CHCI Delegation to 2024 Global Mobility Humanities Conference, Seoul (Oct 24-26)
The following has been funded by our Membership Activity Fund, and we encourage interested members to reach out to the participants for future collaborations and projects related to global mobility humanities.
CHCI Press Release: AIR-MAP
The following scholars from the Global South will be supported by CHCI to attend the symposium Aspirational Infrastructure Research – Mobilities, Airports, Place (AIR-MAP). AIR-MAP is an interdisciplinary three-day symposium examining the politics, imaginaries, and contestations of airports beyond the Global North. This event aims to decenter existing “infrastructure” studies by attending to massive (and lesser-researched) aviation hubs of the Global South – whether planned or constructed, merely imagined or already operational. The symposium adds a crucial dimension of humanistic knowledge to a conversation dominated by economic and technological perspectives. It will be nested within the 2024 Global Mobility Humanities Conference (GMHC) in Seoul, South Korea from October 24-26. The symposium is jointly organized by the International Institute for Asian Studies at Leiden University (The Netherlands), The Academy of Mobility Humanities at Konkuk University (South Korea), and the JETRO Institute of Developing Economies (Japan). With funding from CHCI, the following four scholars have been awarded grants to support travel, accommodation, and full participation in the symposium:
Xin Jin is a postdoctoral researcher in public and international affairs at the City University of Hong Kong. She earned her PhD in human geography and spatial planning from Utrecht University, where her dissertation research focused on the intersection of migration and urbanization, with a particular emphasis on African migrant entrepreneurs in Guangzhou. Currently, Xin is exploring the dynamics of the platform economy and transnational incubators through fieldwork in Kenya, China, and Finland. Her research in this area examines the geo-economic implications of state space, using a Science and Technology Studies (STS) approach to analyze the role of infrastructure in fostering transnational incubators. In addition to her work on the platform economy, Xin is also conducting research on the aviation industry. In collaboration with Xuefei Shi, a postdoctoral researcher at the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI), in this symposium, Xin’s research is critically examining the relationship between Chinese-funded airport projects and national development in Africa. Through an analysis of extensive fieldwork data and an ongoing database project, this research assesses the potential risks, challenges, and benefits of these mega-infrastructure initiatives, contributing to the broader debate on the role of large-scale infrastructure in spurring development. Xin's interdisciplinary research draws on her expertise in human geography, urban planning, and international affairs to provide nuanced insights into the complex interplay between migration, technology, infrastructure, and development.
Zakir Hossain Raju is Professor and Head of the Dept. of Media and Communication and the Director of the Centre for Social Science Research (CSSR) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB). Here he is also the founding Director of King Sejong Institute, the first ever Korean language institute in Bangladesh. Raju obtained PhD in Cinema Studies from La Trobe University in Australia, as well as taught at Monash University there. During 2008-10, Raju served as Postgraduate Coordinator and Senior Lecturer at Monash University, Malaysia. In 2014, he served as a Visiting Professor and Korea Foundation Fellow at Korean National University of Arts, Seoul. During 2022, Raju was a Japan Foundation Fellow and Visiting Research Scholar at Waseda University, Tokyo. At AIR-MAP, his paper will locate and historicise the aspirations behind the major international airport of Bangladesh located in its capital Dhaka through its popular and artistic imaginaries.
Alejandra Espinosa Andrade holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Analysis from the University of Amsterdam and a master’s degree in political science from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO). She has extensive experience in various topics related to human rights, education, citizen participation, project management, and territorial planning, both within national and international organizations. As a researcher, her approach is multidisciplinary, integrating cultural studies, social studies, urban studies, and politics. Currently, as an independent consultant, she collaborates with the Amazonian University Program (PUAM) and the German Technical Cooperation (GIZ) on educational and research projects in Ecuador. At AIR-MAP, her study “Flying high, landing low” examines the imaginaries and aspirations expressed by authorities and technicians in relation to the construction of the Mariscal Sucre International Airport (MSA), located in Quito- Ecuador and inaugurated in 2013.
Ahmad Baydoun is an architect and researcher specializing in the mechanisms of weaponized environments, viewed through the lens of forensics and urbanism. His PhD research at the Technical University of Delft is centered on environmental manipulation exploring how elements such as air, water, and soil can be transformed into instruments of political conflict. Ahmad is in the process of developing a system to detect and visualize these weaponized environments, exposing the often invisible impacts of military strategies. He has collaborated on projects like https://www.airpressure.info/ with Lawrence Abu Hamdan, which investigates aerial violations. His approach integrates data visualization with field research to reveal the underlying complexities of conditioned landscapes. In October, Ahmad will present at the AIR-MAP conference in Seoul his latest study, “Air Control: The Struggle for Aerial Dominance in Lebanon's Political Theatre.” His presentation will examine the geopolitics of air travel in Lebanon, focusing on how Beirut’s only airport serves as a critical node in the regional and international political landscape. This research will highlight the complexities of Lebanon’s air traffic control amid regional turmoil and aims to enhance understanding of how such infrastructure influences national identity and political power.
For more information about AIR-MAP, visit the event’s page on the IIAS website: https://www.iias.asia/events/aspirational-infrastructure-research-mobilities-airports-place-air-map
