Introduction of New Contributor: Anisah Hashmi

As a new member of this symposium, I have to introduce myself. My name is Anisah Hashmi and I hail from two distinct and incompatible worlds that have somehow melded to create me. My mother is a Muslim convert from Connecticut and my father is a Pakistani Muslim immigrant. I grew up in both places and I currently reside in Oklahoma, an even more foreign place to me that I have grown to admire.

I am a rising junior at Dickinson College and I am majoring in American Studies, with a concentration on U.S. /Middle East relations. I have not honed my concentration, but I plan to look at social, political, and cultural issues involving this complex relationship. I want to explore women’s issues and Orientalism, in particular. My planned minor is in French. I hope to delve into these topics while I am in Morocco for my first semester of junior year.

Beyond academics, my interests are speckled. I enjoy reading on all sorts of subjects and writing poetry and short fiction pieces. I dabble in a variety of activities including: drawing, sewing, acting, and singing. I also enjoy dedicating my time to leadership pursuits, writing for school newspapers, and volunteering with various community service organizations. There are countless inspiring influences in my life and I am thankful for all of them.

I am most excited to become a correspondent for Eva Khurshid. I will be writing on numerous issues concerning politics, social movements, feminism, activism, music, art, culture, and anything else that seems fascinating at the time. Feel free to add your feedback, which can include suggestions for topics, queries, and conversations on any subject. After all, it seems the most fruitful way to learn is to create an environment where opinions can run freely and conversations blossom.