Of Fear and Strangers was inspired by stories of my Texan-Lebanese grandfather. It follows the paths cut by my intrepid father and mother, Jack and Odette Makari; my fearless mother-in-law, Olimpia Aimaretti Ogilvie; as well as my sisters, Grace and Doris, co-conspirators in the joys and challenges of becoming Americans. Thus, I have been considering these themes for much of my adult life and have thereby accrued many debts along the way. First, I would like to declare my love for the late poet Michael S. Harper. MSH gave me the courage to consider myself a writer, and instilled in me the moral obligations of that craft. Fortune favored me a second time, when I was taken under the wing of the ever-erudite and generous Sander L. Gilman, whose work on representations of difference were formative. My gratitude to him is immeasurable.
Since arriving at Weill Cornell’s Department of Psychiatry, and its utterly unique DeWitt Wallace Institute of Psychiatry: History, Policy, & the Arts, I have been lifted up by that incredible community. My deep thanks go to the Institute’s associate director Nathan Kravis and administrator Megan Woolf, who have been wonderful colleagues. Of Fear and Strangers greatly benefited from discussions of two chapters from this book in the Institute’s Working Groups. My gratitude goes out to the dazzling members: Rachel Aviv, Alexandra Bacopoulos-Viau, Thomas Dodman, Lawrence Friedman, Stefanos Gerolanos, Lenny Groopman, Dagmar Herzog, Ben Kafka, Jonas Knatz, Nate Kravis, Robert Michels, Orna Ophir, Camille Robcis, Ted Shapiro, Nirav Soni, Katherine Tabb, and Milt Viederman. Thanks to Institute member Samantha Boardman for her insights into contemporary research on communal bias.
The Institute contains the world-class Oskar Diethelm Library, and I have freely made use of its riches. My deepest gratitude goes out to the Diethelm’s research librarians. Marisa Shaari proved to be a veritable Sherlock Holmes, as she helped me track down the many usages of xenophobia. Her successor, Nicole Topich, has been cheerfully capable of seemingly impossible feats.
Three decades of friendship with Anthony Walton have been a gift and an education. Our discussions on writing, race, and America would inevitably slip deep into the night; this book is far better because of him. Thanks to Sander Gilman, whose comments during the late stages of this project saved me (once again) from error. Diane McCoskey offered her expertise on the ideological role of the classics, and my long-lost relative, Jack Balagia of Houston, provided that wonderful photo of the Jacobs’ Austin rug store. My writing on the Spanish empire is deeply indebted to Arabella Ogilvie, whose extensive knowledge on that subject was formative. I also relied upon her formidable linguistic proficiencies to help with texts in French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and German.
My research has been constantly encouraged by colleagues at Weill Cornell Medicine. This book project commenced with the unequivocal support of the Department of Psychiatry’s chairman, Dr. Jack Barchas, and concluded with the equal enthusiasm of his successor, Dr. Francis Lee. My gratitude goes out to both, and to the steadfast support of the DeWitt Wallace–Reader’s Digest Fund at the New York Community Trust, without whom this work would not have been possible. My appreciation also goes out to my other academic home, Rockefeller University, the late, much missed, Mitchell Feigenbaum, as well as Eric Siggia and Melanie Lee.
The idea for this book was sparked by my respect, bordering on awe, for Sarah Chalfant. For the past fourteen years, Sarah has been everything one could ask for from a literary agent. I am blessed to work with Sarah, the astute Rebecca Nagel, Dorothy Janick, and everyone at the Wylie Agency. I have been thrilled to again benefit from the wisdom of editor Jill Bialosky at W. W Norton. Thanks Jill, for your insights and your trust. The Norton team of Drew Elizabeth Weitman, Nancy Palmquist, Don Rifkin, Louise Brockett, Kyle Radler, and Meredith McGinnis have been nothing short of superb.
This is a personal book and I wrote it with an anxious eye toward the future. Our failings may very well burden the next generation, but if so, Gabrielle and Jack, know that my confidence in you is unwavering. Finally, while writing over the past five years, a presence has been with me. She too has been defined by border crossing and foreign lands. By her openness and unending curiosity, she has carried me into many strange worlds and made them my home. I could not have written Of Fear and Strangers without having entwined my life with hers, and for that reason this book is for Arabella.