On January 23, three international students (Saluja Siwakoti, Kelly Yue, Angelina Chen) led a panel discussion on social movements in Hong Kong, mainland China and Kashmir. The panel was sponsored by the sociology department, and was well-attended by domestic and international students.
Saluja kicked off the panel by tracing back the history of British colonialism and the partition of India and Pakistan to give context to the situation in Kashmir. With a far-right nationalist party in power, the Indian government has pursued anti-Muslim policies, such as abolishing Article 370 that protected the autonomy of Kashmir and the citizenship law, to boost unity within the Hindu-majority and consolidate power.
Kelly discussed the evolution of the now 8-month-long protest in Hong Kong. What started as peaceful marches against the extradition bill in June 2019 became increasingly violent and protesters expanded their demands to democratic elections and investigation into police brutality. She illustrated the factors that pushed the factor into violence and further explained the tensions built between Hong Kongers and mainland Chinese as a result of the protest.
Angelina talked about the development of the #metoo movement in China. With the Chinese authority cracking down on social movements in recent years, large number of feminist activists and journalists have been arrested. This led to the movement shifting to overseas, especially in the United States, such as participating in Women’s March, holding art exhibitions, and supporting Chinese overseas students whom fall victim to sexual harassment.
The audience then joined the panel in discussing the prevalence of identity politics around the world (Hindus versus Muslims, Hong Kongers versus mainland Chinese) and the building of global solidarity. The three panelists expressed that international students have long felt being tokenized as the faces of diversity and multiculturalism. They wished that this panel would initiate more intentional dialogues on campus about international students’ lived experiences and how they connect to the issues faced by our world.
