New Scholars Examine Forced Migration
Nearly 90 million people around the world are forcibly displaced, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, with a steady rise over the last decade. The 2023 Global Scholars seminar, “Citizens, Refugees, Humans” taught by Dr. Marike Janzen, associate professor of Slavic, German, and Eurasian Studies, examined the traumatic and all-too-common transition from lawful resident to refugee.
From safe housing and healthcare to education and due process under the law, Scholars spent the semester examining various historical and contemporary examples about forced migration and its impact on the human condition.
For Scholar Josh Omitt, who is majoring in microbiology, the seminar gave him a new understanding of refugees.
“Through books, films, and conversations with classmates from diverse backgrounds, I now recognize the importance of true solidarity with refugees. This solidarity should empower people to fight for freedom and identity across the globe,” said Omitt.
Scholars’ final research papers and presentations explored situations in which the categories of “citizen,” “refugee,” and “human” were reinforced or challenged. They presented on issues that ranged from North Korean refugee narratives to issues of citizenship and treatment of migrant workers connected with the Qatar World Cup.
“A real highlight for me was the diversity of research topics the students pursued,” Dr. Janzen said. “Students talked about the challenges for refugees in receiving adequate health care, both in the U.S. and in Italy. One student spoke about gender violence among Lhotshampa refugees in Nepal and the U.S.”
Scholar Ye Gang Lee, who is majoring in political science, global & international studies and East Asian languages, researched the upsurge of anti-refugee movements within the European Union for her final paper. While many argue that the movement began with the 2015 Syrian Refugee Crisis, Lee points to the impact of the 2008 economic recession in amplifying people's fears about the scarcity of resources. This anti-refugee sentiment has grown with the multiple crises that have or are occurring since the recession.
“The only way to properly address the upsurge of anti-refugee movements is to reflect and learn from all of the multiple factors that led to the issue in the first place,” Lee said.
For her final paper, Joohye Oh, an English major, wanted to explore similarities between refugees’ experiences across time, spaces, and identities. She did a comparative literary analysis of two books: Transit by Anna Seghers, a novel set in Vichy Marseilles after France fell to the Nazis, and The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee, which tells of Lee’s escape from North Korea.
“One of the takeaways was that languages play an important role in refugees’ experiences. I saw how Lee, in her memoir, built her Mandarin Chinese skills and was able to escape, especially dangerous situations. Without this linguistic ability and knowledge, she might not have been able to escape.”
Through Dr. Janzen's seminar, the Scholars explored in depth the various challenges associated with forced migration and its impact on the human condition during their seminar.