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  • Abaza, Mona-Academic Tourists Sight-Seeing The Arab Spring

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    Georgiana Nicoarea
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    The document discusses the unequal relationship between local and Western academics in studying the Arab Spring. The author notes that local academics have often been relegated to "service providers" for Western scholars, arranging tours and providing research assistance during brief visits. This perpetuates the divide between Western "theorists" and local "informants" and "objects of study". Unless issues of subject-object contradictions and whose knowledge is valued more are addressed, new inequalities may arise despite interest in the region's revolutions.

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    Academic Tourist Sight-Seeing

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    Abaza, Mona-Academic Tourists Sight-seeing the Arab Spring

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    The document discusses the unequal relationship between local and Western academics in studying the Arab Spring. The author notes that local academics have often been relegated to "service providers" for Western scholars, arranging tours and providing research assistance during brief visits. This perpetuates the divide between Western "theorists" and local "informants" and "objects of study". Unless issues of subject-object contradictions and whose knowledge is valued more are addressed, new inequalities may arise despite interest in the region's revolutions.

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    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    74 views2 pages

    Abaza, Mona-Academic Tourists Sight-Seeing The Arab Spring

    Uploaded by

    Georgiana Nicoarea
    The document discusses the unequal relationship between local and Western academics in studying the Arab Spring. The author notes that local academics have often been relegated to "service providers" for Western scholars, arranging tours and providing research assistance during brief visits. This perpetuates the divide between Western "theorists" and local "informants" and "objects of study". Unless issues of subject-object contradictions and whose knowledge is valued more are addressed, new inequalities may arise despite interest in the region's revolutions.

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    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 2

    8/24/12

    Ahram Online - Academic tourists sight-seeing the Arab Spring

    AcademictouristssightseeingtheArab Spring
    MonaAbaza,Monday26Sep2011

    WhiletheArabSpringhasenhancedglobalinterestintheArabworld, localacademicshaveoftenbeenreducedtoserviceprovidersfor Western"experts"whojetinandjetout

    IwouldliketosharewiththisshortpieceaconcernthatseveralofusinacademiainCairohavebeenfacing withtheimpactoftheArabSpring,topointtosomefrustrationsregardingthecontinuingunequalacademic relationshipbetweensocalledlocalandWesternexpertsoftheMiddleEast,betweenbroadlyspeakingthe NorthandtheSouth(althoughthisclassificationisclearlyclichd),andthereshufflingoftheinternational divisionoflabourintheacademicfieldwherebyinequalityisandwillstillbeprevailing. Withoutsoundingxenophobic,whichisagrowingconcernthatpersonallyworriesmemorethanever,thereis muchtosayabouttheongoinginternationalacademicdivisionoflabourwherebythedividebetweentheso calledtheoreticiansoftheNorthandtheinformantswhoarealsoobjectsofstudyintheSouthcontinues togrow. Iamindeedspeakingoffrustrationsbecauseweaslocalshavebeenexperiencingasituation,timeand again,ofbeingreducedtobecomingatbestserviceprovidersforvisitingscholars,atermIborrowedfrom mycolleague,politicalscientistEmadShahin,atworstliketheFrenchwouldputit,astheindignede service,forironicallytherightcauseoftherevolution.TorathercaterfortheserviceofourWesternexpert colleagueswhotypicallymakeoutofnomorethanaweek'sstayinCairo,afewshotsandatouraround Tahrir,thetickettotagthemselveswiththelegitimacyandexpertiseoffirsthandknowledge. ItisnosecretthattheArabrevolutionshaverevivedacademicinterestintheregioninaclearlypositive manner.Thisistobecertainlywelcomedbecauseithasmarkedanewphasethatwillpossiblyendthe dreadfulmisdoingsofthe9/11effect.Itiscertainlyapromisingnewphasethatwillhopefullybeunmakingthe evildamageofBinLaden. Butforthelocalcommunityofacademics,inparticularwhatconcernsmycolleaguesattheAmerican UniversityinCairo,manyofushavecomeuprecentlywithsimilarobservations.Namelythebewildermentat thelavishgrantsandscholarshipsthatmanyofourWesterncolleagueshaverecentlybenefitedfromto researchourbelovedrevolution.ManyofushavebeenbombardedbyemailsfromWesterncolleaguesfor suchserviceproviding. Now,IdonotmeantoexpressanysortofunjustifiedresentmenttowardsourWesterncolleagues,whoenjoy definitivelyfarbetterconditionsregardingteachingload,travelallowancesandresearchgrants.Nevermind still,ifintheacademicinternationaldivisionoflabour,weaslocalsarestillstrugglingtoscaleuptobuytime toundertakeresearchandtowrite.Nevertheless,Ithinkthatthereisapricetobepaidforbeingonthespotof eventsandfornotbeingatPrinceton,HarvardorOxforduniversities.Indeed,IthinkthatAUCoughttobe proudofitsyoungergenerationofpoliticallyandsociallycommittedacademicsIpersonallyknow,andwho
    english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentPrint/4/0//Academic-tourists-sightseeing-the-Arab-Spring.aspx 1/2

    8/24/12

    Ahram Online - Academic tourists sight-seeing the Arab Spring

    madeaconsciouschoicetoreturnbackandliveinCairoandworkthere. Thissaid,itisnocoincidencethatmanybelongingtoourscientificcommunityhaverecentlyfeltsomehow misusedthroughbeingoverwhelmedbyWesterntouristrevolutionaryacademicsinsearchofauthentic Tahrirrevolutionaries,needingserviceprovidersforresearchassistants,fortranslating,andnewspaper summaries,forfirsthandtestimonies,andtimeandagainasprovidersofexpertsandyoungrepresentatives forforthcomingaboundingconferencesontheArabSpringintheWest.Cherchez,theauthentic revolutionaryineachcornerofthecity,isthefashionablemoodofthesetimes.Intheory,thereisnothing wrongwithprovidingservices,hadtherelationshipbeenequal,whichwasunfortunatelyneverthecase. AnotherpointofconcernwasmadecleartomethroughmyongoingdialoguewithEmadShahinwhopointedto thefollowingissues:thelevelofcommitmentofsomeWesternacademicstotheirsubjectmatter,andthe returntheregiongetsontheprovisionofservice.ManyovernightMiddleEastexpertsshowaremarkable tendencytopursuesensationalandmarketdriventopicsandreadilyswitchinterestasthemarketforces fluctuate.OnedaytheyareselfproclaimedexpertsonpoliticalIslamorIslamandgenderandanother,they areauthorityontheArabSpringandprodemocracyrevolutions.Thissuperficialandbusinessoriented handlingofcrucialdevelopmentsandchangesintheareaaffectshowthepeoplesoftheregionareperceived andhowpoliciesareshapedintheWest. MalaysiansociologistSFaridAlatasarguedashepromotedtheideaofthenecessityofestablishingan indigenoussociologythroughamodernreadingoftheworkofIbnKhaldunandstateformationthatsucha movehastobeundertakenparallelwiththerethinkingofcurriculaandsyllabiinnonWesternacademic contexts.Furthermore,hearguedthatuntiltoday,textbooksspecialisinginsociologicaltheoryrevealaflagrant subjectobjectcontradiction,whichhasbeenpreviouslyhighlightedinthedebateonOrientalism. Namely,thatEuropeanthinkersremainpervasivelyastheknowingsubjectswhereasnonEuropeans continuetobetheobjectsofobservationsandanalysesofEuropeantheorists.Unlesstheseissuesarenot broughtuponthetableofresearchagendasIamafraidthatmuchwillbesaidinthenameoftherevolution whileperpetratingthesameinequalitiesandOrientalistattitudesthataremostlyfeltinthejobmarket,andin evaluatingwhoseknowledgecountsmoreinacademe. ThewriterisaprofessorofsociologyattheAmericanUniversityinCairo. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/22373.aspx

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