Stories [that] Matter: Migrant Academics’ Narratives of Precarity and Resilience in Europe

This book project was initiated amidst the ongoing uncertainties engendered by the global COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2021, our unexpected first encounter occurred as both of us (editors) contributed articles to the Journal of Narrative Politics, expounding upon our individual experiences as migrant academics (Burlyuk, 2019; Rahbari, 2020). Our convergence stemmed from a shared discontent and a yearning to engage in “academic storytelling”—an endeavor encompassing narratives about academics and narratives intertwined with our own scholarly pursuits. Through our initial interactions via email, this frustration evolved into a profound connection, culminating in our online meeting despite the impediments posed by COVID-19 regulations. It is not an exaggeration to say that that first online meeting laid the foundation for this book project

(En)Countering Epistemic Imperialism:A Critique of ‘Westsplaining’ and Coloniality in Dominant Debates on Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

On February 24, 2022, the world was surprised by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and, perhaps even more so, by Ukraine’s fierce resistance to it. In this article, we examine mainstream and feminist IR debates that have emerged in response to Russia’s invasion, as well as the older debates revived through them. Building on decolonial and feminist scholarship, prominently centering feminist debates from Europe’s East and Central Asia, we argue that dominant Western IR debates on Russia and Ukraine are shaped by inter-imperiality. We trace issues of epistemic injustice, epistemic imperialism and coloniality of knowledge production in mainstream IR and see them replicated in feminist debates, including from the global South perspectives. We conclude with a contemplation on the structural changes warranted across academia to eliminate the coloniality of knowledge production about Ukraine and fellow societies and Indigenous nations affected by Russian colonial and imperial violence