Grantees and supporters of the Fulbright Program gathered at a reception to celebrate Northwestern’s Fulbright community Tuesday. D. Soyini Madison (Communication Doctorate ’89), professor emerita of Performance Studies and Anthropology, delivered the keynote address. 

The reception marks the start of NU’s Fulbright Week, which is organized by the Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. Annelise Riles, the executive director of the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, said the week aims to showcase opportunities the Fulbright Program offers to faculty, students and staff. 

“(The goal) is to learn from and benefit from the wonderful experiences of Fulbright and be in community together,” Riles said. “One of the things we care a lot about at Buffet is how universities can do more to foster peace.”

The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, aims to improve intercultural relations and cultural diplomacy. The program awards professional and academic enrichment opportunities to students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals from all fields. Recipients travel abroad to live and learn from people of different cultures, according to the Fulbright website. 

Madison was Buffet Institute Senior Program Coordinator in Global Collaboration’s Andreea Micu P.h.D. advisor when Micu was a student in Performance Studies. In her introduction, Micu described Madison as a “life-transforming teacher and brilliant scholar.” 

“Soyini is known for her generous intellectual engagement, unconditional support and for keeping us accountable to do our best work,” Micu said. “Or as she would call it, to do the work that your soul needs.”

Fulbrighters become citizen ambassadors to foster intercultural relations, Madison said, opening diplomatic doors in academics, policymaking and governance.  

She added though Fulbright is the premier international exchange of ideas, having dialogues requires hard work. 

“We’re talking about peace, and that is investment — an intellectual investment,” Madison said. “It’s an investment of physical labor, and it’s the labor of heart.” 

During her address, Madison referenced writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s talk “The danger of a single story,” where the author argues one story cannot represent an entire culture. Madison said Adichie’s talk embodies the Fulbright Program’s mission. 

Madison also said she wants to push Adichie’s ideas a bit further. She said every story has another story behind it. 

“I want to invite you today to share with me the stories of the stories,” Madison said. “You’re not only going to produce a product. You’re going to live in those spaces.” 

Madison shared her experiences working in Ghana as a senior Fulbright Scholar. While there, she conducted research for her book “Acts of Activism: Human Rights as Radical Performance,” which details how activists in sub-Saharan Africa employed performance as tactics of resistance. 

When Madison taught English at the University of Ghana, many of her students planned to be in a performance about human rights work conducted by local activists. At the time, there were large-scale university protests against raising school tuition and curriculum concerns. 

The department chair sent a memo to faculty, requiring the staff to hold classes. Madison said she felt conflicted between her commitment to her students and to her colleagues. 

Madison ended up deciding to hold class. The protesters came to her classroom, but she said she and the students didn’t feel afraid. Together, she discussed with the protesters about the root problems with the tuition increases, as well as the upcoming public performance. 

“It was contention, but it was honest contention. It was understanding, but it was honest understanding,” Madison said. “They asked about the complexity and nature of contractions — how you work in and past the middle ground.” 

Ultimately, participation in a Fulbright program is an “incalculable” return on investment, Madison said. 

Hemma Mistry participated in Fulbright’s English Teaching Assistant program in South Korea through North Central College. She said Madison’s speech brought back memories. 

“It’s nice to hear another experience, connect it and see parallels to my experience when I was there,” Mistry said. “It’s pretty awesome to know there’s a bigger Fulbright community outside my school network.” 

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Twitter: @JessicaMa2025

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