In conversation with...Dr Raana Bokhari

Dr Raana Bokhari is a Teaching Associate in the department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion at Lancaster University. In today’s interview, we talk about her PhD journey and experiences, along with the lessons that she learnt along the way. Raana also sheds light on her experiences of breaking into the academic job market, and provides her much needed advice to those that are planning on getting an academic job subsequent to completing a PhD. 

Firstly, it would be great to hear a bit about your PhD journey and some of your experiences. What did you research and when did you complete your doctorate?

The PhD was a combination of textual theological study and ethnography, quite a novel and rare academic approach. I looked at how a hundred year old theological Sunni text written for women in India had travelled with the diasporic community to Leicester to see how text shapes and informs daily religious life in UK Muslim Deobandi women. I completed in 2013.

It wasn’t easy: a PhD is quite a lonely journey because although you feel unconfident, actually only you are the real expert because it’s a new piece of research and therefore only you know a lot about it, and it’s your singular research. So there are great research networks around and you’re blessed if you have a good working relationship with your supervisor, but it is quite lonely and arduous.

During your time as a PhD student, what would you say was one of the most enriching and positive experiences you've had? 

The research courses and networks at faculty level are tremendous. Other PhD students became a really important part of my support.

The fieldwork itself was probably the best experience. I loved being out in the field, meeting and interacting with participants. I took the approach that they were just as much in charge of the PhD as me, a very reflective interactive approach. Their warmth and access into their lives was a real privilege.

Then being able to disseminate that at conferences and get feedback from peers and experts was tremendously valuable. I was fortunate enough to publish parts of the thesis before the viva, that would not have been possible without the intellectual interaction with colleagues.

What was one of the biggest struggles you encountered in your PhD journey? Did you expect this struggle to occur?

Actually getting to grips with the plethora of writings was a mammoth task. I had thought that the literature review would be fairly straight forward, but because of events since 9/11 there has been a phenomenal amount of literature on Islam and Muslims: coming to grips with that was really difficult. The biggest shock was not realizing that although I thought I was clear in my mind about what my thesis was on, it took me a year to come to grips with the theoretical frameworks that would underpin my research.

And then writing itself! I’m a fairly confident writer academically, but that confidence somehow just went out of the window! It took a while to pluck up the courage to write and feel in control. In fact, it was in the last year of the research that I felt everything come together.

What was one of your favourite ways to detach yourself from your PhD research and enter into a different headspace?

Just by pretending I wasn’t doing a PhD lol! Actually I had a young family so that constant distraction of home life and the normality of life was a God send. Immersing yourself in life away from the thesis is actually really important for sanity. So doing things with the family and focusing on my children growing up was a good coping mechanism – it’s a double-edged sword of course, because there are times when I needed to prioritise work but things happening at home took over.

In independent-led work, it can at times be easy to feel unmotivated because there is less structure due to the fact that we are responsible, as individuals, to organise our own deadlines and productivity. What is your advice when you have slow-moving days, and feel slightly unmotivated in terms of your work and progress? 

Looking back, I would say just let slow days be used productively as time that you are mulling over ideas. There is a lot of time and effort that goes into a PhD that isn’t easily quantifiable, like how you process an important work you are reading and thinking about how it shapes your research. So embrace the slow days and let them be that time when you are genuinely thinking over things. You sometimes need a bit of distance from your ideas to be impartial and see whether they work or not.

The other thing I would say is write, no matter how little, and even if they are just rudimentary thoughts. I did a lot of that, writing, jotting down, planning. All of that in the final analysis helped tremendously in shaping the thesis.

Did you always anticipate progressing into an academic-based job when you were doing your PhD? If so, what were your main fears about entering into the job market after you finished your doctorate?

I was already in academia before the PhD, so I undertook it because it was a necessary and important part of my career progression. I’m very bookish, so it’s the place where I am most comfortable, reading, researching, writing. However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t have any apprehensions: quite the reverse. I felt great trepidation at entering the job market simply because academia has become increasingly competitive. But I think it’s about having integrity and being honest about your research interests. It’s difficult because you have to weigh that up with wanting to secure a post, but after the effort of a PhD, if you want to stay in academia, the chances are that you are really committed to your research. It’s a case of letting that enthusiasm come through in an interview, and of course hoping that posts come up in your field. Keep pushing, don’t give up.

What was your overall experience like in terms of actually getting an academic job?

I’m still part time, which currently is perfect with having children that need me around. But the process hasn’t been easy. I didn’t have any work for over a year after obtaining the PhD. But, I carried on doing small scale pilot research projects, even self-funded a trip abroad for it. Having new data to work on kept me active rather than becoming stagnant. Also, a few posts were advertised for which I was fortunate to be shortlisted. I’m a great believer in things happening for a reason, and events happening in life when the time is right. So even though I would feel a certain degree of disappointment at being told I wasn’t successful, I knew without a doubt that the decision was better for me… in the end that proved right, because I secured a post at Lancaster University which was always the ideal location for me, so I think what you put out there in the Universe will come your way in the end. Just keep the faith. 

Have you gained any life lessons in your time as a PhD student/academic? If so, would you be able to tell us one?

Yes: to always be humble about my PhD journey, both the difficulties and achievements and be very grateful for all those who participated in my PhD journey and taught me so much. Both negative and positive experiences are a great tutor in life.

Also, do you have a quote that you like to go to for a source of encouragement?

I read a statement (hadith) from Ali ibn Abi Talib (600-661) which took my breath away during the PhD journey. It resonated with me so much, and is a daily reminder to me to use what I learnt in a productive active way.

'O you who carry knowledge around with you; are you only carrying it around with you? For surely knowledge belongs to whoever knows and then acts accordingly.'

Finally, what would you say to a PhD student that is wanting to attain an academic-job at the end, but feels discouraged about the seemingly lack of opportunities/ jobs available? Is there any advice that you could offer from what you’ve learnt from your own experiences?

It sounds clichéd but things really will work out for you if you persist. At times it feels like a saturated field, but the fact that you are studying a PhD means that you have a viable, doable research project. At some point, an opening will come in your field. However, if it doesn’t, my advice is, try to make that opening: write a research proposal and get advice from your tutors. Submit the application to a funding body. Having good links with your supervisor and research tutors is essential because they can help guide your career. If this is what you want to do, don’t give up. I remember one of the professors in my department told me that it took him 5 years to get the job he really wanted, but he persisted with part time teaching and work up to that point.