Postgraduate students presenting a paper at the Third Annual Student Conference at Oxford Brookes University in 2005.
© DFM, Oxford Brookes University
Forced migration is a topic of current huge relevance both in global politics and local community relations. The increasing number of forced migrants throughout the world has imposed major challenges to policy-making and academic research.
Taking their fundamental role in contributing to the debate, postgraduate students conducting research in the subject area have organised annual conferences to address challenges in forced migration.
Since 2003, each conference has attracted delegates from the UK and countries worldwide, providing an opportunity for them to present their research, to promote the exchange and construction of knowledge, as well as to establish professional and academic networking.
The conference made a very welcome return in 2008 after a year of absence. The 5th Forced Migration Student Conference was convened by the students from the University of Oxford, and was held on March 1st 2008.
Papers were accepted from students currently enrolled in postgraduate programmes. Participants included students, independent scholars and practitioners.
5th edition – 2008
The 5th Postgraduate Conference on Forced Migration was held on Saturday March 1st at St. Antony’s College.
The event was organised by students from the University of Oxford, which hosts centres of excellence in forced migration, such as the Refugee Studies Centre, the International Migration Institute and the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMAPS). Besides, St Antony’s is the most international of graduate colleges, specialised in international relations, economics, politics and history.
The conference was attended by postgraduate students, scholars and practitioners from different institutions and countries, and also from different academic fields such as development studies, geography, history, international relations, politics, anthropology, sociology and social policy.
The conference called for papers from researchers throughout the world on the topic “Rethinking Solutions for Forced Migrants”.
The conference included a film session on the previous evening (February 29th), a keynote speech from Dr. Barbara Harrell-Bond, panel sessions and workshops focusing on practical issues of forced migration. The event closed with a social event. See the Conference agenda :
Friday, February 29th
Saturday, March 1st
Panel Sessions and Workshops
Panel Session I: 10:50AM – 12:30PM
Panel A - The road back home: return and reintegration.
Founders Seminar Room, Chair Daniela Drugas
- “From repatriation to empatriation: rethinking return” by Katy Long
- “Peace-Building Initiatives for Children in Armed Conflict: Comparing Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Programs for Child Combatants” by Sabrina Karim
- “Refugees and IDPs’ right to return” by Suzanne Y.A. Tete
Panel B - Containment: a solution for whom?
Dahrendorf Seminar Room, Chair Nassem Badiey
- “Political interests versus protection tool: resettlement of refugees in North- South relations” by Thais Bessa
- “The faces of the ‘Forced migrants’: Who are they for the Spanish media and politicians?” by Noemi Mena Montes
- “Exploring the solution of internal relocation through an examination of the recent UK case, AH & Others” by Bethan Prosser
Panel C - Ultimate control: issues around camps and detention.
Deakin Seminar Room, Chair Emanuela Paoletti
- “Rwandan Refugee Camps: is 1325 Stopping Sexual Violence?” by Natasha Price
- “Private Matters: A Feminist Critique of Detention Centres” by Stephanie Silverman
- “In their own hands: A New Approach to Humanitarian Work in Refugee Camps” by Halyna Zalucky
Panel Session II: 1:40 – 3:00PM
Panel D - Breaking the human trafficking chain.
Dahrendorf Seminar Room, Chair Anna Cervi
- “Trafficking and transformation of gender identity due to forced migration of Burmese under militarization” by Ma Khin Mar Mar Kyi
- “Trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation: challenges for practitioners and some lessons learnt” by Gayle Munro
Panel E - When governments’ policies collide with the interests of IDPs and refugees.
Deakin Seminar Room, Chair Alice Kennedy
- “Obstinate Eclipse: A Critical Analysis of Internal Displacement and Restitution in Turkey” by Veysel Eşsiz
- “How Sudanese forced migrants have created alternative solutions in the face of limited and sometimes failing refugee assistance in Cairo” by Nora Danielson
Workshop Session: 3:20 – 5:00 PM
“How to Make Your Research Policy Relevant”
Alexander Betts
Dahrendorf Seminar Room
“Refugee Status Determination (RSD): The process of identifying refugees”
Jean-Francois Durieux
Founders Seminar Room
“Copying Strategies for Forced Migration fieldwork”
Roz Evans and Elena Fiddian
Fellows Dinning Room
“Stereotyping as a method of mass destruction: what are technologies the media uses to construct and present refugees and asylum seekers?”
Nela Milic
Deakin Seminar Room
Previous editions
The first annual Forced Migration Student Conference (FMSC) was held at the University of Oxford in 2003, and was followed with conferences at Warwick University in 2004, Oxford Brookes University in 2005, and in 2006 at the University of East London.
Information on papers, agenda and participants for each previous conference is available on the websites:
Steering Committee (MSc Forced Migration students, University of Oxford):
- Liana del Papa (chair)
- Elisabeth Becker
- Thais Bessa
- Sam Clendon
- James Copeland
- Sabrina Karim
- Alice Kennedy
E-mail: FMConference2008@gmail.com
|
