Copyright

Farinaz Basmechi

Published On

2026-04-29

Language

  • English

Print Length

12 pages

THEMA

  • JBFH
  • JHB
  • JHBA
  • JN
  • JBFA

BISAC

  • SOC007000
  • SOC026000
  • SOC026040
  • SOC008000
  • EDU015000

Keywords

  • migrant academics
  • academic precarity
  • academic mobility
  • autoethnography
  • postcolonial academia
  • global higher education

16. Canada

Land of Opportunities for Researchers, But Which Ones?

Chapter of: From the Margins: Migrant Academics’ Narratives of Precarity

As a curious Iranian researcher passionate about women’s rights, I continued my academic journey in the United States, pursuing my first PhD in Sociology while facing the challenges of being an international student during the Trump administration. I witnessed the constraints placed on Iranian graduate students in a so-called free country. Later, I pursued my second PhD in Canada—the “land of opportunities”—only to realize how limited those opportunities can be for international scholars. Still, I was fortunate to be supported by a strong circle of feminist solidarity. This chapter shares the ups and downs of that journey.

Contributors

Farinaz Basmechi

(author)
PhD candidate at University of Ottawa
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6387-8406

Farinaz Basmechi is a PhD candidate in Feminist and Gender Studies at the University of Ottawa, Canada, with a focus on gender, sexuality, social activism, and digital media. Her current research examines the lived experiences of young women in Canada and Iran, focusing on dating, sexual intimacy, and gender-based violence. Farinaz explores how social norms, policy environments, and digital platforms shape their vulnerabilities, coping strategies, and access to support. Farinaz holds a PhD in Sociology from the United States, where she navigated the challenges of being an international student during the Trump administration. Her recent publication on the Iranian #MeToo movement appears in The Other #MeToos (Oxford University Press). She is also involved in the Digital Feminist Network and policy research on sexual violence prevention.