Against Autobiography: Albert Memmi and the Production of Theory

Acknowledgments

vii Acknowledgments The “eureka” moment of this book may be traced to a snow day in Cambridge, Massachusetts, circa 2001. The nor’easter that paralyzed the city and forced the cancellation of that day’s graduate seminar had the fortuitous consequence of affording me precious extra hours to finish reading La Statue de sel. At the end of that afternoon, I closed Albert Memmi’s first novel with a glimmer of what would—much later—become my own first book. In its incipient stages as a doctoral thesis, this project was supported and shaped by my advisor, Susan R. Suleiman, whose exemplary scholarship has deeply informed my own, and by my readers, Virginie Greene and F. Abiola Irele. Over the years, my thinking has been influenced by the exceptional individuals who, along with Susan, Virginie, and Biola, created a climate that fostered intellectual rigor and creativity alongside a spirit of camaraderie : Tom Conley, Verena Conley, Janet Beizer, and Christie MacDonald. Generous research support was provided by a Minda de Gunzberg Center for European Studies Krupp Fellowship and a Kennedy Traveling Fellowship for research in France (2005–2006). Bibliographic assistance was furnished, with a smile and usually with coffee, by Mary Beth Clack, bibliothècaire extraordinaire. For the inspiration, for introducing me to Memmi’s work, and for entertaining my early elucubrations on “le ‘x’ identitaire,” my gratitude goes to Réda Bensmaïa. This project’s evolution from thesis to book is paralleled by my own professional progression from graduate student to assistant professor and by a physical shift from east to west. On the “leftcoast ,” my transition to ucla’s Department of French and Fran- viii Acknowledgments cophone Studies has been as seamless as one can hope for, thanks in no small part to a group of welcoming colleagues chaired by Dominic Thomas, who made every effort imaginable to provide a new assistant professor with tools for navigating unfamiliar waters . In particular, Dominic’s help in marshaling various forms of institutional and departmental support, in addition to his unflagging encouragement, have been key to my ability to complete this manuscript. A Faculty Research Grant from the ucla Academic Senate (2010) provided critical funds at the editing stage and travel subventions that made it possible for me to interview Memmi in Paris. Heartfelt thanks are due Françoise Lionnet, Andrea Loselle, Malina Stefanovska, and Liz Deloughrey, all of whom read and commented on various versions of the book proposal. A nod and a wink to Laure Murat for setting me on a schedule. I must also acknowledge Iris Castor, whose material support in Paris (summer 2010) provided me with ideal conditions in which to finish editing the book. Guy Dugas, professor at the University of Montpellier and one of France’s first specialists in francophone Maghrebi literature, has been a valuable interlocutor, a treasure trove of information, and a key facilitator in my contacts with Albert Memmi. I am, of course, grateful to have had the opportunity to speak with Albert Memmi on several occasions, the most notable and recent of which gave rise to a nearly three-hour interview at his home in the Marais (Paris, October 2009). Many thanks to Mr. Memmi for granting his permission to publish selections from our conversation, which have added texture to portions of this book. This book would certainly not have seen the light of day had it not been for Kristen Elias Rowley, Ann Baker, Elaine Otto, and the entire team at the University of Nebraska Press, whose counsel , communication, and efficiency deserve only the highest accolades . The manuscript has also benefited immeasurably from outside readers Debra Kelly and Peter Schulman, as well as from Acknowledgments ix an anonymous peer reviewer. Several other “unofficial” reviewers have made important contributions to the book: in the earliest stages, Maggie Flinn and Patrick Bray provided invaluable feedback ; Nick Harrison’s eleventh-hour read offered further refinements and polish; and Penelope Meyers’s help in preparing the final manuscript was crucial. For me, the solitary task of writing has always been counterbalanced by joyful exchanges—intellectual, pedagogical, personal, professional, political, culinary, yogic, and others—with an entourage of friends and confrères (in no particular order): Philip Usher, Dana and Elise Lindaman, Maggie Flinn and Patrick Bray, Sara Kippur and Josh Lambert, Loren Wolfe and Andy Romig, John Walsh, Daniel Aguirre, Santiago Morales and Claudia Pineda, and Sarah Stein and Fred Zimmerman. My...