“My family story is one of intergenerational struggle that goes far beyond a ‘famous’ last name”
Encounter: Nikhita Obeegadoo – Assistant Professor, University of Chicago
* ‘I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of speaking truth to power. We should all have the right to express ourselves’
* ‘Choosing a life in the political limelight is to choose to be constantly criticized, no matter what one does (or does not do)’
Despite her young age, Nikhita Obeegadoo has already had a distinguished academic career, with a journey that has taken her from the halls of Stanford and Harvard to her current role as an Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies at the University of Chicago. Nikhita’s path is remarkable not just for her academic achievements, but also for the way she has woven together her love for literature and her multicultural Mauritian heritage into a career that spans continents and disciplines.
In this interview, Nikhita reflects on the experiences that have shaped her, from writing novels as a child to dealing with the complexities of identity in a multicultural society. She discusses the challenges and rewards of pursuing a career in the humanities, the insights gained from teaching and researching in diverse cultural contexts, and her vision for how Mauritius can become a global hub for interdisciplinary studies. Her story is one of passion, resilience, and a deep commitment to understanding the world through the power of language and literature. Read on as we delve into Nikhita Obeegadoo’s journey and her thoughts on the broader issues of identity, culture, and the global relevance of Mauritian perspectives.
Mauritius Times: You have had an impressive academic journey at a young age, indicating that there is indeed more to you than being “more than just my father’s daughter,” as you mentioned in an article in the local press a few years back. Can you share your journey from Stanford and Harvard universities to your current role as an Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies at the University of Chicago and tell us what motivated you to pursue this career path?
Nikhita Obeegadoo: Literature is truly my first love: I did not so much “choose” it as fall in love with it as a child, and that love has been sustaining me ever since. I have savoured listening to stories as far back as I remember, and at the age of 8, I was already writing my own fiction and poetry. I wrote my first two novels at the ages of 12 and 13.
In Mauritian society, this was paradoxically very much appreciated as a hobby but questioned as a potential career path. People warmly encouraged me to write but also harshly chastised me: “Bé litératir, ki to pu fer ek sa?” At school, subjects were divided into neat streams (natural sciences, social sciences, languages), and there was a strong sense that “smart” students study science, while languages and literature were considered a kind of “lesser” option.
I was confused not just by the hierarchy but also by the compartmentalization of knowledge: Why could someone not love both physics and literature? I took Maths, Chemistry, and Physics for my A-levels to complement my love for literature. Then, when I obtained a scholarship to Stanford University, I fully explored all the intellectual options available to me by completing a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Comparative Literature.
When I was 21, I obtained a Harvard Presidential Fellowship for a fully funded PhD at Harvard University, where I specialized in contemporary literatures of the Indian Ocean and Caribbean. As an Assistant Professor, first at the University of British Columbia and now at the University of Chicago, my role is to teach undergraduate and graduate courses on the contemporary literatures and cultures of the Global South, including the Indian Ocean.
I also receive research support for travel to conferences and fieldwork, which have taken me from the mountains of Peru to the deserts of Morocco. I am passionate about the magic of stories in all their forms, and what they tell us about the people and societies they emanate from.
* Your CV mentions your interests in Indian Ocean literature, African and South Asian literatures; you are also fluent in multiple languages, including French, English, Hindi, Spanish, and Mauritian Creole. How did your diverse interests and language proficiency come about, and have they enhanced your research and teaching experiences?
To be honest, my biggest linguistic advantage is being Mauritian! We Mauritians often grow up learning and speaking multiple languages – in my case, Mauritian Creole, English, French, and Hindi – so switching between them becomes as natural as breathing. While this might seem like a mundane aspect of life on the island, it can feel like a superpower when you’re abroad!
Additionally, when I moved to California at the age of 17, I heard Spanish being spoken everywhere and decided to learn the language to engage with Mexican and Latin American diasporas in the region.
Similarly, I can trace my interest in cultural diversity and dialogue back to my experiences growing up in a multicultural country as a child of a mixed marriage. My mother’s family is Hindu of North Indian descent, while my father’s family is Christian of mixed ancestry, mostly Telegu and Tamil. The following question from strangers came up as a leitmotif throughout my entire childhood: “Bé ki to été toi? To indien? To telegu? To batizé? Ki to été?”
As a child, that question used to make me feel uncomfortable and ashamed, as if I were trying to solve a puzzle with no correct answer. However, as I grew up, those questions sparked other, perhaps more intriguing ones that now drive my research and teaching as a literary scholar: What does it mean to belong to multiple communities simultaneously? How do we, as Mauritians, maintain a sense of belonging within our ancestral communities in a way that affirms our complex identities while also being inclusive to others? To what extent is the need to ‘label’ and ‘compartmentalize’ uniquely Mauritian, and to what extent does it exist in other diverse contexts—could it even be fundamental to any society?
I find these questions fascinating, and I continue to explore them in both local and international contexts.
Your CV highlights your role in teaching a Bollywood course in Canada and delivering a presentation on Hindi Literature at the World Hindi Secretariat in Phoenix last year. What insights have you gained from engaging with these diverse cultural and academic contexts?
Many people think of Bollywood in deprecatory terms: as something shallow, superficial, or at the very least “uncool.” I have always disagreed. I believe that if one is able to engage in critical thinking – that is, if one is able to view Bollywood film as interesting raw material for dialogue and conversation, rather than something to be unquestioningly believed at face value – there is much it can teach us with regards to language, cultural norms, or history, just to name a few.
My course “Bollywood in Flux,” which ended up being my most heavily enrolled course at the University of British Columbia, attracted a diverse range of students: some were from India, some were from the Indian diaspora, and many were Canadians with absolutely no prior knowledge of Bollywood! The films we watched together became a valuable platform for cross-cultural exchange and dialogue. For example, we discussed social change in reference to Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017), and gender inequality in reference to Stree (2017).
On the other hand, my presentation at the World Hindi Secretariat last year was titled “Hindi Literature as Global Literature.” I talked about the rich potential of Hindi literature to explore global issues and highlighted its potential to enrich World Literature Departments.
* The belief that islanders suffer from insularity may not be entirely accurate in today’s world of open communications and travel. However, do you think we are still not fully open to global perspectives, or are we constrained by the island’s historical and cultural limitations?
I think that we are very much open to global perspectives – unfortunately, often at the expense of local insights. For a long time, as Mauritians, we have believed that what comes from abroad – be it foreign degrees or foreign clothes – is better than what is available locally. I do believe that we need to be more confident as Mauritians in our country’s ability to be a world leader!
For example, I recently co-organized a conference in Mauritius called “Decolonial Dialogues,” with my colleagues Dr Kumari Issur from the University of Mauritius and Dr Patricia Lee Men Chin from Dalhousie University. The central premise was the idea that Mauritius can be a global center for conversations around decolonization and intercultural dialogue. What better place than Mauritius to study the sustained contact between communities, cultures, and languages throughout generations? Why do Mauritians have to go abroad to study these themes? On the other hand, why don’t we create opportunities for both Mauritians and foreign students and academics to do so here?
* If you were to find yourself in a position to influence public policy on matters related to history and culture, what changes or initiatives would you advocate to promote a broader and more inclusive understanding of global perspectives?
Firstly, I would prioritize the continued decolonization of curricula at all levels, from kindergarten to university. For a long time, “history” and “culture” were seen as the monopoly of the West. It is now crucial for our historical and cultural understandings to be broader. To cite a single example: Today, the continent with the most French speakers is Africa. Mauritius is itself part of the African continent. Why then are most Mauritian students (as I was at that stage of my life!) more familiar with authors from France than from Rwanda, or Madagascar, or Tunisia?
Another key question I would want to tackle is the following: Why must scholars from the Indian Ocean necessarily go to the Global North in order to study our own region? My dream would be the creation of an Interdisciplinary Center for Indian Ocean Studies in Mauritius, that would be an intellectual hub for scholars and students from all over the world interested in researching the Indian Ocean from a plethora of perspectives – be it environmental, political, cultural, or historical. Centers for Indian Ocean Studies currently exist in Canada, the Netherlands, and the United States, among others. Why not in Mauritius?
*On the other hand, my earlier reference to your statement about being “more than just my father’s daughter” was one that you must have felt compelled to make a few years back in response to negative social media comments accusing you and your sister of evading mandatory quarantine upon returning from South Africa. How did you cope with the emotional toll of being targeted in such a public and negative manner?
In addition to “writing back,” the most effective activity for me to process difficult emotional situations such as the one you mention above is to step back and “prendre de la perspective.” I was indignant at the unfounded accusations, and it was important for me to defend myself rather than be a passive victim.
At the same time, I reminded myself that such an occurrence is tiny in the grand scheme of things. People go through so much more all the time, be it war, poverty, or incurable diseases. At the end of the day, I reminded myself that I had a clear conscience, my family’s love, and good health – anything else was a bonus.
* There’s a significant crowd of social media users who can strike at any time and tarnish the image and reputation of unsuspecting citizens. Having personally been the target of trolls, do you think we have to learn to live with this for the sake of freedom of speech, or should there be legal consequences for those who deliberately spread fake news with the intent to cause harm?
As an academic and writer, I wholeheartedly believe in the right of expression and in the importance of speaking truth to power. We should all have the right to express ourselves, even when our opinions are controversial. We should all be able to engage in constructive dialogue, even when those dialogues are uncomfortable.
That is not the same, however, as tarnishing someone’s reputation for personal gain or inciting violence, often with disastrous consequences. We know, for example, how social media trolls can negatively affect youngsters’ self-esteem, sometimes to the point of driving them to self-harm or suicide.
History is full of examples where the propagation of harmful stereotypes about a community led to widespread violence. I believe one of our challenges as a society is to strike a delicate equilibrium between preserving freedom of speech and protecting individuals and communities, especially the most vulnerable, from unfounded propaganda that has the intent of causing harm.
In practice, this means that legal consequences against the deliberate spread of fake news with a clear intent to cause harm should exist, but their application should be carried out with the utmost rigour; in case of ambiguity, I would always err on the side of protecting free speech.
* It’s quite possible that you would not have been trolled if you did not have that famous last name. In an interview with l’express, you mentioned your interest in joining politics, so you do know what to expect in terms of personal attacks if and when you decide to enter politics, given your experience?
I have no illusions: personal attacks in the public realm can be incredibly harsh, and choosing a life in the political limelight is to choose to be constantly criticized, no matter what one does (or does not do).
However, at the risk of sounding idealistic, I also believe that this is a small price to pay for the opportunity to directly contribute to the progress of one’s country. Eventually, words pale in comparison to the actions that remain.
* Some members of political families, predominantly male heirs (and some female ones), bear the burden of carrying on the family tradition in politics. Assuming this is your case, how important is it for you to personally maintain such a famous last name?
My family story, like so many others in Mauritius, is one of intergenerational struggle that goes far beyond a “famous” last name.
Like many young Mauritians, I am aware that I have been blessed with opportunities that my parents and ancestors never had. I feel a responsibility not towards a last name with (variable) political capital but rather to a family history made up of generations’ worth of struggle and sacrifice. I actually feel a responsibility beyond my last name, for a patronym hides as much as it reveals.
We live in a society where the norm is for a child to bear only a father’s last name, despite the fact that mothers often sacrifice infinitely more in the upbringing of children. In practice, this means that no matter whether I enter politics or not, I strive to honour those multiple legacies – some more silenced than others – by working hard, acting with integrity, and uplifting others, just as so many others have uplifted me during my lifetime.
Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 23 August 2024
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