Work

Cumulative Precarity in Times of Polycrisis: Transnational Insecurities and Geo‐Spatialized Resiliences Among South Asian Students in Finland

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT On the basis of ethnographic research among South Asian students in Runolahti (anonymized), this article explores their experiences during a time of compounded crises. It examines how COVID‐19 policies, the Russian war on Ukraine, the cost‐of‐living crisis and the termination of fee waivers and stipends at the local university created a polycrisis for current and incoming students. Already facing transnational forms of ‘cumulative precarity’, the prolonged nature of these events prompted them to develop translocal responses and strategies to the globally unfolding polycrisis. The emergence of a food delivery platform in Runolahti presented an opportunity for some, whereas others relied on the university's infrastructure or their personal resources to cope with the polycrisis. Contributing to the literature on international student/migrant precarity, we advocate for a transnationally cumulative lens to its study and offer a translocally grounded theorization of resilient responses it offers, especially at a time when prolonged polycrisis is becoming increasingly normalized.

Source: Global Networks

DOI: 10.1111/glob.70033

Authors: Zain Ul Abdin, Sanam Roohi

Institutions: University of Eastern Finland, University of Göttingen

Language: English

Topic: International Student and Expatriate Challenges

Subfield: Communication

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,050