20 Questions: A sketch of Centre associate professor of international studies Lori Hartmann-Mahmud

RELEASED: December 27, 2007

DANVILLE, KY—1. Position: Associate Professor of International Studies

2. Hometown: Chesterton, Ind.

3. Career Highlight: Being part of the Centre community

4. Favorite College Course: Undergrad: "Taoism." Graduate school: "Poststructuralism and International Relations Theory."

5. Recent Presentation or Other Professional Project: An article in Journal of Poverty, "As Development Seeks to Empower." Right now I'm working on a paper on continuity and change in African politics, which I plan to present at the International Studies Association meeting in San Francisco in March.

6. Family: Husband, Sakah; son, Malik; and my two stepdaughters, Laila and Salamatou

7. Hobbies: Reading, traveling, swimming, biking, hiking, cross-country skiing

8. Most memorable experience of your education: Coming to understand and to embrace the importance of ideas

9. Prized possession: My health (Knock on wood…)

10. Favorite book: I can't even narrow it down to one author, let alone one book! I enjoy reading Barbara Kingsolver, Isabelle Allende, Nadine Gordimer, Ian McEwan and Chinua Achebe (contemporary writers). I've recently read several books by Simone de Beauvoir that were excellent, especially "All Men Are Mortal."

11. Memorable trip/vacation: In 2004, our family went to Okuta, Nigeria, for Salamatou's (one of my stepdaughters) wedding, making it the first time that all five of us were together. It was a joyous affair, and the celebration lasted for many days.

12. Favorite movie: "Il Postino"

13. Favorite album: Phil Collins, "Face Value;" Genesis, "And Then There Were Three;" Coldplay, "X & Y;" Abd Al Malik, "Gibraltar;" and Natalie Merchant, "Ophelia"…okay, I'll stop.

14. Favorite artist (of any type): Cezanne

15. Attitude toward technology: Amazing, because it allows us to do so much; frightening, because we're so dependent upon it

16. Person you most admire: Nelson Mandela

17. Living figure you'd most like to meet: Rakiya Omaar (human rights activist, former head of "Africa Watch")

18. Historical figure you'd most like to meet: Mary Wollstonecraft

19. What would you be doing if you weren't working at Centre? Working on development and/or conflict-resolution projects in Africa

20. Describe yourself in three words: engaged, adventurous, optimistic

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