23/04/2025 – Migration Seminar Series: Missiles and Misfits: Reimagining Home and Security for Queer Internally Displaced Persons From South Lebanon
You are cordially invited to the next UNU-MERIT Migration Seminar Series with Dr. Jasmin Lilian Diab. Her paper sheds light on the often-overlooked intersectionality of armed conflict, displacement, and sexual and gender identity, with a focus on the experiences of LGBTIQ+ internally displaced persons (IDPs) from South Lebanon amidst the ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Employing a qualitative research approach, the study conducted 18 in-depth interviews with members of the displaced LGBTIQ+ community to capture the nuances of their lived experiences. Through thematic and narrative analysis, the research aims to uncover the multifaceted challenges faced by LGBTIQ+ individuals who have been internally displaced due to the protracted conflict. The findings highlight the intricate interplay between the external conflict dynamics and the internal struggles of sexual and gender minorities navigating displacement. Themes such as resilience, identity negotiation, discrimination, and community building emerge from the narratives, providing a rich and textured understanding of the intricate fabric of their lives. The paper not only contributes to the growing body of literature on conflict-induced displacement but also foregrounds the unique challenges and coping mechanisms employed by LGBTIQ+ individuals in the face of adversity. By amplifying the voices of those often silenced, this research seeks to inform policies and interventions that are more inclusive and responsive to the specific needs of internally displaced LGBTIQ+ populations in conflict settings, fostering a deeper understanding of the complexities inherent in their journeys of survival, resilience, and identity reconstruction.
About the speaker:
Dr. Jasmin Lilian Diab is the director of the Institute for Migration Studies (IMS) at LAU, where she also serves as an assistant professor and coordinator of migration studies at the Department of Communication, Mobility and Identity. In 2025, her research was awarded the Lisa Gilad Prize from the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM).
Dr. Diab is a research affiliate at the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University and a global fellow at Brown University’s Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies. As of 2024, she is a visiting professor in migration studies at Sciences Po Lyon.
Prior to her position at LAU, she served as the refugee health program coordinator and research associate in political economy of health in conflict at the Global Health Institute at the American University of Beirut (2019–2021), and as research and project manager at the Lebanese Emigration Research Center at the Faculty of Law and Political Science at Notre Dame University–Louaize (2013–2019). She holds a PhD in International Relations and Diplomacy with an emphasis on Refugees, Asylum and Security from the School of Advanced International and Political Studies’ (HEIP) Center for Diplomatic and Strategic Studies (CEDS) in Paris.
To participate, reach out to Soha Youssef – youssef@merit.unu.edu.