The world seen by the Sfax's students

The retrospective analysis of the 2009 international survey of the mental map of the world of Sfax's (Tunisia) undergraduate students is high interesting, both empirically and methodologically. Looking back, are the Tunisian students' mental maps unique in any way as compared to other countries surveyed? This has become more pertinent knowing that the "Arab Spring" would take place only two years later. In answer to the question concerning where students would like to live in the near future, the Tunisian answers display a singular focus on neighboring countries. This highly localized mental map can be partially explained by their lack of international experiences in terms of mobility and the mastery of foreign languages. Nevertheless, by applying a new analytical method of "spatial strings", we can observe sharp internal divisions between students. One group displays a world map that can be qualified as western and oriented towards the North (the Mediterranean basin, Western Europe, and North America). Despite the problems involved, this group shows a clear focus with many positive quotes concerning countries such as France, Germany, or Canada. A second group possesses a more Eastern mental map, linked to cultural identity; one which rejects the West, considered responsible for the majority of problems (emigration, colonization, islamophoby, etc.).