Welcoming the Newest Members of the BEACH Family

This article was originally published in DIG MAG on Sept. 17, 2020.

As the new semester starts, there are many new professors that have joined the BEACH family. They have done amazing research throughout their careers and will bring that knowledge to the BEACH. We want to welcome both Professor Olajide Bamishigbin and Professor Azza Basarudin with open arms.

Professor Olajide Bamishigbin is one of the newest additions to the CSULB family. He received his doctorate in health psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles after getting his bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Miami. He began teaching at California State University, Los Angeles before joining CSULB. His research explores mental health and stress in underrepresented communities. More specifically, his research focuses on Black and Latino fathers and the correlation between cultural experiences and depression. We asked Dr. Bamishigbin to tell us a little bit about himself.

Welcome to the Beach family! Can you tell me a little bit about yourself, your career journey, and why you decide to join the Beach family?

This job opportunity came up to go to Long Beach to really focus on health disparities, which is an area of research that I have done some work in but I look forward to doing even more work in. I am happy to be here. I get to stay in the CSU system. I get to live on the beach, which is nice. I get to really work with a group of other psychologists in the psychology department.

I read that in your teachings, you have an emphasis on going over multicultural psychology themes focusing on the diversity of psychological science. In your opinion, why is it so important to see yourself in your peers, professors and health professionals?

There is a certain level in understanding that comes with somebody sharing certain background characteristics with you. That alone builds a level of comfort.  Let’s say that I am dealing with daily stress and racism, it will be much harder to talk to a white [therapist] about that. Somebody who can’t fully grasp it since they've never lived it, in comparison to talking to a black therapist. [...] During my time at the University of Miami, I never had a Black professor. Not one time. I had Black mentors and I knew of Black professors on campus, but I never had a Black professor. That is really problematic. I had hundreds of professors and I never came across one. What is that telling me about what I can do and what I can accomplish? In the classroom and the research, a lot of the research has been focused on white people...their experiences don't represent everybody else's experiences. 

I noticed that in your research, you have focused on the communities of Black and Latino fathers, what was the most interesting thing you noticed within these communities? 

The topic that I focused on specifically is depression among these fathers. What does depression look like, what is the rate of depression in these groups, and what are the different rates of depression at different points in fatherhood. What I found is that there are cultural factors and specific things that predict depression in members of particular groups. [...] We found [the data] and now we are trying to see why that is that the case.

What has been the best piece of career advice you have received and why?

The best piece of advice I have ever received is really simple, but it matters. Focus on yourself. Focus on the thing you have to do and make sure that you are completing the task you are supposed to get done. Prioritize yourself and the things you need to do. Learn how to say no. 

What advice would you give to a student who would love to follow in a similar career path as you?

I would say, start getting involved in research with professors as soon as you can. That is what I did in undergrad. I didn't quite know what I was doing, but I joined a research lab with a professor and that set me on my path toward getting my Ph.D. Find somebody who does work you're interested in and work with them and follow the path. 

I noticed that you will be teaching PSY 378- Health Psychology and PSY 379 - The Psychology of Stress, this coming semester. Which one are you more excited to teach and why? 

I am really excited to teach both! This is my first time teaching Psychology of Stress so I am a little more excited to teach that. In both classes I am going to make sure we talk about things like health disparities, health inequities and different types of stress.

Professor Azza Basarudin is a feminist researcher, writer and educator who received a doctorate in gender studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research interests include gender/sexuality in Muslim cultures, counterterrorism and national security, transnational feminism, women’s movements, law, and human rights. In addition, she has held fellowships at universities all around the world. We asked Professor Basarudin to tell us about herself.

Why did you decide to join the Beach family? 

The Beach family is appealing to me primarily because in the women’s gender and sexuality studies department, I found colleagues who share my commitment to intersectional feminist praxis that critically examine systems of power and privilege and uplift students as agents of knowledge production and social change. In many ways, the WGSS department and CSULB feel like the intellectual and professional “home” that I have been yearning for. 

What inspired you to complete your degrees and do your research on Women’s Studies with an emphasis on Muslim culture and feminism theory? 

Fragments of my life guided my career trajectory and research commitments. I was raised in an urban middle-class Muslim family in Malaysia. My upbringing and heritage shape my understanding of the world and how I move through it. I was primarily raised by resilient women in my immediate and extended families; this was my lived introduction to feminist politics. The Islam that I grew up with was radically different from the politicized Islam that manifested in laws and public policies. For instance, women believe that legal codes and gender roles are based on the patriarchal distortion of Islam’s ethical tenets of equality and justice. It was the contradictions in women’s lived experiences that have guided my scholarly work, which led to my first book, “Humanizing the Sacred: Sisters in Islam and the Struggle for Gender Justice in Malaysia.” Moreover, I entered graduate school soon after the tragedy of 9/11, where I witnessed the heightened proliferation of Islamophobia and misconceptions of Muslim women as faceless and nameless victims of their religion and cultures. It was that political moment that solidified my interest in pursuing research on gender/sexuality in Muslim cultures. I view my journey as part of an intellectual and spiritual obligation, not only to advance theoretical understanding of an over-generalized and often misunderstood population but also to serve as a resource for these communities.

I noticed that you have been a part of fellowships and visiting positions around the world. What have you learned from these experiences and how have they helped your research? 

Learning from and with others is a delightful lifelong process. The people and spaces that I have encountered have woven themselves into who I am and helped shape a more holistic perspective of the world. It reminds me of the privilege of having the ability to pursue my passion. I cherish being in sustained conversations and finding creative ways to engage in collaborative work. Each encounter motivates me to further enhance my knowledge base, which is reflected in the progression of my scholarly endeavors.

What has been the best piece of career advice you have received? 

Never hide who you are or pretend to be someone you are not. Be generous to yourself and others. Work smart, play hard. 

What advice would you give to a student who would love to follow in a similar career path as you? 

Find your passion, nurture it and commit to staying the course. Trust your instinct. Be resilient, humble, and resourceful. Forge a solid support network of loyal friends and colleagues, for these become your scaffolding in life. Enjoy moments and celebrate small victories. Above all, laugh, love and live. Never fear the ways in which you are coming into yourself. 

I noticed that you are teaching two classes this semester, WGSS 301 - Feminist Research Methods and WGSS 401 - Bodies and Borders. Of the two, which are you more excited to teach and why?

Feminist Research Methods explores the challenges and possibilities of engaging research projects with feminist commitments, while Bodies and Borders encompasses broad issues under the rubric of feminism and globalization. I am equally excited to teach both courses as I expect that they will both yield different levels of knowledge production, even as they cross-fertilize. As a feminist teacher, I strive to create a collaborative and safe learning environment in which students can express themselves openly, to raise students’ awareness of the interconnectedness of local and global issues, and to explain complex theoretical concepts in ways that students see as pertinent to their lives. I am looking forward to sharing my classroom practices with a new student body and learning from students. Bring it on, Beach family!