Gendering the ‘Refugee Crisis’ Conference

🎓 Feminist Perspectives on the Refugee Crisis – Half-Day Conference Summary

As Europe grapples with the ongoing influx of refugees, the urgent need to address the gendered dimensions of forced migration has become increasingly clear.
On December 11, 2015, the Centre for Transnational Development and Collaboration (CTDC), in partnership with the Centre for Citizenship, Identities and Governance at the Open University, hosted a half-day conference to critically interrogate the so-called “refugee crisis” through a feminist and transnational lens.

💬 Grounding the Conversation
The event began with a powerful personal testimony from Nasma, a young refugee woman who shared her lived experiences of displacement, navigating asylum systems, and rebuilding life under constant uncertainty.
Her story grounded the day’s discussions in human reality and emotional truth.

🎙️ Key Academic Contributions
Following Nasma’s account, academic speakers expanded the conversation by situating individual experiences within broader political and theoretical frameworks:
• Dr. Umut Erel examined the often-overlooked emotional labor and caregiving roles of migrant mothers in the UK, challenging dominant notions of productivity, value, and citizenship.
• Dr. Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh explored the complex interplay between faith, displacement, and gender, highlighting how religious identity can shape both vulnerability and agency in refugee contexts.
• Dr. Ruba Salih addressed intersectional marginalisation in border regimes, focusing on how race, class, and gender compound the experiences of migrant women.
• Professor Heaven Crawley offered a critical perspective on UK and EU asylum policies, exposing structural inequities and the gendered assumptions embedded within migration governance.

📚 CTDC’s Original Research
CTDC co-directors Dr. Nour Abu-Assab and Dr. Nof Nasser-Eddin then shared findings from their original research on queer refugee experiences in Lebanon and Turkey.
Their presentation revealed how refugee systems often replicate heteronormative and patriarchal structures, denying safety and recognition to LGBTQ+ individuals within displacement settings.
Their research emphasised the necessity of feminist, decolonial approaches that centre lived experience and challenge dominant humanitarian narratives.

🎥 Closing with Voices from the Field
The event concluded with a screening of a short documentary featuring women asylum seekers in the UK.
The film humanised abstract policy discussions by portraying the emotional and psychological realities of seeking refuge—bringing full circle the day’s call for solidarity and systemic change.