We’re all privy to the strange dynamics of this place; a new university, a new campus and an experimental education are all factors that contribute to the idiosyncrasy. We mostly speak about it in casual contexts, however, it’s also important to have a public conversation about this — and to call people out. With my time here, I have become hyperaware of these dynamics and of how global power structures are mirrored in the microcosm of classroom settings. This goes without saying in most contexts, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t look more closely at the structure of NYU Abu Dhabi and its student body to think about how it is replicated.

Within the relative margins of this university, which already exists within a very marginal space, citizenship reigns. So do centrality and maleness. Regardless of the students involved, the loudest voices in the classroom sometimes correlate directly to citizenship and access to a very specific type of cultural knowledge and humor that only apply to a limited group of students. There is a greater understanding between students and faculty of the same descent or citizenship, as they share similar context. There is a greater understanding between men. They occupy airspace unapologetically. Others are simply quieter or carefully tokenized. Some of us who don’t share certain characteristics take up less space by choice, but there’s an implicit understanding that we should apologize for claiming it. Our classmates don’t hound us when we do, but it exists as an atmospheric assumption. We call people out for this inequity sometimes, but it’s also not our role to educate them. Constantly educating those who have privilege tires us.

Some students are unable to acknowledge their relative privilege, but they continue to hold onto it vehemently. You know, there are students with more money, who aren’t on financial aid, who got into the graduate school they wanted — and this makes some students relative victims,  hard-working students, sad students. It’s easy to forget that other people are undergoing the same things as you are, and simultaneously experience several systems of oppression. Even in this environment, where you can’t avoid diversity, you can easily isolate yourself to avoid being confronted with this realization.

Some of the subtleties of these dynamics are hard to express, but they are always there. They form masses that weigh you down. It’s harder to speak in class. You don’t have the energy to explain to your classmate that they’re being offensive or to teach them that political correctness is not the same as basic respect. Meanwhile some students from the United States complain that they’re underrepresented, that they should be able to refer to themselves in whichever terms they choose regardless of context, geopolitics or empathy. They demand acknowledgement. Sometimes they get it.

All in all, it’s not as bad as other places. NYUAD students are nomadic. We’re cute. Cosmopolitan. We have Atlanta hot dogs. It’s nice. We also acknowledge that the Eurocentric perspective is offensive. We joke about being inappropriate or ignorant, but we still make that borderline inappropriate remark. We don’t let go of it or make an active effort to remove ourselves in favor of creating a non-Eurocentric space. Other cultures never become degree zero; they’re only aggregates. They’re shoved into a crevice. They’re given an event; we have cultural nights. We play a local song at a party, it’s fun and there’s good food. Yeah, food! Is that what you eat back home? Cool. You dance well.

Aggregating is only efficient to a certain extent. Collectively, we better represent a global audience than most places. We even spark significant dialogues. We learn. The only problem is that a central structure is always dominant, and its aggregates are always relatively lesser. Peripheries should be irrelevant, but we see them in the way students distribute themselves. This becomes apparent when only certain people speak in class, or when students with relatively greater privilege than others claim space and demand victimization. The problem remains that most students bring a little bit of the global power structure along with them. And even when placed in an idyllic context, where things are distributed pretty well, that power is still there. The solution is not to hide it or to make small amends, but simply to occupy less space. It’s not to speak for others or acknowledge the problems, but simply to quietly remove yourself.