I am a linguistic and cultural anthropologist whose work examines how French-Muslim youth from Marseille situate themselves within France, the Mediterranean Basin, and the Muslim world. I hold a Ph.D. in Anthropology and Educational Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania. I am an Assistant Professor in Pomona College's Department of Anthropology.
My work is situated at the nexus of linguistic anthropology, Islamic studies, education, the anthropology of youth, and the study of the Mediterranean as a cultural area.
Research
My research focuses on how, through language, religious practices, and creative use of media, French-Muslim youth of color express their identities and cultural citizenship.
My current project is an ethnographic monograph spanning Marseille and the African cities of Fes (Morocco), Algiers (Algeria), and Mamoudzou (Mayotte). Entitled Flipping French and Arabic: Language, Belonging, and Mobility among Muslim Youth in Marseille, it reveals how young Muslims from Marseille flip narrow notions of French belonging (francité) and assert their identities—as Marseillais, French, Mediterranean, and members of the Muslim community of believers (Ummah)—by transgressing established modes of using the French and Arabic languages and, in some cases, relocating within France and to African cities.
Teaching
I teach linguistic and cultural anthropology at Pomona College. My area of expertise includes language and culture, the anthropology of youth, embodied religion, the Mediterranean borderlands, semiotics, new media and communication, history of anthropology and linguistics, and the evolution of human language.
About
Learn more about my educational background, professional accomplishments, and personal interests.