Bimbisar Irom, assistant professor of communication at Washington State University, will present at 5 p.m. Mon., Sept. 23 in Todd Hall 216 a lecture titled, “Through Western Eyes: Humanitarian Communication and the Rohingya Refugee Crisis.” The event is hosted by the Common Reading Program and is free and open to the public.
Irom’s talk focuses on Western media coverage of the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis that originated in Myanmar and has now spilled over into the neighboring countries of Bangladesh, India, Thailand, and Malaysia.
A specialist in humanitarian communication, he will explore how media builds proximity and distance between an audience and subjects of a story. He will examine cross platform media artifacts, including Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs and the virtual reality documentary, I Am Rohingya.
Irom earned his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in American cultural and literary studies. He joined WSU in 2012 in the Dept. of English, and the Murrow College of Communication in 2014.
The presentation is part of an expert lecture and event series hosted by the Common Reading, which is part of the Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement in the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President.
The topics explored in the series arise from a common book used by first-year and other students in classes and beyond. This year’s book is Refuge: Rethinking Refugee Policy in a Changing World. Visit the Common Reading webpage for more information.
