(IASFM) Conference
Between January 6th and 10th 2008, the 11th International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) conference was hosted by the Forced Migration and Refugee Studies Program of the American University in Cairo.
Podcasts
The podcasts are in MP3 audio format. They can be listened to in-page by clicking on the provided Flash player or via iTunes. They can also be downloaded for later listening or for transferring to a portable MP3 compatible device device such as an iPod. Podcasts help.
- Plenary 1: Emerging patterns of irregularity and their effects among migrants and refugees in the Middle East
- Plenary 2: Keynote address & The situation of refugees in the Middle East
- Plenary 3: Regions at the Crossroads: Transregional Forced Migration
- Plenary 4: The Voices of the Displaced in Forced Migration Research
- Plenary 5: Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Journal of Refugee Studies & Review of the Conference
Conference Report
IASFM11 Conference Report by John Nassari, Conference Rapporteur January, 2008
Conference financial support
- Ford Foundation
- MacArthur Foundation
- International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
- Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
- The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF)
Conference Overview
Registration
| Time | Day |
|---|---|
| 1200 to 1400 | Sunday 6th January 2008 |
| 0800 to 1200 | Monday 7th January 2008 |
Pre-Conference Events
| Time | Sunday |
|---|---|
| 1400 to 1600 | Pre-Conference Workshop |
| 1600 to 1630 | Coffee Break |
| 1630 to 1800 | Pre-Conference Address |
| 1800 to 1900 | Reception at the Shepheard Hotel |
| 1900 to 2200 | Opening of art exhibit at the Townhouse Gallery |
Conference Events
| Time | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0900 to 1100 | Plenary 1 | Plenary 2 | Plenary 3 | Plenary 4 |
| 1100 to 1130 | Coffee Break | Coffee Break | Coffee Break | Coffee Break |
| 1130 to 1300 | Session 1 | Session 5 | Session 9 | Session 13 |
| 1300 to 1415 | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
| 1415 to 1545 | Session 2 | Session 6 | Session 10 | Session 14 |
| 1545 to 1600 | Coffee Break | Coffee Break | Coffee Break | Coffee Break |
| 1600 to 1730 | Session 3 | Session 7 | Session 11 | Plenary 5 |
| 1730 to 1900 | Session 4 | Session 8 | Session 12 | N/A |
| Evening | Conference Social Event | Annual General Meeting of the IASFM |
Pre-Conference Events
Pre-Conference Workshop
Policy Makers and Academic Researchers: Bridging the Academic-Policy Divide
Chaired by Elizabeth Ferris (Co-Director, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement), including Jeffrey Crisp, Anne Cubilie, Karen Jacobsen and Paula Banerjee
This panel will explore the interactions between policy-makers and academic researchers working on forced migration. While UN agencies, governments, and NGOs need the insights and the reflection which academic research provides, too often they don't have the time to read research reports or they see such research as irrelevant to their day-to-day work. This panel will bring together policy-makers and academic researchers to address ways of bridging this divide. The format of the panel will be conversational, interactive and dynamic rather than presentations of papers.
Pre-Conference Address
The State of Forced Migration Studies Address
“The Birth of a “Discipline”: From Refugee to Forced Migration Studies”
by Prof. B. S. Chimni (delivered by Priyanca Mathur Velath, t.b.c.) and discussants t.b.d.
In his paper, Chimni revisits his seminal article, “The Geopolitics of Refugee Studies: A View from the South”. Chimni also addresses recent, differing opinions on the state of forced migration studies, including those presented by Hathaway in his address to IASFM at its last conference in Toronto.
Conference Plenary Events
Plenary 1
“Emerging patterns of irregularity and their effects among migrants and refugees in the Middle East”
A panel discussion chaired by Nancy Baron, including Philippe Fargues, Mike Kagan, Ray Jureidini, Barbara Harrell-Bond and Gleb Bazov
Plenary 2
Keynote address by Karen Abu Zayd, Commissioner General of UNRWA
“The situation of refugees in the Middle East”
A panel discussion chaired by Maysa Ayoub, including Helen Young, Patricia Fagen and Shahira Samy
Plenary 3
Film presentation by John Nassari
“Regions at the Crossroads: Transregional Forced Migration”
A panel discussion chaired by Susan Martin, including Mark Schlakman, Aicha Belarbi, Jeffrey Crisp and Ahmet Icduygu and Susan Kneebone
Plenary 4
Poetry reading by Stephanos Stephanides and Mehmet Yashin
“The Voices of the Displaced in Forced Migration Research”
A panel discussion chaired by Elzbieta Gozdziak, including Giorgia Doná, Zachary Lomo, Eftihia Voutira and Arild Birkenes
Plenary 5
Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Journal of Refugee Studies
Barbara Harrell-Bond and Richard Black
Review of the Conference by the Conference Rapporteur
Delivered by John Nassari.
The video below is a part of the rapporteur’s conference report, along with a more traditional oral report. The video features participants reading quotes which were originally spoken by others during the conference.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Brief Address by the Program Committee Chair of IASFM 12 and the Local Host Other closing remarks
