By Nicole Cheah, Digital Journalism Undergraduate | April 8, 2024
The second installment of CODE^SHIFT's annual Symposium took place on Friday at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School Of Public Communications. This year's symposium theme was "Othered Immigrants: Inclusive Storytelling for Well-Being, Advocacy, and Counternarratives".
The symposium featured cutting-edge scholarship from faculty experts across the country, altogether representing ten universities and a collective inquiry into immigrant issues and identities from both national and international perspectives. The showcase brought to the fore investigations on a diverse spread of immigrant identities, from formerly detained migrants in the U.S., to Jamaican immigrant healthcare workers; and immigrant women educators in American academia, to Asian-American journalists. Numerous University faculty members and students were in attendance.
Friday's presentations came at a time where immigration remains one of the nation's most significant points of contention, especially as we approach the November U.S. presidential elections. Recent events such as the Covid-19 pandemic have revealed health inequalities faced by migrants and refugees worldwide, while the past and present ‘War on Terror’ – and media narratives perpetuated during it – continue to affect the Muslim community in the U.S. The symposium highlighted the intersectionality and nuanced nature of immigrant identities, as well as ways to better advocate for them through counternarratives that challenge negative cultural stereotypes.
In between the event's four speaker panels, a lunchtime poster session was held, where CODE^SHIFT lab members showcased their ongoing research projects. Students from the Narratio Fellowship, a Syracuse-based storytelling and educational pipeline program for resettled refugee youth artists, also shared videos on their experiences with displacement and cultural production.
This year's Symposium was made possible by our esteemed speakers: Dr. Satveer Kaur-Gill, Dr. Nickesia Gordon, Dr. Rukhsana Ahmed, Dr. Monica Cornejo, Dr. Yea-Wen Chen, Dr. Makini Beck, Dr. Ritika Popli, Dr. Hua (Helen) Wang, Dr. Iccha Basnyat, Dr. Muhammad Ittefaq, Dr. Brice Nordquist, Dr. Charisse L'Pree Corsbie-Massay, and Dr. David Oh.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the CODE^SHIFT team, the Newhouse School, the CNY Humanities Corridor, and the South Asia Center.
Speaker Reactions
"Thank you so much for your incredible hospitality. Kudos to hard work by the CODE^SHIFT lab. Amazing line of speakers across the country presented their work. More power to Srivi Ramasubramanian and very grateful." - Dr. Muhammad Ittefaq
"Thank you for such a soul rejuvenating and energizing few days. Thank you to CODE^SHIFT team for all their work putting the symposium together. Honored to share such an inviting and uplifting space with so many amazing scholars doing very inspiring work. My heart, mind n soul is full of happiness." - Dr. Iccha Basnyat
"Thank you for organising a super productive, inspiring and collaborative symposium, Srivi! Cannot be more grateful " - Dr. Satveer Kaur-Gill
"Deep bow to you, Srivi, for bringing such an amazing group together for another heart-warming, thought-provoking, and awe-inspiring CODE^SHIFT symposium." - Dr. Helen Wang
"Thank you so much, Srivi and the amazing CODE^SHIFT team, for hosting us and an incredible symposium on Othered Immigrants. As others have said, the conversations, presentations, communal care, and deep commitment to social justice were refreshing and rejuvenating. I am incredibly grateful to get to know amazing scholars, students, and the wonderful work of the Code Shift Lab at Newhouse School at Syracuse University. - Dr. Yea-Wen Chen