Andrew Ver Steegh ’09 has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program Scholarship to Egypt

Andrew Ver Steegh ’09 of Mahtomedi, Minn., has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarship to Egypt. Ver Steegh also received a critical language enhancement award to study Arabic. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Macalester College in 2009 with a double major in political science and classics. He is the son of Nancy and Jack Ver Steegh of Mahtomedi, Minn., and graduated from Mahtomedi Senior High School.

Ver Steegh’s project is titled “A New Pharaonism? History, Nationalism and Globalization in Egypt since 1967.” He’ll be based in Alexandria, where he plans to audit courses in Modern Egyptian history and politics at the University of Alexandria and conduct research in the archives at the Library of Alexandria.

“I plan to study the relationship between nationalism and globalization through an examination of the use of Pharaonic history and imagery in contemporary Egypt,” said Ver Steegh. “Egypt’s Pharaonic past has been and continues to be a global commodity, providing the basis for a booming global tourist trade that currently forms as essential sector of the Egyptian economy. Pharaonic narratives remain prevalent in Egyptian public discourse today; however in the context of globalization, their audiences and purposes may have changed. Consequently, an examination of contemporary uses of Pharanoic narratives provides a unique lens through which to view the relationship between national identity and globalization.”

Ver Steegh is one of over 1,500 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2010-2011 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Program operates in over 155 countries worldwide.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.

Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 300,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Macalester College, founded in 1874, is a national liberal arts college with a full-time enrollment of 1,958 students. Macalester is nationally recognized for its long-standing commitment to academic excellence, internationalism, multiculturalism and civic engagement.