So, you've been invited to speak at a conference in Saudi Arabia ...
… and the first question might be if you even want to go. At least it was for me.
The reason for that simply is my opinion on the Saudi government. Although the reforms of the past 10 years have changed the country a great deal, I’d agree with most people in Western societies that Saudi Arabia is particularly oppressive. Its royal family are the guys who killed Jamal Kashoggi and cut him to pieces. There is death penalty by stoning. Even people from neighbouring countries will say that Saudi Arabia is just very weird and very strict. Would I be supporting that regime?
Khobar Seafront Garden
A female colleague helped break this down for me: who I’d be supporting are the women organizing the conference, including the person who invited me, so yes, it would be good to go. That was what I needed to hear, because I was also very curious. Having never been to any of the Gulf states, and never in an islamic nation, I was keen to see that part of the world. I was also curious about the conference itself. As a clinical linguist / language scientist, I have been to many conferences on aphasia, or linguistics, but this particular meeting was on stroke, and most of its speakers and attendees worked in healthcare services. “The First International Stroke Rehabilitation Conference” also took place within the context of a programme called “Vision 2030”, which is a massive overhaul of the Saudi Arabian infrastructure, calling for investments of about one trillion dollars. “The Line”, that frankly weird city erected in the country’s northwest, is part of Vision 2030, but so is a substantial modernization of the healthcare system focusing strongly on coverage of rural areas. These are exciting times in an exceptional place.
So, what happens when you go to a conference in Saudi Arabia? First of all, a conference is a conference, and if you can listen for hours, have chats and network, drink coffee, and eventually get to give your talk in Manchester, Madrid, or Leipzig, all in the absence of sunlight, you are ready to do exactly the same things in Dammam, in the Eastern Province. While the conference had been pushed back by months, the event itself ran smoothly and the atmosphere was very friendly. As for the science, I decided to raise awareness to how language theory informs conceptualization of aphasia and highlight how conceptualization had changed. In a workshop, I presented samples from speakers with aphasia and we jointly analyzed them while I introduced some relevant variables. When I designed the sessions I was uncertain about this content, now I know I made the right choices.
The differences to conferences in Europe or North America are notable: We listened to the national anthem and a praise to God before the event started, and most breaks were “prayer breaks”. None of that affected the core experience at all, and it is understood that the Westerners won’t partake in any of this and rather pay homage to a coffee and croissant.
The dress code in Saudi Arabia is more formal than in many other places. While women are now allowed to reveal their face and hair in public, most will cover their hair, many their face, and none will show their legs or arms. Men can wear whatever they want, including on their face, but should cover their legs. Importantly (and harder to figure out), Saudi society is strongly codified by clothing. While conservative clothes are not mandatory, they are signs of status. For men, we have the following rank (I think): short sleeves < long sleeves < saudi thawb (white) < saudi thawb (with different colours depending on the weekday). For women: uncovered hair and face < partially covered hair, uncovered face < fully covered hair, uncovered face < niqaab (everything covered but the eyes). Somewhere along this ranking you stop shaking a woman’s hand, but I didn’t manage to completely understand when. It’s best to wait for the other person to initiate a greeting.
Saudis were very friendly to me, at the conference and outside. Not everyone speaks English (most drivers don’t), but everyone I spoke to was a patient communicator, and frankly, I enjoy these barriers, which make interactions become very memorable. It helps to know a few basic phrases and of course anything about football.
If you stay longer to explore the country, please avoid my biggest mistake and get an international driver’s license. These cities are extremely pedestrian unfriendly, more than any American place I have visited. Because for much of the year temperatures are hostile, this makes some sense, but walking is a very poor option even after sunset. I could not get from my hotel to the neighbouring building without stepping on the road. There are plenty of wide, empty spaces, and plenty of motorways running through the city which are very tedious to cross. It once took me 30 minutes to get to the other side, during which Saudis kept staring at the walking idiot. You need a car or a driver to get around. If you use Uber, get ready to be mugged by roaming charges.
I was also very keen on swimming in the Gulf. While I wasn’t expecting the Copacabana, I was surprised by the complete lack of a beach or swimming culture. On my last day I took a trip to Bahrain, where the situation is not much better, but at least I found a small strip of occupied beach after a long search (on foot).
It was a great experience. I cannot say I became a fan of Saudi Arabia, but it was one of those trips which make you think about mankind. I will post these thoughts soon. For now, I can advise you that, if it’s a research conference, you should accept that invitation and go.
