In a few days, I’m finally receiving my “doctorhood” towards which I have been working relentlessly for years. Of course, I’m ready to confront such questions as:

Exactly what are you a doctor of?

A doctor of literature? A doctor of philosophy?

A doctor of words? Sounds bizarre, but it seems like a good definition of a literary critic.

If I’m being specific, however, my work focuses on diaspora literature and the notion of Muslimness. My project “Transitional Spaces, Transnational Narratives, and Representation: Muslimness in Contemporary Literary Imaginations” intervenes in debates surrounding Muslims, Islam, and the representations of Muslimness in the Global North.

So, it goes without saying that I’ve been quite excited about:

1. The Year of the Middle Eastern Reading Challenge launched by Reading Between the Dunes
2. Unapologetically Muslim Reading Challenge that The Perks of Being Noura Blog has started

I find these two reading challenges critical in the current sociopolitical climate–at…