Contributor Spotlight: Hebatalla Shoaeib
Our prose editor, Isabella Li, loved Issue 2 contributor Hebatalla Shoaeib's essay "Outside" and (electronically) sat down with Hebatalla to talk about her identity as an Egyptian-American, the importance of multifaceted stories, and the Overton Window. You can read "Outside" in Issue 2.
Isabella: I love the last paragraph of your piece, when you discuss the loneliness of “غربة” and how, prior to this past year, you never expected to experience it in America. You wrote this in 2017, in the immediate aftermath of the election. Now that it’s 2018, and we’ve had Trump as president for over a year, have your feelings about “غربة” changed? If so, how?
Hebatalla: Yes, my feelings have definitely changed. Since the election, I have come across many people who feel the same way as me. I have come to realize that I don’t have to feel so alienated and in “غربة” because I am not alone. Of course, the sentiment that I am not welcome in my own country hasn’t faded so much. The feeling of belonging isn’t easy to build for an immigrant.
Isabella: You reflect a lot on your identity as an Egyptian American. How do you find the balance between the Egyptian culture you grew up with and the American culture you’ve grown into?
Hebatalla: That’s a tough question because I am not sure how to define American culture. Before I came to America, I was convinced that the game Grand Theft Auto was a perfect portrayal of what America is. I thought people walked around naked, everyone had blonde hair (which I didn’t even believe was a natural hair color), and that people took whatever they wanted and no consequence ensued. It’s safe to say that I was sorely mistaken. But I still can’t define American culture. I try my best to balance the two by conforming to both, or find a middle ground between them. For example, in Egypt, we raise our hands in class by putting our elbows on the desk and putting our hands up, and that is considered respectful, but in America, I have learned that enthusiasm is best shown by raising our hands up as high as they will go; I compromise by raising my hand halfway in between. I don’t do it on purpose, but I guess I am unconsciously reconciling the two.
Isabella: Part of For the Sonorous’s mission is to highlight works by traditionally silenced voices. What are some of your favorite works by women and non-binary people of color?
Hebatalla: Would it be too stereotypical to say that I love TED Talks? (I actually assign them as homework to a student I tutor.) I find that watching people speak is very powerful because more than reading into their writing, you can hear their voice and the tone they use with their words. My favorite TED Talk, and the first one I ever watched, is “The danger of a single story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In her talk, Adichie speaks about how media only gives us one perspective of cultures which builds stereotypes, and in turn becomes a dangerous way to inform people about different cultures. I find this to be an important topic because I myself have been a culprit and victim of the single story problem. I assumed what American culture was based on a game (as I said before), and many people assumed I lived in a desert simply because I am from Egypt (I never lived in the desert, I promise). TED Talks are amazing because they provoke thought and help us become more open to ideas. I will certainly never be satisfied with a single story ever again.
Isabella: Do you see the bigotry that’s grown in prevalence in the past year as a worrying trend indicative of a future reality, or as something temporary that will improve with new leadership?
Hebatalla: Bigotry is always around whether we see it or not, and I choose to focus on the better things in life. What I am worried about though is how normal some things are becoming. I watched a video four months ago about how the Overton Window shifts. The Overton Window is basically the range of acceptable ideas in society, and it is subject to change. The example the video gives is how gay marriage was unthinkable years ago, but today it is legalized in every state. The video on Vox is titled “How Trump makes extreme things seem normal,” and in it, Carlos Maza explains how Trump’s radical ideas are shifting the Overton Window, and how it is making those radical ideas more acceptable to the public. It is quite frightening. If any idea, no matter how terrible, when compared to Trump’s ideas is considered sane, then those new still-terrible ideas are our new normal. Yes, this is what I’ve been worried about politically for the past four months. Hopefully, it is all reversible.
Hebatalla Shoaeib was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and grew up in the city. She and her family immigrated to the United States when she was nine years old, where they settled in New York City. Since then, Hebatalla has overcome the language and cultural barrier, and has built a life in NYC. But now, as a new America is being brought about, she wonders if there is a place for her in America anymore.
