USC Thesis Other. Unsettled media: documenting refugees and Europe's shifting borders along the Balkan Route. In some ways befitting the title of my project, the past year-and-a-half has unsettled every aspect of human life. Alongside immeasurable pain and loss, anxiety and uncertainty, uprootings and displacements, this moment has generated new and urgent questions, ideas, and visions for the future, many of which hold the promise of hope not for a return to normal, but a radical re-envisioning of our world.
It is my hope that this project contributes, in some small way, to conversations about how we see and experience our histories and futures together. Over the past year, there have been countless times when I did not believe finishing this dissertation would be possible. It is thanks to the incredible and unwavering support of my committee, friends, and family that I reached the finish line. She engaged deeply and generously with my work, challenged me to push myself farther than I believed I could go, and always reminded me of the value of my own ideas.
I could not have wished for a better advisor to learn with and from. I have also benefitted immeasurably from the guidance of my brilliant committee members: Priya Jaikumar, Olivia C. Harrison, Nitin Govil, and Michael Renov. I am grateful to Priya for always pushing me to be precise with my language and rigorous with my analysis, for her incisive readership, and her consistent encouragement.
Olivia Harrison has also been an invaluable iv reader, teacher, and supporter of my work throughout my time at USC. I am grateful to Olivia for reminding me to start with my objects, encouraging me to think historically and relationally, and for never letting me shy away from difficult debates. Nitin Govil always asks questions that inspire new ideas and forge exciting connections in my mind; he points me in the direction of readings and resources, and keeps me on my toes.
Finally, I am thankful for Michael Renov, whose work and teaching ignited my intellectual passion for documentary and nonfiction media, and under whose guidance this passion was nurtured. During my time at USC, I have been privileged to learn from some truly incredible scholars and teachers. As a teaching assistant, I had the honor of working with journalist Howard Rosenberg, who became another valued mentor and whose curiosity and thorough questions about my research and methods helped me learn how to articulate my ideas in concise and clear terms.
