Seminar

On 22 April this online event will involve a conversation between Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, European Commission and Professors Vincent Chetail and Elspeth Guild about the current proposals as part of the European Pact on migration and Asylum which was announced by the European Commission at the end of 2020. 
 
 

Focussing on Hard-to-Reach populations, the course provides an introduction to research methods in conducting research, both qualitative and quantitative, on marginal, hidden and excluded population. It will cover research on topics such as migrants; refugees and displaced people; children and adolescents; sex workers; homeless; LGBT; victims of violence, conflicts or trafficking; HIV/AIDS; drug users as well as topics proposed by participants. Aimed to promote action-oriented research, the course introduces the main theories and research approaches on exclusion and marginalization using different frameworks and techniques. It addresses methods and strategies to address the dangers associate with the lack of systematic use of solid research methodology, ethics, data collection and analysis in the formulation and evaluation of policies and programs. 

The important role of social protection programming (especially cash/in-kind transfers and cash or food for work) in responding to humanitarian crises has been gaining increasing recognition, and most recently not least because of the compounding effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This online event celebrates the launch of the University of London intercollegiate Refugee Law Clinic, recognising our partnerships, networks and the work of the clinic. The event will present a number of introductory comments from the University’s Vice Chancellor, project partners and staff, followed by an expert panel discussion addressing the topic of ‘The New Plan for Immigration: What now for asylum seekers?’. 

The agenda for the Symposium is as follows: 

May 11, 2021: Opening Ceremony 

The symposium will commence with welcome remarks from HDSR Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Xiao Li Meng, USA for IOM CEO, Luca Dall’oglio, and USA for UNHCR CEO, Anne-Marie Grey. 

The Seminar Series on Forced Migration which will be given by Prof. Nergis Canefe (York University), titled “Decolonizing Forced Migration Studies: Lessons from Borderlands”. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12, 2021 starting at 5pm CET (Vienna time)/11am CST (Toronto time) and will be held online. Everyone is welcome and please find the registration here. 

Abstract: As the Coronavirus spreads, stigmatisation, prejudice and discrimination make their mark in many parts of the world. Reports on physical or verbal assault on people of Chinese/East and Southeast Asian appearance are abundant, also in many ‘multicultural societies’ in Europe. In this talk, I present the first insights from our pilot research ‘[COVID] COuntering the VIrus: Discrimination and protestation in multicultural Europe’ funded by Utrecht University’s Migration and Societal Change Focus Area.  Drawing on news and social media content analyses as well as qualitative interviews, we document the daily online and offline experiences of people of Chinese/Asian appearance connected to Corona-racism. 

About the speaker 

Romain Houssa is a professor of economics at the University of Namur where  he undertakes his research  within the Institute of Development Finance and Public Policies (DeFiPP), including the  Center for Research in the Economics of Development (CRED) and the Center for Research in Finance and Management (CeReFiM). His research interests include the areas of applied macroeconomics, international macroeconomics, monetary economics, and development economics. Most of his work has been concerned with understanding the causes and welfare implications of macroeconomics as well as the micro and macroeconomic aspects of economic growth. His research appeared in Journal of Development Economics, European Economic Review, World Development, Ecological Economics, Journal of Productivity Analysis. Romain holds a PhD in economics from KU Leuven in 2008. 

The aim of the present work is to analyse engagement strategies regarding the Brazilian Diaspora of Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) by the Brazilian government. The specific use of the term diaspora for the migration of highly qualified people has developed throughout time, starting with the “brain drain” approach and moving towards the understanding of the positive effects of talent insertion in the international knowledge network (“brain circulation” and “brain networking”). At the beginning, the engagement strategies were focused on mapping the diaspora members, carrying out events and awarding prizes to outstanding diaspora members. More recently, the policy design became “high resolution”, articulating cooperation and engagement based on specific national problems. Thus, the challenge posed is twofold: not only mapping and engaging the diaspora, but, simultaneously, expanding the cooperation in strategic themes to home country problems, where the collaboration is a two-way road. The efficient engagement of the ST&I diaspora depends on strategies and policies that promote substantial behavioural changes, both at the diaspora level – so that this is motivated towards engagement with homeland projects – and at the sending country institutions – setting up more flexible and less bureaucratical mechanisms and tools. This means changes in the way diaspora issues are being understood and dealt with, setting up a favourable environment for the establishment of virtuous interaction circles.  The focus of the presentation will be the engagement strategies regarding the Brazilian Diaspora of ST&I in the United States of America by the Brazilian government, specifically the project named Rede Diáspora Brasil.  This project was developed from 2013 to 2016 by the Brazilian Industrial Development Agency (ABDI) and was funded by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil). 

A large part of research in migration studies focuses on urban centers. Context-specific social processes surrounding international migration to and diversity in rural regions, small villages and marginalized, or downscaled, areas have been widely omitted by scholarship and policy. However, the often specific social make-up, community structures and spatial developments in those areas, may bring about dynamics that are different from those in big cities. This workshop invites early career researchers, PhD candidates, post-Doc researchers and master students, who are keen to shift, decenter or broaden the focus on international migration into rural areas to come together.  The workshop consists of two parts: a first co-creation session in which we will explore topics/questions on conceptual and methodological issues of migration research in rural areas. The outcomes of this session will provide input for the second part, a panel discussion with notable rural scholars: Prof. Michael Woods, Prof. Birgit Glorius, Dr. Marlies Meijer, Prof. Sarah Neal and Dr. Rosario Sampredro. The panel will be followed by small-group workshops with the speakers, and provides the ability for the participants to further dive into a specific question or issue.