Azra Aksamija
Immigrant members of the MIT community
Photo courtesy of Daniel Jackson.
I come from Sarajevo, Bosnia, a place historically known as the Jerusalem of Europe. I grew up in an environment where many different cultures and religions coexisted for centuries. That history, but also the systematic targeting of our culture during the 1990s war, informed my life and my work. The war taught me about the power of culture, and the experience of migration taught me to feel at home in many places.
Through teaching art at MIT, I work with students to reimagine a future in which culture and heritage of different societies are not perceived as a threat but as an opportunity for mutual learning. Linking art, culture, and technology offers a framework to grow the positive aspects of human interdependence in the face of global problems that are affecting communities across borders.
Azra Aksamija is an Associate Professor in the MIT Program in Art, Culture, and Technology.
Editor's note: Tech Transfers is a photo series by Professor Daniel Jackson that features immigrant members of MIT.