In 1982, History Prof. Elizabeth Thompson was faced with a dilemma while she was living in Cairo interning at the American Embassy. Thompson said the newspapers of the day reported Cairo was a terrible place, butshe loved the year she spent there.
"I was puzzled," Thompson said. "Why could there be two different realities?"
So began Thompson's interest in the Middle East. Born in New Jersey, Thompson spent her childhood in the United States, something she said sets her apart from most Middle Eastern historians.
"It's unusual amongst people who study the Middle East," Thompson said. "The field is usually dominated by Army brats, children of dignitaries and children of missionaries. People are interested in the region because of the Arab-Israeli conflict, a personal background reason."
Thompson said she did not see her American background as a shortcoming.
"I see it as a positive," Thompson said. "I'm breaking up a cozy little group. ... Not only specialists can understand. The Middle East shares [characteristics] with other countries that you can understand in a wider perspective."
Thompson said she started out pursuing a career in journalism as an international correspondent covering the Middle East. After she attended a forum on international reporting at the Columbia School of Journalism and interviewed at different newspapers, she said she changed her mind.
"One after another reporter said he would file a report to the editor in the U.S. ... and the editor would come back and say, 'That can't be true. The State Department says blah blah blah,'" Thompson said. "The editors were taking their cues from the State Department."
Thompson said she grew disillusioned with journalism on interviews at different newspapers. She said the interviewers all told her she would start out in the suburban beat and she would have to work her way up. Even then, there was no guarantee she would be assigned to the Middle East or even become a foreign correspondent.
Finally, Thompson said her advisor at Columbia offered her a scholarship to complete her Ph.D. in Middle Eastern history, which led her to a professorship at the University.
In 2000, Thompson completed her first book, "Colonial Citizens: Republican Rights, Paternal Privilege, and Gender in French Syria and Lebanon," which she said she views as her greatest accomplishment.
"Having Syrians and Lebanese tell me that book rang true, having the people I wrote about tell me they valued my insight" made all of the work worth it, Thompson said.
As for the recent activity in the Middle East, Thompson said while many Americans are well-meaning, they are not treating the social situation correctly.
"With a heritage of colonialism and being a superpower, [Americans] feel superior," Thompson said. "They don't feel a common humanity."
Thompson explained that many Americans err when they create Middle Eastern cultures as an "other."
"It boils down to you can never see yourself as equal to an 'other' you've created," Thompson said. "From that stems all the misunderstanding, the abuse, the exploitation and the conflict. It's an innately hostile act to create an 'other.'"
Thompson's advice for students echoes what she sees as problematic in the Middle East.
"Look honestly on the world with some humility, but keep your sense of humor," Thompson said.
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