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Purpose building as an intellectual strategy

I was quite inspired by this call for papers from my UoM colleagues 👇 I’ve added a few bolds to emphasise what resonated with me. I’ve tried to say something similar in multiple contexts but struggle to articulate it so powerfully. This is part of why I always go on about academic reflexivity, recognising why we’re doing what we’re doing in order to do it more joyful and effective ways.

Finding Purpose in Research with International Students

10 – 13 March 2025 (online only)

Abstracts due 24 January 2025!

All details about the conference, registration, and abstract submission are available at:https://researchintlstudents.com/conference2025/

Conference theme:

Conducting research with international students can sometimes feel purposeless, for several reasons. For example, it can feel disappointing to work in a field which often centres on problematic deficit narratives, biases, and stereotypes of international students (e.g., Mittelmeier et al., 2024). The numerous methodological challenges and frequently unimaginative research designs (Spangler, 2024) can feel monotonous. The increasingly fraught politics (Waters, 2018) towards international students and migrants generally in many contexts can also take a personal toll, especially when approaching our work through an advocacy lens. This might be particularly profound for scholars from marginalised groups who may face personal discrimination through their work or for scholars working in isolation from a supportive critical community. 

While the wider field of practice in internationalisation is often predicated on idealistic assumptions about mutual understanding and peacebuilding, many scholars are feeling lost within the numerous recent examples in society of how this is failing. Amongst the frustration and tedium we might often feel while working in this structurally unequal field, this conference seeks to establish a space of needed respite and reconnection. We ask: where might renewed purpose be found? How might we infuse more purpose in the work that we do: in our conceptualisations, our methodologies, and in our support for one another?

We see purpose-building as a form of self-preservation, an act of resistance in spaces which may otherwise be personally and structurally oppressive. We hope for this conference to be a space to (re)connect with like-minded scholars who value critical theorisation, research, and advocacy in the face of surmounting challenges. As many of us find ourselves potentially overwhelmed by the inequalities facing the ethical treatment of international students and other marginalised groups within our global societies, we aim to regroup, reinvigorate, and imagine otherwise.

Purpose, after all, might be found in many places within research with international students. For example, we may find purpose in new and creative ideas which spark renewed curiosity about our research topics. We might find purpose in innovative research designs which help us feel less “stuck” by reinvigorating repetitive cycles of knowledge creation. We might find purpose in connecting with those who uplift us, carry us, and encourage us to keep going. We hope to invest in these forms of purpose-building in the RIS community through a meaning-centred space which is future-focused, relational, and collective.

This RIS conference seeks speakers who, rather than simply sharing existing research findings, would like to speak on the following potential topics (among other creative ideas):

  • Critical reflections on where and how purpose can be found in research with international students 
  • Creative and innovative research methodologies which may spark renewed wonder and curiosity in our field
  • Reflections on conceptual thinkers and theoretical frameworks which are currently underused or ignored in existing research with international students, but which may reanimate our thinking. (We particularly support here the recognition of the work of scholars facing scholasticide, epistemicide, erasure, or marginalisation globally.) 
  • Examples of research with international students which center on purpose, collaboration, empowerment, equity and/or agency 
  • Innovative and creative ideas about research with international students that encourage “out of the box” thinking 
  • Reflections on potential solutions for current problems facing research with international students and the ethical treatment of international students in practice
  • Reflections on how our work with international students can contribute to dismantling the wider political and social inequities and violences that currently exist in our world
  • Examples of advocacy or practice which meaningfully supports international students facing injustices and inequities
  • Examples of scholarship or research related to practices with international students that are meaningful and purposive on a global scale 
  • Reflections on self-preservation, wellbeing, and community building that can support and sustain our ongoing critical work with international students 

Altogether, we aim to think outside traditional conference papers to reflect collectively on purpose and how we can uplift one another and be in community while also recognising the significant and rising global challenges being faced.

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