Academic Journeys and Passport Privileges: The Inequities of Global Mobility

As we approach the conclusion of the initial phase of the Global Past Research Initiative (GPRI), we reflect on the multifaceted nature of our journey. We have learned new things and made new friends. We also came up against unexpected challenges and reaped unexpected rewards. We would like to share these experiences with our collaborators and participants, since we believe they touch on one of the key intellectual and institutional purposes behind the GPRI and our Cairo Workshop.

One of the pivotal axes of our project was examining premodern mobility. Studying the global past is first and foremost the attempt to understand the networks that connected peoples and objects and allowed them to move, interact, and take new roots. However, today we wish to shift the focus from premodern mobility to the dynamics of mobility in the modern age. And we want to approach the topic of mobility not from a theoretical but a decidedly practical perspective.

Some workshop attendees may not know that we, the co-authors of this blog and two of GPRI’s Graduate Research Assistants, were unable to attend the Cairo workshop, despite our ardent desire. Our absence was due to the distinct and uncertain visa process that Iranian citizens face when traveling to Egypt, which ultimately precluded our participation. The political relationship between Iran and Egypt has been strained for the past 50 years, so we were always aware of the possibility of a delay in our visas. However, we did not anticipate the extent of the complications. As of this writing, we still have not received any decision on our visa applications.

This setback has had immense emotional and intellectual effects on us even though we are not wholly keen on articulating it. One reason behind this unwillingness — even writing this blog is somewhat of an affective challenge for us — is the shame associated with expressing what one feels to be a disadvantage: a figurative restriction in mobility. The Cairo workshop was a rare chance, especially for junior scholars such as ourselves, to be active members in a unique intellectual community. We were abuzz with excitement at the prospect of experiencing the joy and delight of working and traveling with our peers and mentors in the beautiful country of Egypt. For Fahimeh, this workshop would have been a boost to her well-being and a memorable milestone in her academic journey. For Sara, bringing together her work and her passion for travel in Cairo would have been a much-needed validation of her scholarly goals.

As researchers holding Iranian passports, we have frequently encountered situations where political dynamics have significantly restricted our access to a wide range of intellectual opportunities. We have been denied student visas even when admitted to PhD programs. And we have been prevented from boarding planes to international conferences despite possessing a visa  for the host country but not the flight layover region. These are only the most dramatic instances. This imposed restriction on global mobility determines even the smallest of our academic decisions. As medievalists, manuscript study is an integral part of our fields. However, we had to carefully choose our dissertation topics to avoid extensive manuscript consultation, as the process of obtaining a visa to visit libraries worldwide would delay our work by years.

Another reason for our hesitation to disclose these facts is the pathos that such expressions inspire in our peers, who are largely unencumbered by these considerations. There is a thin line between spreading awareness about the unequal opportunities available to scholars because of their immigration status, and eliciting a sense of pity that can be counterproductive to fostering genuine understanding and support.

And yet, we are writing this blog in the hopes of opening up the space for a meaningful conversation about the contemporary challenges of mobility and accessibility that persist even in our interconnected world. In the words of Co-Principal Investigator, Dr. Ajay Rao, “the past is part of our present,” and the GPRI’s goal has been to reexamine our modern world through our historical insights. But the realities of the present also require a personal perspective. If we hope to truly grasp how the premodern still defines our cultures today, we also need to acknowledge that the scene of contemporary scholarship is marked by unequal opportunities.

Our trying experience gave a concrete shape to the intellectual challenges that our project aimed to interrogate. But through this disappointment, we also had an uplifting encounter with another one of the GPRI’s core principles: a supportive academic network based on empathy and friendship. Through all the stages of the process, from the anxious planning to the months of bleak anticipation and the dawning reality that we were not going, and even after the team’s return from Cairo, we had the unflinching support of the GPRI’s Co-Project Managers and Principal Investigators. Alisha, Aqsa, Jill and Ajay did not spare any efforts to make sure we had the highest chance of reaching Cairo. And although we missed the chance to work and wander in the streets of Cairo together, we still made lasting connections that will define for us the gold standard of professional collaboration for years to come.