In this segment of Teacher Real Talk, HaEun Kim (PhD candidate in Applied Linguistics) and Farnaz have an enriching conversation on the complex relationship between language education and displacement. They reflect on HaEun's work with refugee educators in Kenya and what relationship-based educational programming can teach us about shifting students’ approaches to learning and knowledge. Also, as people who have been teaching EAP for years, they get into the paradox of English in higher education: a language that can open doors but also reproduce histories of injustice. They unpack what it might mean to practice a more critical approach to EAP, one that recognizes these challenges while respecting students’ own language goals and linguistic resources. Finally, they talk about who gets to produce knowledge about displacement and why refugee voices and leadership remain underrepresented in research.
HaEun Kim originally set out to become a high school English teacher in Toronto, but life took her unexpectedly into education and international development, specifically refugee education. She is currently researching the significance of English-language higher education in the lives of refugees across Kenya, Somalia, and Canada, and she's especially interested in how language proficiency enables or limits access to resources, networks, and opportunities such as education. Before her PhD, HaEun worked as a program administrator for Borderless Higher Education for Refugees (BHER), supporting a transnational university partnership that delivered blended certificate, diploma, and degree programs to untrained refugee teachers in Kenya. She continues to work alongside BHER alumni on research, co-presenting and co-authoring articles. She still loves teaching, but has developed a deep appreciation for research, thinking, and tackling problems alongside others. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking while catching up on NBA podcasts.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
Radio Dadaab | EJF Documentary: https://lnkd.in/gMPcHjxw
The BHER Project: www.bher.org
Research and publications by BHER alumni: https://lnkd.in/gijnvDFV
Kim, H., Dlamini, N., Ibrahim, D., Kimonyo, S., & Reynolds, J. (2021). Refugee Students’ Experience of Accessing English Language Learning in Dadaab, Kenya. https://lnkd.in/gn-8Qiwm
Giles, W., & Dippo, D. (2019). Transitions from Knowledge Networked to Knowledge Engaged: Ethical Tensions and Dilemmas from the Global to the Local. https://lnkd.in/gj4javDZ
Kim, H. (2023). “Equitable multilingualism” for equitable access to learning: Addressing the digital and linguistic divide in connected higher education for refugees. https://lnkd.in/gDhcESjg
Silver, R., Kim, H., Mohamed Ismail, S., Bhatla, R., & Okello Oyat, M. (2026). “Free of Mind, Though I Am a Refugee”: Borderless Graduate Education and the Politics of Knowledge Production. https://lnkd.in/gvBz-3rE
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Theme music:
Periscope by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Artist: http://audionautix.com/