Over the weekend I attended an academic conference that brought top educators from Saudi Arabia and the international academic community to Riyadh. As with such meetings, social and professional networking is a must.
But sometimes the reality of such networking comes crashing down on your head with some rather unpleasant surprises.
During the course of the conference, the word went around that a prestigious Riyadh university was seeking Saudis to collaborate on research projects. I soon discovered that an informal call went out for such collaborations involving my field of study.
Research is the lifeblood of any academic with a doctorate. The unwritten rule to remain a valued asset to your university employer is to be regularly published in journals and to break ground in your chosen field. My field of study is constantly evolving and the need for research is vital.
With this in mind I called the university and spoke to a man who was excited to hear of my interest and invited me for an informal meeting. I was on my way to the airport, but promised to stop by for half an hour to exchange ideas and perhaps sow the seeds for a future proposal. The university representative’s excitement was contagious and I had high hopes for a promise of collaboration with other academics and to flex my researching wings.
Upon arrival at the university, I was ushered into the office of an Arab official and a westerner colleague. They took one look at me and their faces fell. Practically stumbling over their words, they clearly were not expecting a young Saudi woman to walk through the door. No, as a young university they were not prepared to accommodate researchers. They were defensive and unwelcoming. What changed between the gushing reception from the academic on the telephone and the time I appeared in his office would be obvious to any Saudi looking for research partners or a new job with an expatriate doing the interview: I was a threat to their job security.
They offered no information about their university programs and they asked me not a single question about my background and qualifications. They couldn’t even drum up the energy to fake interest through the meeting. When a Saudi academic arrived to meet me, the Canadian intercepted her outside the office, had a hurried conversation and I never saw or had the chance to meet her. Saudization has cast a pall over many workplaces throughout the Kingdom, but the political nature of the academic world only heightens a cut-throat attitude among expatriates who earn sometimes-spectacular wages at Saudi universities.
I recognize that Saudis receive little sympathy from the expatriate community about politics in the workplace. Expats have been sent home in favor of replacing them with a Saudi. Frankly, that is not my problem. We are sending thousands of young Saudi men and women abroad at government expense to earn postgraduate degrees in foreign universities to return for the very reason why I met with these two university academics in the first place: To further our expertise in our chosen fields for the betterment of Saudi society and the world in general.
I was straight-armed at the office of two expats who saw no need to muddy their academic standing with a Saudi. I could pursue this issue with their supervisors, but the truth is that the university must clean its own house by recognizing that office politics is shutting out qualified academics who have the potential to provide serious contributions to society. It’s the whole point of the King Abdullah Scholarship Program. I have witnessed bitter battles for control among expatriate workers. I have seen the same among Saudis. Rarely do I see expats manipulate university management to erect stonewalls to prevent qualified people from offering their best to benefit their country.
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