Queer, Iranian and in exile: Comparing the experiences of Iranian queer refugees living in Turkey, the UK and Canada

GenSeM Migration dialogue
19 April 2023

You are warmly invited to the next seminar organised by the Ethnicity, Race and Diverse Societies Network at Sussex & GenSeM IMISCOE on 26 April, 3pm, UK time (online and in person, AH 106, Falmer, Sussex University).

Queer, Iranian and in exile: Comparing the experiences of Iranian queer refugees living in Turkey, the UK and Canada 

Abstract

In this presentation, we discuss some provisional findings of the ESRC-funded project ‘Negotiating Queer Identities Following Forced Migration’ (NQIfFM, https://iranqueerefugee.net/). NQIfFM is a project that explores the experiences of people who have left Iran to escape persecution or discrimination on grounds of their sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI). Building on a mixed-methods approach - including semi-structured interviews and poetry workshops with refugees and other stakeholders - we are investigating the processes of identity transition of Iranian diasporic queers seeking international protection in countries generally seen as being of transition, destination or resettlement. We are carrying out this empirical work and data analysis against the background of literature on postcolonial sexual identities, life histories of exile, and trauma-based cultural politics. In particular, we explore the hypothesis that rigid Western categories of LGBTQ+ are imposed by immigration structures (immigration offices, UNHCR, UK Home Office, NGOs) on those seeking asylum, to show how migrant subjects may be misrecognised, retraumatised, or silenced by the constraints of such classification. Besides presenting the project's aims and methodology, we will discuss our theoretical framework and a selection of themes emerging from our data analysis so far.

Speakers

Moira Dustin, Lecturer in Law, University of Sussex

Nuno Ferreira, Professor of Law, University of Sussex

Kamran Matin, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, University of Sussex

Mehran Rezaei Toroghi, Research Fellow in Law, University of Sussex

Discussant

Sarah Scuzzarello, Senior Lecturer in Geography, University of Sussex

Chair

Laura Morosanu, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of Sussex

The event, free of charge, will be held online, on Zoom, and in person (AH 106, Falmer Campus, University of Sussex). The meeting details will be sent to registered attendees the day before the event. Please register here Queer, Iranian and in exile Tickets, Wed 26 Apr 2023 at 15:00 | Eventbrite

Queer, Iranian and in exile: Comparing the experiences of Iranian queer refugees living in Turkey, the UK and Canada

You are warmly invited to the next seminar organised by the Ethnicity, Race and Diverse Societies Network at Sussex & GenSeM IMISCOE on 26 April, 3pm, UK time (online and in person, AH 106, Falmer, Sussex University). Queer, Iranian and in exile:...
Spring conference

2023 IMISCOE Spring Conference

15-17 of March 2023, hybrid event in Nice & online
Event organised by: Unité de Recherche Migrations Sociétés (URMIS) , University of Côte d’Azur (Nice). Deadline for paper submissions: 09th of December 2022 (23:59 CET)

read more

Annual Conference

20th IMISCOE Annual Conference

3-6 July 2023, Warsaw & online
Inequalities invariably intertwine with migration. On the micro-scale, socio-economic inequalities shape the propensity to migrate. On a macro-scale, South-North and East-West dynamics act as migration drivers. Recent mobility-related debates include...

read more

PhD School

2023 IMISCOE PhD School

24-28 April 2023, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (on-site)
Event organized by: Brussels Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Migration and Minorities ( BIRMM , Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Centre for Ethnic and Migration Studies ( CEDEM , Université de Liège), Centre for the Social Study of Migration and...

Book Launch event: Revisiting Migrant Networks: Migrants and their Descendants in Labour Markets

20 September 2022, 17:00 (CEST), Online
The book "Revisiting Migrant Networks: Migrants and their Descendants in Labour Markets" provides new conceptualisations on the networks of migrants and their descendants in accessing the labour market. In this 90 minutes book launch event we will...