Who is left out of history and why?
This blog originally appeared on the Manchester Migration Lab website
Blog by Ria Sunga, PhD Candidate, History, The University of Manchester
The World on the Move Conference was an excellent opportunity for me, as a PhD student, to listen to colleagues and scholars talk about their research. If there was one word I could use to describe the conference it would be: inspiring.
I just returned from some archival research, which to be honest, was exhausting. I returned to Manchester feeling a bit burned out and needed some motivation. This conference was just what I needed. Not only did I learn about the research taking place at the University, but I was also able to meet and discuss with students and researchers from other institutions. The diversity of topics and participants represented the global nature of the field we are all immersed in. Here in Manchester, ideas and conclusions converged to create a dynamic conversation on migration.
I’m in the early stages of my research on refugees and history. Listening to those who have dedicated years to studies in the field of forced migration and history gave me new perspectives and insights to consider. Scholars like Joy Damousi and Yaron Matras reminded me that there are many more persons left out of the discourse, such as women and children, and ethnic minorities. Displacement has its roots from war and conflict, but Laura Hammond discussed the irregular causes of migration too, making the reasons for movement more complex than many choose to see. The conference also provided a venue to discuss future research. Peter Gatrell presented on his upcoming book, Common Ground, which focuses on immigration to Europe. His historical approach links the past to the future of this area of study, leaving me to wonder how methods, concepts and approaches can evolve during my own research.
What resonated with me was Joy Damousi’s presentation on child refugees throughout the 20th century. She traced the history of how children were displaced amidst war and conflict, starting with the Armenian Genocide until the Cold War. Children, she said, have been left out of this history and her research illuminated their experiences in a time of violence. She also discussed the generosity of individuals who helped them, mainly from her research on Australia. I enjoyed the snippets of the lives of certain persons, like Esme Odgers, who left Australia to care for these children. This made me realise how often history tends to forget those who worked tirelessly in the spirit of humanitarianism to reach out to people they don’t know – the kindness of strangers. It’s these personal histories that inspire me to research on refugee assistance and protection.
Refugees’ voices need to be heard. Roisin Read’s presentation on the journey of refugees in Africa have also enlightened my perceptions of the different experiences and negotiations that refugees and displaced persons make. Yolanda Weima challenged the notion of ‘peace’ and how returned refugees in Burundi defined it. Peace, I believe, is a critical lens to use. Most of what I’ve encountered in my consulted literature were discussions on violence, which caused many to flee their homes. Peace, however, can further deconstruct ideas on resettlement, belonging and asylum. These terms are complex and dynamic – there is no one way to define them.
As a student, relatively new to refugee studies and history, this conference was a great opportunity to see various research that are critical about policy, refugee representation, humanitarianism and refugee voices. It’s inspiring to know how many more facets of migration and movement there are to explore, discuss and learn about. These are the views from not just one part of the world. They reveal the global nature of migration and its evolution, which challenges accepted norms and perceptions. Indeed, my own perceptions have changed throughout my studies. It is also humbling to know that such research can have impact, leaving me to think about my own work and how I can create some impact. As I embark on another chapter of archival research, these are the thoughts I take with me.
Note: This article gives the views of the author/academic featured and does not represent the views of the Global Development Institute as a whole.
‘Don’t Mourn: Mobilise’. Resisting Dispossession, Engulfment and Erosion
This blog originally appeared on the Manchester Migration Lab website
Blog by Hannah Haycox, PhD Candidate, Sociology, The University of Manchester
“We are far more united and have far more in common than what divides us” (Jo Cox)
This week, I was delighted to attend the very first Migration Lab conference at The University of Manchester. Experts from a variety of backgrounds all joined to discuss their responses to the conference theme of a ‘World on the Move: Migration, Societies and Change’. Throughout the three days, similar questions seemed to circulate: Is the current ‘World on the Move’ a new development? Hasn’t the world always been on the move? And if so, do public discourses and state responses to such movements ever truly evolve? read more…
GDI Lecture Series: Political economy approach to collective action, inequality and development with Prof Bill Ferguson
On Wednesday, 29 November, Prof Bill Ferguson, Grinnell College, delivered a lecture entitled ‘a political economy approach to collective action, inequality and development’. This lecture was the Annual Adrian Leftwich Memorial Lecture presented with the Effective States and Inclusive Development Research Centre.
You can watch the livestream below. You can also listen to the podcast below read more…
Hopeful visions in dark days
This blog originally appeared on the Manchester Migration Lab website
Blog by Dr William Wheeler, independent scholar
Migration, it is agreed, is intimately connected with hope. As we heard from Gulwali Passarlay, a refugee from Afghanistan and author of Lightless Sky, who talked eloquently of his perilous journey to the UK as a child, “It was hope kept me going.” But Passarlay went on to explain that it was when he reached the UK, when he found his story and even his nationality disbelieved by the Home Office, that his hope was crushed. read more…
In Conversation: Professor Bill Ferguson and Dr Pablo Yanguas
Effective States and Inclusive Development’s Dr Pablo Yanguas engages Grinnell University’s Professor Bill Ferguson in a thought-provoking discussion about the role of economics in both creating and addressing collective action problems. Bill, the Gertrude B. Austin Professor of Economics, delivered this year’s Adrian Leftwich memorial lecture on a Political Economy approach to collective action, inequality and development. Having begun his career as a neighourhood community organiser in Seattle, Bill believes that, “Economics is fundamentally a social science. It’s fundamentally an attempt to understand human behaviour,” and is a strong advocate for rethinking the way the discipline is understood and taught – in order to deepen its contribution to addressing social ills like poverty and inequality. read more…
Development politics lacks a shared language
The fact that I have written a grand total of 7 posts for my own blog in the entirety of 2017 is a testament to the madness that this year has been. Good madness, I must say. None of that Lovecraftian “things-man-was-never-meant-to-see” stuff. But madness anyway. And as I emerge from a cocoon fashioned out of draft chapters and reports, taking up blogging again seems like the perfect New Year’s Resolution for the month of December.
So I will start with my main takeaway from 2017: writing about the politics of development for different audiences is not an easy thing to do. I have always prided myself in being able to talk politics with almost anyone, anywhere. But writing semi-cogently is a different challenge altogether, as this year has shown me with the clarify of a punch to the face. Here are four translation tasks that I have had to deal with, and the realization that has come out of the experience. read more…
Reflections on Be // Longing
This blog originally appeared on the Manchester Migration Lab website
Blog by James Shraiky, PhD Candidate, HCRI, The University of Manchester
The Migration Lab Conference explored some of the most contemporary, complex, and current migration issues facing our modern time. Participants arrived from all corners of the world; North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Presenters came from diverse, interdisciplinary, and overlapping backgrounds such as; Medical Anthropology, Political Science, Migration Studies, History, Conflict Studies, and Humanitarian Research. While the conference theme centered on “World on the Move: Migration, Societies and Change,” presentations touched on migration and migrants culture, political landscapes, policy, education, creative methods, technologies, and many other related subjects. Conference presentations encompassed a broader spectrum of migration issues; from individual slavery stories, all the way to the larger future migration policy. The first day sessions focused on “Brexit and Migration;” the second day interrogated migrants’ rights and migration policies, and the third day sessions discussed specific case studies on migration issues. All days covered issues concerning countries from all over the world including countries from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. read more…
From Syria to Gateshead: Reflections
This blog originally appeared on the Manchester Migration Lab website
Blog by Dr Ghalia Sarmani, Head of Arabic Languages, Al Nimra Qur’an School, Manchester
Earlier this month I attended the ‘World on the Move; Migration, Societies and Change’ conference hosted by the University of Manchester’s Migration Lab. The two-and-a-half day conference was rich in providing a ground for intellectual debate, and for developing further research projects.
On the third day of the conference; I attended a workshop titled ‘From Syria to Gateshead’. The project is part of a larger, cross-national participatory arts-based study of belonging among resettled Syrian refugee youth in regional cities in Australia and the UK. This workshop characteristics music works and visual art created by resettled refugee-background, mainly young Syrians in Gateshead. Artworks emerged out of a participatory arts-based study conducted by Durham University, GemArts, and Gateshead Council and researcher and project coordinator is Dr Caitlin Nunn, Durham University. read more…
Is the World on the Move?
This blog originally appeared on the Manchester Migration Lab website
Blog by Gabriele Restelli, PhD Candidate, HCRI, The University of Manchester
The title of the conference World on the Move made me think: Is the world on the move? Are we witnessing an era of unprecedented migration?
Indeed, in absolute terms, more individuals are moving; but that’s simply because the world population has increased to 7 billion. Global migration data show no evidence of discontinuity in overall international migration trends. The total number of people living outside their country of birth (migrant stock) has remained relatively stable as a percentage of the world’s population since 1960, ranging from 3.1% to 3.3% in 2015. Similarly, only 0.75% of the world’s population emigrated in 2014 (migrant flow) – just like in 1995. read more…
In Conversation: Prof Diana Mitlin, Jack Makau and Joseph Muturi
Prof Diana Mitlin spoke to Jack Makau (Director of Slum Dwellers International in Kenya) and Joseph Muturi (community leader, activist and Coordinator of the Kenyan Slum Dwellers Federation) when they were visiting Manchester to guest lecture on GDI’s innovative “Citizen Led Development” course. They discuss the challenges faced by slum dwellers, such as the lack of secure tenure rights, access to basic services and threat of violent evictions – and how community organising and activism is allowing people living in informal settlements to effect change and make their voices heard. Jack and Joe also talk about building partnerships with city and national government, collaborating with researchers to quantify the ‘poverty penalty’ in Mukuru, and not putting too much hope in politicians.
read more…