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This case study shows the cultural contingencies of a refugee scholar’s international mobility from Africa to the United States of America. His journey in American academia embodies the cultural theory of third spaces. As a scholar forced to migrate, what appeared first as insurmountable challenges turned out to be beneficial thanks to academic work. I argue that working in a field different from our original discipline and in the host society’s language is undoubtedly challenging but could also be rewarding. The intersectionality and hybridity of professional experiences in the new cultural environment can turn out to be very productive. In addition, the ambivalence of knowledge production is absolutely part of the fate of many professional migrants.