Moderator: Sílvia Leiria Viegas (CIAC-UAlg)

Overview

Displaced communities in the EU have been more exposed than ever to abuses perpetrated by hostile migration and asylum policies. The increased immobilization of people through practices of border violence has been counteracted by different forms of resistance and diverse solidarities.  The presenter followed the development of allyship networks, between common citizens and people on the move across EU borders, between 2015 and 2020. By interconnecting diverse knowledges, positionalities, and resources, and joining efforts into actions of migratory justice; these networks of allyship actively challenged conventional norms around freedom of movement and migration policies in the EU. Assuming themselves as “communities of care”, they also confronted hegemonic categorizations of people on the move and nation-states’ conceptions of “protection”. While mainstream humanitarian projects kept their focus on a so-called “apolitical” support to people on the move, sometimes in highly inadequate settings such as closed refugee camps, or migrant detention centers; these alternative forms of solidarity proposed a more radical approach. By taking critical positionalities against border violence, allyship networks across borders became activists for migrant justice, engaged in creative and unexpected collaborations, and contested hostile decisions taken by EU Governments. The presenter will argue that these networks of allyship created spaces of opportunity for radical solidarities and informal politics, in the interstices of EU borders.


Bio note

Dora Rebelo is a postdoc researcher at CIS-Iscte, has a PhD in anthropology and a master’s degree in systemic psychology. She has worked as a mental health consultant and staff care provider for NGO across the globe, having recently returned to academia. She is an activist for migrant justice, collaborates with “Fórum Refúgio Portugal”, UREP (a refugee grassroots association in Portugal) and Europe Must Act (a EU citizens’ movement aiming to relocate people stranded in Greek refugee camps to other EU countries). Her main professional interests are directed towards collaborative research with communities, solidarity initiatives, activism, migrant justice, and climate justice.

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This activity will be provided through Zoom platform and does not require registration. Participation is limited to the number of places available > https://zoom.us/j/87891905669 | ID: 878 9190 5669 | Senha: 6663055

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