Workshop: Queering Migrations: orientations, rights and sexualities in motion

Apologies for cross-posting.

Queering Migrations: orientations, rights and sexualities in motion

The ISET seminar series addresses key issues in the making and remaking of Europe, whether economic, political, social or cultural. In the context of globalization, these extend beyond Europe’s borders, and interrogate definitions of European identity.

The queer deconstruction of heteronormativity is a strategic tool to study the nexus between migration, gender and sexuality.  Its intersectional focus on gender, sexuality and materiality potentially allows a better understanding of the social mobilities, identities and divisions underpinning migration.

During this half day workshop we will explore the theoretical and methodological potential offered by queer analyses of the nexus between migration and sexual orientations.  We will also discuss the complex entanglement of rights and identities characterising the experience of people claiming asylum on the grounds of their sexual orientation and gender identity in the UK.

This workshop will bring together a unique combination of scholars and practitioners addressing these issues from a variety of academic disciplines and fields in the UK

Panel 1: Queer mobilities, methodologies and intersections

Jon Binnie, Manchester Metropolitan University
‘Like a Bomb in the Gasoline Station’: East-West Migration and Transnational Activism around Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Politics in Poland – co-authored with Chris Klesse
Kath Browne, University of Brighton
Queer travels: Unfixing through movement
Nick Mai, ISET, London Metropolitan University
The Fractal Queerness of Non-Heteronormative Sex Workers in the UK and in the EU

Panel 2: Framing non-heteronormative migration and asylum in the UK

Calogero Giametta, ISET, London Metropolitan University
The making of Knowable and Liberated Subjectivities in Queer Asylum Cases in the UK
S.Chelvan, Barrister, No 5 Chambers and King’s College London
Analysing homo and hetero normativities in the narratives of lesbian and gay asylum seekers in the United Kingdom
Erin Power, UK Lesbian & Gay Immigration Group-UKLGIG
Translating Queer Migration Histories into LGBTI Asylum Cases

The Seminar will take place in the Old Staff Café, T1-20, Tower Building, London Metropolitan University, 166-220 Holloway Road, London N7 8DB

Attendance is free but places are limited so it is essential to register in advance at
http://isetspringseminar2012.eventbrite.com/

New Publications on Arab Spring, Humanitarian Emergencies, Children and Minors

Year of Rebellion

The Arab Spring and the Death Toll in the Mediterranean: The True Face of Fortress Europe (StateWatch, Jan. 2012) [text]
See Also : Migrants At Sea blog posting – Statewatch Analysis: The Arab Spring and the death toll in the Mediterranean: the true face of Fortress Europe.
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

The EU’s Self-interested Response to Unrest in North Africa: The Meaning of Treaties and Readmission Agreements between Italy and North African States (StateWatch, Jan. 2012) [text]
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

Disaster Relief 2.0: The Future of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies.
A new report published by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
[Download Full Report]
(Source:   ALNAP).

Real Time Evaluation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ Response to the MENA Civil Unrest (IFRC, Aug. 2011) [text via ReliefWeb]
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

Year of Rebellion: The State of Human Rights in the Middle East and North Africa (Amnesty International, Jan. 2012) [text]
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

Landing in Dover

 

Comparative Study on Practices in the Field of Return of Minors (ECRE & Save the Children, Dec. 2011) [text via Refworld]
- See also related checklist. For more information about this project, visit ECRE’s web page.
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

Higher Education for Refugees. Special issue of Refuge: Canada’s Periodical on Refugees, vol. 27, no. 2 (2010) [full-text]
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

Landing in Dover: The Immigration Process Undergone by Unaccompanied Children Arriving in Kent (Children’s Commissioner of England, Jan. 2012) [text]
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

“Supporting Refugee Students in Schools: What Constitutes Inclusive Education?,” International Journal of Inclusive Education, vol. 16, no. 1 (2012) [preprint]
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

Voice of Unaccompanied Minor Asylum Seekers on Guardianship: A Study on Guardians of Unaccompanied Minor Asylum Seekers in Cyprus (Hope for Children, 2011) [text via Terre des Hommes]
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

Winding Pathways: Supporting Refugee Students in High School – A Narrative Inquiry into the Experiences of One EAL Teacher in Manitoba, Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies (University of Manitoba, Dec. 2011) [text]
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

Forthcoming publication:

 ”I just want to study”: Access to Higher Education for Young Refugees and Asylum Seekers (Refugee Support Network, Jan. 2012) [info]
(Source: Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog)

Off-Air Recordings WB: 30 January 2012

The following off-air recordings have been requested for the Refugee Council Archive for the week beginning Monday 3o January 2012:

Monday 30 January

2100-2200: BBC2 (1/3) Protecting Our Children.  VideoPlus 1769.  Whole Series Requested.

2100-2200: BBC4: (1/4) Lost Kingdoms of Africa.  VideoPlus 1637635.  Whole Series Requested.

Tuesday 31 January

2100-2200: BBC2: Wonderland – My Son the Rioter.  VideoPlus  1238

2200-2300: BBC4: (2/3) The World Against Apartheid: Have You Heard From Johannesburg?  (Series recording).

Wednesday 1 February

2300-0000: Channel 5: (1/5) Royal Marines: Mission Afghanistan.  VideoPlus 7449352.  Whole Series Requested.

2320-0035: BBC2: Storyville – Sex, Death and the Gods.  VideoPlus  666994.

Thursday 2 February

2100-2200: BBC2: (3/3) Putin Russia and the West. (Series Recording).

Friday 3 February

 1900-2000: BBC2: Egypt: Children of the Revolution.  VideoPlus: 8999.

Call for Papers: Special 60th Anniversary Issue: “Is the 1951 Convention Outdated?”

Details from the Forced Migration Discussion List.

Call for Papers:   Special 60th Anniversary Issue: “Is the 1951 Convention Outdated?”

Many commentators who criticise the alleged widespread abuse of the refugee protection system point to the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention as the source of the problem. Its supposed generosity constrains government actions and allegedly prevents the adoption of measures that would make the system more effective and efficient. If we consider developments in global modes of transportation and border controls, it becomes apparent that conditions have changed considerably since governments adopted this historic treaty following the Second World War. It is therefore not surprising that the Refugee Convention’s relevance has been questioned in recent years. Yet a closer look at the Convention reveals that it does not include anything relating to status determination procedures which constitute the most burdensome aspect of protection in many rich countries. It does not even guarantee a right to asylum for persecuted people who are granted refugee status. Have national procedures become inefficient because of the Convention or do other factors explain this situation?

The common response from advocates and academics suggests that any opening of discussions on the Refugee Convention will result in diminishing standards which will leave refugees with even less protection. Aside from legitimate fears about a general lack of solidarity and generosity, what specific forms of protection offered in the Convention risk being abandoned? Is there any fundamental right in this refugee treaty that would be threatened or that is not already covered in other areas of international law? Recent cases suggest courts have relied to a large extent on other human rights treaties to provide actual legal protection. What particular reasons lead advocates to prefer the status quo with regards to the Refugee Convention?

For its special issue on the 60th anniversary of the Refugee Convention, REFUGE invites submissions that explore the debate surrounding the relevance of this historic treaty. In particular, we are interested in papers that recognise the diverging assessments in order to propose approaches that might address current and future problems in a more effective manner.

Submission Deadline: **March 30, 2012**

For more information, visit the Refuge web site at http://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/refuge/index.