by others, and I make sure identifying details are changed or removed.
I also want to develop actual relationships with people in the process of conducting research. In particular, I'm anticipating this project being long-term, which means I'd like to stay in touch! For example, I'm Facebook friends with a bunch of people from my dissertation work, and we still hang out when I go to the city. If you're comfortable with remaining in contact with me, I'd love to do it. If you'd like to read drafts of what I'm writing about, that's awesome! (But if you only want to talk once and never again, that's fine too.)
What would talking to me entail?
I'd love to meet you for coffee, or lunch, or to hang out somewhere, to talk for an hour or two, to get introduced, and so I can talk to you about your experiences as a returned migrant. I'm in Cairo at the moment, but I can probably travel to other cities if you're somewhere else.
How to get in contact
The best ways to reach me are over email (emilyreganwills at gmail) or on twitter (@ajnabieh). I have been procrastinating getting an Egyptian cell number (I'm lazy!) but I'm also on Viber and Skype if you want to talk over the phone.