GPU and the Teaching Team of POL334 Migration and the Politics of Belonging’ are excited to invite you to listen to a cluster of brilliant third year students showcasing the written and visual work they developed as part of the module.
POL334 had two central objectives. The first was for students to rethink the politics behind the everyday production of myths and narratives on contemporary migration and mobility The second, for them to bring attention to how their everyday lives have been shaped through various mobilities, encounters and connections, eventually prompting a shift away from fixed and sedentary imaginaries of home and belonging.
By showcasing some of the best written and visual work that came out of this pedagogical experiment, we aim to start a conversation on the benefits and Challenges of moving in and out the tick boxes of academic writing and onto the politics involved in encouraging students to reflect on the self.
This post is part of the two-part special series of GPU’s podcast, “Aesthetics and Research in International Politics”, which examines non-conventional IR research methods.
In September 2022, I had the chance to visit Dr. James Eastwood’s Empty Cradles: Israel’s Disappeared Children exhibition at SOAS Brunei Gallery. Centered on the testimonies of families whose children were forcibly removed in the 40s and 50s in Israel, the exhibition’s archival, photographic, and monumental translation work shed light on the political, colonial, and racial dimensions at the heart of a controversy still boiling in Israel today.
Entrance of the gallery. Image courtesy: James Eastwood
Why would a scholar dissect complex subjects, such as imperialism or racism, through an exhibition and not a traditional academic paper? It’s pretty simple. No words or arguments could have summed up the pain I felt through the pictures and the sense of discomfort conveyed by the injustice implicit in the testimonies. Most importantly, No paper could have made me want to do more justice to these families than to hear their voices in their original language, Hebrew, echoing in the gallery.
Testimonies and their translation from Hebrew to English. Image courtesy: James Eastwood
Following my visit, I met James’ collaborators on the exhibition: Tom Pessah and Maayan Nahari, two activists working with AMRAM, the association seeking to reunite the missing children with their families together; Joanne Rosenthal, freelance curator, and museum consultant; and Raz Weiner, a post-doctoral researcher in the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning at the Technion University, who helped James with the archival work between the UK and Israel.
Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words. With this exhibition, James was able to combine theoretical and archival material in a way that convinced the audience to seek justice for these families. In addition to this, the exhibition space provided those who were affected with means to express themselves indirectly – via James’s work – and directly.
Archival tapes of families’ testimonies. Image courtesy: James Eastwood
If you are interested in learning more, or if you believe that you might be able to help the families, you can find all information related to the Yemenite, Mizrahi, and Balkan children’s Affair on AMRAM’s website: (https://edut-amram.org).
For its first “In Conversation” event on 23 January 2023, GPU discussed the meaning of “stuckness” with Olivia Umurerwra Rutazibwa, Laleh Khalili, and Razan Ghazzawi. The conversation revolved around its various political (carcerality, migration, the covid-19 pandemic) and academic implications.
Speakers :
Dr. Olivia Umurerwa Rutazibwa, Assistant Professor of Human Rights and Politics, Department of Sociology, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Professor Laleh Khalili, Professor of International Politics, School of Politics and International Relations, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)
Razan Ghazzawi, Associate Tutor, Media, Arts and Humanities, Gender Studies, University of Sussex
Global Politics Unbound would like to invite you to attend their launch on Wednesday, 19 October 2022, from 5 – 9 pm in the 7th Floor Common Room, Graduate Centre, Mile End.
Global Politics Unbound is a research group within Queen Mary University of London’s School of Politics and International Relations. It invites research on the uneven and entangled nature of international politics, the continuities and frictions of colonial and capitalist relations, the raced, classed and gendered structures that undergird our everyday practices, and the different struggles and actors that seek to transform them. Overall, the idea behind our collective work is to see the world as connected, and to explore what that means to the study of global politics.
On the night, we will be serving delicious nibbles, wine and soft drinks. We will also be running a photo competition showcasing your research through pictures, photos, or any image that best represents your current work. There are four prizes from Pages of Hackney to be won. Please send any images which you would be happy for us to share to spir-global-politics-unbound@qmul.ac.uk.
GPU is proud to co-sponsor the launch of Material Crimes, a podcast produced in collaboration with Surviving Society.
Come and celebrate the launch of Material Crimes, a podcast produced in collaboration with Surviving Society! We’ll hear from the authors behind our season one episodes – Daniel Selwyn, Mor Cohen, Sharri Plonski, and Shereen Fernandez – who will discuss the relationship between infrastructure, capitalism, and colonialism with Surviving Society’s regular hosts, Chantelle Lewis and Tissot Regis and the rest of the creative team. Artworks made for the project by Frederick Kannemeyer will also be on display. There may even be a sneak preview of some of the episodes…….
We will also have some refreshments for everyone to enjoy.
The event will be held in the Brockway Room at Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, WC1R 4RL, 6.30 – 9pm. The launch is free, but entry will be on a first come first served basis, so get there early! You can RSVP using this Eventbrite link. We look forward to seeing you there!
A new work-in-progress seminar series for staff and PhD students in the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary University of London began in January 2019, under the joint umbrella of TheoryLAB and Doing IPS.
This series provides a forum for colleagues to present, and get feedback on, work at various stages of development, whether for conference papers, draft articles or chapters, or funding proposals. By bringing together TheoryLab and Doing IPS, the seminar will be open to those working on a diverse range of theoretical, methodological, and empirical areas.
Queen Mary’s South Asia Forum presents a teach-in on the relationship between Hindu nationalism and knowledge production, following escalating violent attacks on universities across India.
The event features presentations from Akanksha Mehta (Goldsmiths), Rahul Rao (SOAS), Meena Dhanda (Wolverhampton) and Mehroosh Tak (Kashmir Solidarity Movement).
Queen Mary, ArtsTwo, room 3.20 6-8 pm on January 22 – all welcome!
