FIELDWORK

My research is grounded in fieldwork across the African Sahel, particularly in Mauritania and Mali, with additional research experience in Niger, Chad, and Senegal. Working in Arabic and French, I conduct in-depth interviews with religious scholars, political actors, government officials, civil society representatives, and other actors involved in questions of religion, politics, and security.

For my dissertation research in Mali and Mauritania, I draw on interviews conducted by me and by trained research assistants working under my supervision. Interviewees include religious scholars and imams, leaders of religious associations, current and former government officials, former jihadist prisoners, and civil society actors.

Research Visits: Nouakchott, Mauritania (2022, 2024) • Bamako, Mali (2024) • N’Djamena, Chad (2024) • Niamey, Niger (2022) • Dakar, Senegal (2022)

Remote Fieldwork: Mali and Mauritania

August 2025–April 2026

When travel restrictions disrupted in-person dissertation research, I developed and directed a remote fieldwork model in Mali and Mauritania. I coordinated two research teams working in French, Arabic, Hassaniya, and Bamanankan. I designed interview guides and research protocols, trained research assistants, and supervised data collection and quality throughout the project. In parallel, I conducted interviews remotely via Zoom and WhatsApp with relevant interviewees in both countries.

Beyond the data collected, this combination of remotely supervised fieldwork and direct remote interviewing generated important methodological reflections on conducting qualitative research under conditions of restricted access. I am currently developing these reflections into a research note on the opportunities and challenges of remote fieldwork.