Ambar

 Hello everyone, thanks for taking the time to read about myself and my studies.

I am from the Mexican neighborhoods of the southwest side of Chicago. I completed my Bachelors degree in Islamic Studies and English at Boston College. I decided to continue studying Middle Eastern Studies here and will be working towards a earning my Masters degree for the next two years. I will be learning a bit of everything because my program does not have concentrations. One of my priorities is to become close to fluent in Arabic. I am also considering studying Persian. The cultures and peoples of the Middle East fascinate me. My main interests are modern Middle Eastern history, languages, and anthropological research. 

A topic that I am considering researching this summer is the Amazigh/Berber movement for language and cultural heritage recognition in Morocco during the Berber-Arab Spring in North Africa. The Amazigh people are the native inhabitants of Morocco and other countries in North Africa. The ruling powers in favor of the Arabic language and culture have historically suppressed their language and culture. Yet, the majority of the populations in these countries are of Amazigh or Amazigh-Arab descent. Morocco became the first country to give official status to an indigenous language in North Africa when it made Tamazight official in its revised constitution of July 1, 2011.

I will be researching these movements as they relate to greater democratization in the region.