ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the tension manifested in a variety of other ways in interviews with many other students, who felt “powerless” for a variety of reasons. While all students share many of the same challenges, from political to economic to psychological, certain groups face additional ones or at least exacerbated forms of shared challenges. Writing professionals generally do not seem to directly address geopolitical forces and national politics in decisions or conversations about writing programs or pedagogies, but quite a few of the interviewees explored the issues. The macro-politics of international education shapes the micro-politics of power and privilege, bias and prejudice, ambivalence and disinterest on the ground—as much as the micro-politics of resistance and empowerment can counter the effects of larger forces. The political landscape in the United States has radically changed for international students and education after the 2016 presidential election.
