|
Globalization
in Comparative
Perspective is a studyabroad
collaboration
between Macalester
and the University
of Maastricht in the
Netherlands. During
the fall semester, students
study in various
countries in their own
areas of academic
focus. During January
and spring semester,
students convene in
Maastricht, bringing
together their collective
experiences
from the first semester
for discussions of
globalization.
|
Jessica Hawkinson ’08
Wallingford, Pennsylvania
International Studies, Political
Science
After Mac: Educational Seminar
Coordinator, Presbyterian Church
Office at the United Nations
Through Macalester’s “Globalization in
Comparative Perspective” program, I
studied abroad for both semesters of
my junior year. My first semester was
spent in the bustling cosmopolitan city
of London, England, at the School of
Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), and
during my spring semester, I quickly felt at
home among the cobblestoned streets of
Maastricht, Netherlands at the University
of Maastricht.
In London I lived among students with
backgrounds so diverse that they found
it difficult to answer the question “Where
are you from?” Friends of German/
Ethiopian, French/Polish, and Czech/Italian
origin illustrated the growing difficulty for
many of naming one geographical location
“home.” Maastricht was my hub for excursions
to Luxembourg, Berlin, Brussels,
The Hague, Paris, Amsterdam, and other
European locales.  “I lived among
students with
backgrounds so
diverse they found
it difficult to answer
the question ’Where
are you from?’"
—Jessica
Hawkinson ’08
In both London and Maastricht, my
academic work focused on globalization
generally, but looked closely at the legal
obstacles facing minorities in European
communities.
The most public example may be the political
debates about Muslim veiling in France,
but the issue of multicultural citizenship
goes much deeper. Many immigrant and
minority communities find that their cultural
practices, including veiling, burial
traditions, marriage, or divorce, clash with
the legal structures of Western countries.
The acquisition of citizenship is also complicated
by stringent legislation. In the
Netherlands, for example, a civic integration
exam and high fees limit immigration.
A class on “Ethnic Minorities in the Law” at
SOAS sparked my interest in the topic, and
continued studies in Maastricht extended
my research.
At Macalester for my senior year, I continued
my work on ethnic minorities in
European law while writing an honors
thesis in international studies. Using
research completed in Great Britain and
the Netherlands, I illustrated the limits of
current theories of legal pluralism in an era
of globalization, and suggested possible
alternatives to the integration programs
adopted today. My year abroad has helped
me prepare for countless journeys in internationalism,
community-building, and a
life of global responsibility.
|
