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“Mauritania Is an Eye:” a Community Association's Effort to Promote Unity

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“Mauritania Is an Eye:” a Community Association's Effort to Promote Unity “Mauritania is an Eye:” A Community Association’s Effort to Promote Unity A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Scripps College of Communication of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Sidi Becar A. Meyara August 2017 © 2017 Sidi Becar A. Meyara. All Rights Reserved. This dissertation titled “Mauritania is an Eye:” A Community Association’s Effort to Promote Unity by SIDI BECAR A. MEYARA has been approved for the School of Communication Studies and the Scripps College of Communication by Devika Chawla Professor of Communication Studies Scott Titsworth Dean, Scripps College of Communication ii Abstract MEYARA, SIDI BECAR A., Ph.D., August 2017, Communication Studies “Mauritania is an Eye:” A Community Association’s Effort to Promote Unity Director of Dissertation: Devika Chawla This dissertation project explores how members of a Mauritanian association in the Greater Cincinnati area of Ohio/Kentucky work together to achieve a semblance of unity. The association is made up of two main Mauritanian groups - Afro-Mauritanians and Moors. Historically, these two groups have had a history of tension, which came to a head in 1989 after a suspected coup d’état plot organized by Afro-Mauritanians against the ruling Moorish government. Consequently, the Moorish government committed many atrocities against Afro-Mauritanians who were robbed, killed, and expelled from the country. Africa Watch reports that between 1000-3000 Afro-Mauritanians endured these atrocities. Drawing on 16 in-depth interviews and fieldwork observations, I seek to understand how members of this divided group work together to promote unity and the forces that encourage/hinder their efforts. I rely on narrative and postcolonial frameworks to make sense of the field narratives to situate them within their postcolonial/transnational contexts. A narrative analysis of the field discourses generated three themes. The first theme, “Language and Identity,” illuminates how failed colonial/postcolonial linguistic policies contribute to the problems faced by members of the Mauritanian Friendship Association of the Greater Cincinnati Area. The second theme, “Tending to an Old iii Wound,” highlights the strategies that members of this association utilize to reconcile their problematic past. The third theme, “Mauritania is an Eye,” examines the narratives my participants invoke to explain their involvement in the association’s efforts to promote unity as well as the challenges they continue to face. The project illustrates how this association’s shared problematic and violent history continues to threaten members’ efforts to promote unity. iv Dedication To my mother, for abandoning her education so that I could pursue mine. v Acknowledgments I first would like to acknowledge my dissertation advisor, Dr. Devika Chawla, for her unwavering support. Without your persistence and genuine concern, this dissertation would not have materialized. I would like to thank you for everything you have done for me. I would also like to thank my committee members: Dr. Roger Aden, Dr. Benjamin Bates, and Dr. Steve Howard. Dr. Aden, working with you has been one of my most rewarding experiences. I am thankful for your guidance. Dr. Bates, you supported me throughout my journey in the Ph.D. program. For that, I am very thankful. Dr. Howard, I have had the pleasure of working with you for the past 6 years. Your genuine support and love for Africans have been humbling. I thank you for everything you have done for me. I would also like to acknowledge members of the Mauritanian community in the Greater Cincinnati area. Special thanks go to the following brothers: Hady Anne, Mountagha Warr, and Malaw Mbou. Hady took me under his wing and introduced me to the Afro-Mauritanian community. Mountagha helped teach me about the community. Mbou’s family made me feel at home. I will never forget your generosity. To others in the community, you all have a special place in my heart. vi Finally, I would also like to acknowledge all of those who have helped me throughout my educational journey. Without your help, I would not have been here. My success is also yours. vii Table of Contents Page Professor of Communication Studies ...................................................................... ii Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Dedication ........................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. vi Chapter I: Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1 Mauritania: A Brief Overview of History ..................................................................... 5 1989: A Turning Point .......................................................................................... 10 Beginning the Project .................................................................................................. 13 The Mauritanian Friendship Association: A Story of Beginnings .............................. 17 A Community’s Association ....................................................................................... 18 Project: Mauritania is an Eye ...................................................................................... 19 Chapter II: Literature Review ........................................................................................... 25 Diaspora and Migration .............................................................................................. 25 Rethinking Diasporas: New Approaches .............................................................. 30 Exile ...................................................................................................................... 33 Diaspora and Home Countries .............................................................................. 34 Diaspora and Host Countries ................................................................................ 36 Migration: Home, Citizenship, and Political Transformation .............................. 39 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 41 Chapter III: Theoretical Frameworks ................................................................................ 46 Narrative and Identity ................................................................................................. 46 Postcolonial Frameworks ............................................................................................ 52 Postcolonial Studies: The Issue of Identity ........................................................... 54 Postcolonial Studies: Race, and Language ........................................................... 57 Postcolonial Studies and Globalization ................................................................ 61 Postcolonial Scholarship and Communication ..................................................... 64 Chapter IV: Research Practices ........................................................................................ 70 Finding the Research Site ........................................................................................... 70 viii Searching for a Gatekeeper ................................................................................... 73 Recruiting Participants: Community Dynamics ................................................... 77 Interviews and Participant Observations .................................................................... 81 Participant Observations ....................................................................................... 83 Narrative Interviewing .......................................................................................... 86 Narrative Analysis: Interpretive Bicolage .................................................................. 89 Narrative Voice ..................................................................................................... 89 Narrative Fissures ................................................................................................. 91 Thematic Analysis ................................................................................................ 92 The End of Fieldwork ................................................................................................. 95 Chapter V: Language, Identity, and Community Relations .............................................. 99 “The Lucky Ones:” Kadoye and Herma Stories ....................................................... 101 Herma’s Story ........................................................................................................... 112 The English Language as a Bridge: Malaw and Wane’s Stories .............................. 120 Wane’s Story ............................................................................................................. 126 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 129 Chapter VI: Tending to an Old Wound ........................................................................... 132 The Traumatic Events of 1989: The Indelible Memories of the Past ....................... 134 A Day of Memorial or Celebration?:
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