ABSTRACT
Global mobility is a feature of many job markets and a sought-after possibility in professional careers. Academia is one of the sites of this global exchange of people. Many scholars from the Global South are now based in Western academia. Their experience in crossing borders and categories is a productive space to explore the nature and possibilities of Western academia and of global migration. In Australia, skilled migration is expected to offer benefits to both the nation and skilled immigrants. In parallel, the North-South connection and flow of people are well established elements of research practice. Here, I use my lived experience as a skilled immigrant woman of colour, working as a researcher in Australian academia, to reflect on how that context can shape the way Global South scholars in Western academia inhabit their liminal position. I find that my experience was one of working to be a “good immigrant” to be welcome in workplaces and the broader Australian society. I reflect on the possibilities that becoming an Australian citizen and a scholar located in the Global North have afforded me, despite the apparent contradictions inherent in my position. I discuss five traps that I encountered while striving to be a good immigrant, in a context of racism and White privilege in broader Australian society. I conclude with a reflection on some of the practices and ideas that made the traps visible to me and that have influenced my research practice and experience.
