WOMEN AND MIGRATION: art, politics and policy

An AHRC ‘Making the Connections’ Regional Network Workshop
Loughborough University FRIDAY 20th JUNE 2008

The ninth event in the Making Connections: arts, migration and diaspora series will be held in The Business School, Loughborough University, on Friday 20th June 2008, during Refugee Week.

This workshop focuses upon ‘women and migration’ within the broader context of the asylum-migration nexus and the relationship between women’s experiences as asylum seekers, refugees, or migrants and questions of culture, law, citizenship, and politics. What is clear from the available research is that women face many barriers - including a gender biased asylum system - with their voices and experiences usually mediated by others (journalists, advocacy groups, researchers), and are rarely heard. Culture is an essential aspect of our identity and the available research tells us that women migrants bring a great deal to culture and communities. It is hence vital we create the spaces for women’s voices to be heard and the opportunities for women to achieve their potential.

Speakers from a variety of sectors (arts, social policy, media and law) will focus on outlining the important role that the arts and the media have in ensuring women migrants have a voice. Speakers include Marsha Meskimmon (women and art); Usha Sood (women and the law); Hildegard Dumper (research on women’s experiences of the asylum-migration nexus) and Ruth Lister (women, poverty and citizenship).

Presentations and workshops will be led by a range of organisations including the Nottingham African Women’s Empowerment Forum (NAWEF), the National Institute for Access to Continuing Education (NIACE), The Long Journey Home, Nottingham Trent University and Paragon Law. There will be an opportunity for all delegates to engage in discussion, and explore how the issues raised can be taken forward practically through the creation of a Manifesto for the region on ‘What Women Want’

The event is FREE and Buffet Lunch and Refreshments are provided. We also want to provide plenty of opportunity for discussion and debate, so places are limited. We are happy to assist with transport costs for unwaged delegates. If you’d like to attend, please contact Richard Bessell on R.Bessell@lboro.ac.uk Tel: (01509) 223383 by May 30th at the latest.

Final conference announcement