Amaney Jamal: On Belonging, Self-Acceptance, and Success

Amaney Jamal is a Professor of Politics at Princeton University and Director of the Mamdouha S. Bobst Center for Peace and Justice. She is a Carnegie Scholar specializing in political behavior and development, and the author of the award-winning book "Barriers to Democracy."

In this episode, Professor Jamal and Dr. Paryavi discuss challenges of representation in academia, belonging, self-acceptance, and women's empowerment. Professor Jamal also shares her inspiring journey as a scholar, leader, and mother of four.

 

Episodes Notes from Maliheh Paryavi, PhD:

 

I’ll never forget the first time I met Amaney Jamal back in 2014. We were at a workshop in Abu Dhabi and I was completely awestruck. Seeing and meeting her had such a significant impact on me as a PhD student. I start the episode sharing this and thanking Amaney for being such an inspiring presence. Having the opportunity to give gratitude in person, host her on this podcast, and hear her amazing journey meant so much to me. She is a remarkable example of how we can break through barriers and succeed when we combine grit with embracing who we are. I truly hope our conversation inspires you to continue to honor yourself and live your life to the fullest. Enjoy!

 

Episode Breakdown:

• 00:55 - Amaney's impact on Maliheh as a role model

• 03:57 - The importance of descriptive representation

• 06:05 - The challenge of diversity in academia

• 08:05 - Empowering yourself though education

• 11:20 - Amaney's journey as an academic

• 13:28 - The challenges of belonging and how to belong

• 15:48 - Importance of self-acceptance

• 18:45 - Assimilation while staying true to yourself and your values

• 22:39 - The possibility of multiple modernities within the modern world and what that could mean for women's empowerment

• 26:15 - Shifting attitudes towards women's empowerment in the Middle East

• 32:13 - Honoring one’s personal spiritual path

• 34:40 - Importance of taking breaks and gaining perspective

• 35:39 - Balancing responsibilities as a mother of four

• 38:59 - Inspiring children through own success and leadership

• 41:12 - Following your passion while facing conflicting external pressures and expectations

• 44:15 - The importance of prioritizing self-care

 

More about Amaney Jamal:

Amaney A. Jamal is the Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Politics at Princeton University and Director of the Mamdouha S. Bobst Center for Peace and Justice. Jamal also directs the Workshop on Arab Political Development and the Bobst-American University of Beirut Collaborative Initiative.  

Her book, Barriers to Democracy (2007), which explores the role of civic associations in promoting democratic effects in the Arab world, won the 2008 American Political Science Best Book Award in the Comparative Democratization section. Her other books include, Of Empires and Citizens and her co-edited volume Arab Americans Before and After 9/11. Jamal’s articles have appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Comparative Politics, Perspectives on Politics, International Migration Review, and other venues. Her article “Does Islam Play a Role in anti-Immigrant Sentiment: An Experimental Approach.”, in Social Science Research 2015 won the 2016 Louis Wirth Best Article Award: American Sociological Association, International Migration Section.  

Jamal is the co-Principal of the Arab Barometer Project (Winner of the Best Dataset in the Field of Comparative Politics (Lijphart/Przeworski/Verba Dataset Award 2010), and has secured over 4 million dollars in grants for this and other projects from the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), National Science Foundation (NSF), NSF: Time-Sharing Experiments for the Social Sciences (TESS), Qatar National Research Fund, (QNRF), United States Institute of Peace (USIP), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Luce Foundation.

In 2006, Jamal was named a Carnegie Scholar. She holds a Phd from the University of Michigan (2003). Her areas of specialization are the Middle East and North Africa, mass and political behavior, political development and democratization, inequality and economic segregation, Muslim Immigration (US and Europe), gender, race, religion, and class.