School of Social and Political Science

Description

Capitalist Time and its Other: Indian International Students in Toronto

Girish Daswani (University of Toronto)

Abstract: Universities and colleges are important centres for international student-migration and educational “success”. Being known as an “immigrant-friendly” country, Canada promises international students a pathway to "success" in a welcoming environment. More specifically, Toronto, as a global city, attracts large numbers of students that aspire to not just be educated, but to settle, or otherwise continue their (upward) socio-economic mobility. In recent months, international students have been "scapegoated" and blamed for contributing Canada’s "housing crisis," while for-profit colleges and “cheating students” have been accused of becoming "bad actors" in the higher education system. This paper takes a closer look at how Indian international students in Toronto are othered; more specifically, how ethical narratives of "good” and “bad” actors ignore the intersectional relevance, and diversity, of international student experiences. I argue that such ethical reasoning shifts focus away from capitalist time and other ways of inhabiting time, that include rhythmic interludes of delay, waiting, and disappointment. By focusing on capitalist time, how it intersects with multiple timescapes and settler-colonial relations, this paper delves into the distinct ways Indian international students experience and navigate higher education in a global city.