Mary Bashir

Mary Bashir has been a French teacher in the Boston area for over 20 years. Over the course of her career, she has had the opportunity to learn from leaders at the African Studies Center in the most impactful ways. Her first experience was with the Teaching Africa program through the Primary Source, which humbled her and ignited in her a passion and responsibility for continued learning.  She has always felt welcome and inspired in all her connections with the Center and her students have always been received by faculty with openness, excitement and reverence during interviews and sharing of authentic resources.

This sense of community, interconnectedness, and shared purpose is what Mary Bashir seeks not only for her students but also for her own experiences.  She is looking forward to expanding her own understanding of the past, present and future global importance and impact of African cultures. She is especially interested in learning alongside her students and colleagues of French to be greater intercultural collaborators and problem solvers for our interdependent world.  She believes that it is essential to center African cultures not only in her French curricula but in all disciplines.  Her recent visit to Sénégal only strengthened her resolve.

Additionally, Mary Bashir has a passion for the relationship between body, mind, spirit and community in healing practices.   She is grateful for the opportunity to continue to learn with and from the wisdom and experiences of this cohort and faculty.