We’re still here: (Im)mobilities in film for the American university

• In Event: International Studies SIG Structure Poster Session

Abstract

This proposed paper expands on the work of Brunner, Streitwieser, and Bhandari (2023) in exploring the limits of CIDE’s current definition of an “international student,” as well as how (im)mobility is understood by students and faculty at an American university in Iraqi Kurdistan, the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS). Through a critical analysis of film (Fürsich, 2009), this proposed paper examines notions of capacity building in international education through the attempted “Americanization” of Iraqi Kurdistan, with a focus on notions of (im)mobility in a securitized space. It will illustrate how current conceptualizations of student mobility exclude students whose participation is circumscribed by national security discourses surrounding students from the Middle East.

Author

• Oliver R Keels, Colorado State University - Pueblo