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I am currently running five, virtual, collaborative, community-engaged research projects on refugees @ US-Mex border, w/40 @mmfrp @ccisucsd students. Partners @AlOtroLado_Org, @ThinkLawLab @EspacioMigrante, & 2 more. Thread w/a few thoughts:
1/ What on earth was I thinking? Pandemic, check. Two kids under 5, check. Ongoing, unrelated book project, check. 40 students online, check. Five different research designs, technologies, institutions, etc. It's invigorating. And it's way too much.
2/ Working w/imm advocacy folks=amazing. I have learned so much in conversations with partners @changomalo1, @luzenlafrontera, among others. I am incredibly grateful for the time they give us and the opportunity for scholar-activist dialogue.
3/ How's it going? All over the map. ICE deported many of our people in one project+got mad at our lawyer partners for helping us contact others. Want to study human rights& anti-Blackness in the detention system? You will be systematically blocked.
4/ Students vary, too. Some who are unremarkable in the classroom absolutely SHINE in fieldwork, connecting with real people, in Spanish. I love to teach in this multi-faceted way. Our work is so much richer w/ a range of dynamic people, esp students from immigrant families.
5/ Things go better when I collaborate w/grad students. I literally cannot do this alone, and early grad students have really brought an A-game to designing and overseeing the projects. Shoutout to Adriana, Kea, Andrea, Jovana and Jessica, who I don't think are on Twitter.
6/ Trauma. "Why did you leave home?" seems basic in soc of immigration, but it is profoundly triggering for most of the people we talk to (and for our students). We no longer ask. We have learned to set strong limits on talking about traumatic subjects, for immigrants and for us.
7/ Over the years, I have learned (from students) to integrate discussions of secondary trauma and community and self-care into the program. This has turned out to be incredibly important in cross-cutting ways. Some students say it's the #1 thing they've learned.
8/ It's a game-changer for me and students to produce work FOR advocacy orgs, not (just) scholarly journals. We are fumbling a lot, and things seem never to go as planned. But we have a clear sense of purpose. Reports expected in June. Stay tuned at https://mmfrp.org
