Alioune Fall is in the sixth year of a Ph.D. in French and Francophone Studies. He is working on a dissertation titled “From Negritude to Afro Diaspora: Multi-Dimensional Resonances of Blackness” with advisors Lucille Toth (Department of French and Italian) and Adélékè Adéẹ̀kọ́ (Department of African American and African Studies).
Fall’s dissertation challenges discourses of cultural sameness and approaches African literature from the perspective of transnational black studies. “There is a prevailing notion that African literature has evolved from representations of nativism to more hybrid discourses,” explains Fall, “However, it has actually always been hybrid. Early movements of blackness in African literature were already hybrid. To understand that argument, one has to rethink hybridity itself and approach it from the perspective of heterogeneity. There is a symbiosis of different cultures where all maintain their own particularity.” He adds that an important part of his work focuses on identity issues, something he has always related to as an immigrant.
Fall grew up in Senegal and received both a BA and an MA from the University of Dakar. His Master’s focused on American and Caribbean Studies. While working on his MA, Fall was part of the English club at the university, and he was able to become a Teaching Associate for an Ohio State study abroad program led by Professor Cheikh Thiam (who was a professor in FRIT at the time). Fall made acquaintance with both Thiam and the OSU TA who participated in the program. Through communication with them, he became interested in pursuing higher education in the United States, applied, and began his PhD in autumn of 2015.
With the goal of graduating in spring of 2021, Fall is in the midst of a busy year combining work on his dissertation with job applications. “The job application process is very challenging,” Fall says. There are significantly fewer jobs this year than last, which only adds to the stress. Fall might have an edge in the process, however, thanks to a Graduate Interdisciplinary Minor (GIS) in African American and African Studies. As a response to the #BlackLivesMatter movement, there are more open positions that have a focus on Black Studies, and Fall’s areas of expertise have prepared him well for these.
Fall will leave FRIT and Ohio State with many memorable experiences. During the 2019-2020 academic year, Fall served as the graduate representative on FRIT’s Committee of Diversity and Inclusion. Between the impacts of Covid-19 and the removal of Columbus’ statue from downtown Columbus, the committee had many things to respond to. Fall says that it was interesting to be part of the committee during a very complex time.
From an academic perspective, he enjoyed how rigorous and informative his classes were. He still remembers the “Introduction to Theory and Criticism” course, taught by Professor Renga, which he took during his first semester. “There were a lot of readings, and I was overwhelmed, but I really learned a lot,” Fall recalls. He believes he also benefitted greatly from teaching on study abroad programs, as they provide an experience very different from the classroom. Finally, he enjoyed the interdisciplinary aspects of the department, both academically and socially. It allowed him to meet students in other department and to build important friendships.
While his current focus is dedicated to research, Fall is also partial to teaching. “I have always loved teaching, ever since middle school,” he says, “It can be challenging, especially during times like the pandemic, but you learn every day.” Fall’s father was a teacher of French at an Elementary School. Before long, Fall will be a Professor of French and Francophone Studies at a higher education institution.
