Using funds donated by the Margaret Wray French Fund, I traveled to Andalucía, in southern Spain. During this time I conducted research, both fieldwork and archival research, on the topic of gender and immigration. I made contacts with faculty and students at the University of Granada, the city where my long-term fieldwork will be based, and was able to utilize their library and Center for Intercultural Studies to obtain monographs and articles on my topic that are not widely available in the United States. I also established ties with faculty who will facilitate my institutional affiliation with this University during my future fieldwork. In addition to my work at the University of Granada, I made contacts with NGOs run by both Spaniards and immigrants who are working on issues of immigration and human rights, in particular organizations that work specifically with women and with Muslim immigrants from North Africa. I spent time at the new central mosque and Islamic Center in the city, including attending a conference on immigration. I also met, interviewed, and spent time with many Muslim immigrants in Granada (and conducted several interviews during a week spent in Seville). Lastly, I traveled to the Alpujarra mountain range (in the province of Granada) to attend a "Festival of Moors and Christians", a regional festival that commemorates the Catholic Reconquest of Spain, and about which much public debate has arisen in the context of immigration. I was able to observe the festival and interact with tourists in attendance and townspeople who participated. Throughout my time in Spain, while conducting all of these research activities, I also met three times a week for three hours (9 hours a week) with a private tutor for ongoing Spanish lessons. Because I have already studied Spanish for many years, this class was focused mostly on learning about specific aspects of language use in Andalucía.
Graduate students depend on fellowships such as this one to conduct the research that, in addition to coursework, helps us achieve our academic goals. I appreciate this generosity very much.