‘I have three hats and I am constantly juggling between them,” laughed Dr. Nirit Ofir. Ofir, a mother of six, spoke to The Jerusalem Post during a break from one of her recurring trips to and from the Gulf.
This time she had just returned from a security-themed conference where she presented Israeli patents and companies working in the field. Wearing her first hat, Ofir is an academic with a PhD in Middle Eastern studies from Bar-Ilan University, and a lecturer at Reichman University. Her doctorate revolved around processes of liberalization and democratization in the Arab world, which she ardently holds are taking place here and now.
“These processes exist, and the trend is very clear. It’s true that it’s taking a lot of time, but we should remember that Europe also took about 400 years to reach current views on pluralism, liberalization, and democratization,” she reminded. Ofir described how the fieldwork she conducted for her dissertation changed her life.
“While working for my doctorate I realized very quickly that media and press coverage was lacking, certainly in the last 15 years. I decided that without going into the field I would sin against the truth and sin against myself. I entered homes of Muslim families in Syria, Morocco and Jordan, and conducted personal interviews.
” Her work won several international awards and made her fall in love with fieldwork and working with people. “This led me to understand the region and get to know its people more .