Dialogues in Refugee Studies

Ari Barbalat
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This podcast features scholarly interviews with professors specializing in refugee research, authors of recent monographs in migration studies and writers of memoirs on refugee experiences. It offers insightful academic dialogues on a variety of topics. It intends to reach students, practitioners and laypersons.

Episodes

  1. Sep 1

    Amanda Lubit, *Life as a Migrant Muslim Woman in Sectarian Northern Ireland: An Exploration of Gender, Visibility, Movement and Placemaking*. New York: Berghahn Books, 2025.

    The odyssey of migrant Muslim women in the fractured, post-conflict landscape of Northern Ireland, both prior to and following the pandemic, is woven with a rich tapestry of narratives and experiences centered around the quest for belonging. This book delves into the ways these women strive to carve out their identities and establish a sense of home amidst pervasive hatred, sexism, and racism. In the face of such adversity, these women employ a myriad of strategies to forge connections with their environment and the individuals within it. Through the sharing of personal stories, this book illuminates the bonds that migrant Muslim women cultivate, the spaces they occupy, and the endeavors they pursue. These narratives underscore the intricate relationships between gender, visibility, mobility, and the notion of placemaking, serving as essential analytical lenses. Amanda Lubit, *Life as a Migrant Muslim Woman in Sectarian Northern Ireland: An Exploration of Gender, Visibility, Movement and Placemaking*. New York: Berghahn Books, 2025.

    Amanda Lubit, *Life as a Migrant Muslim Woman in Sectarian Northern Ireland: An Exploration of Gender, Visibility, Movement and Placemaking*. New York: Berghahn Books, 2025.

  2. Jun 16

    Jessie Cox, *Sounds of Black Switzerland: Blackness, Music and Unthought Voices*. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 2025.

    In this monograph, scholar, composer, and musician Jessie Cox highlights the experiences of Black Swiss individuals through the mediums of sound and music. Being a Black Swiss himself, Cox affirms the importance of Black life expressed through sound while also critiquing the anti-Blackness that results in erasure, silence, and limitations. Through his analyses, Cox delves into the complexities of anti-Blackness in Switzerland, promoting a practice of listening that goes beyond mere auditory perception to uncover the radical possibilities of Black thought and experience in a country often labeled as race-free. In this process, he effectively reshapes the conversation surrounding Blackness in relation to citizenship, immigration policies, gender, kinship, and belonging. By attuning to the voices of Black Swiss and others who remain unheard in today's society, Cox proposes innovative approaches to scholarly inquiry and alternative ways of connecting with others and the world. He examines the works of Swiss Nigerian composer Charles Uzor, who composed pieces in honor of George Floyd, alongside contributions from Black Swiss artists such as DJ Maïté Chénière, clarinetist Jérémie Jolo, and rapper Nativ, as well as his own musical collaborations with the Lucerne Festival.

    Jessie Cox, *Sounds of Black Switzerland: Blackness, Music and Unthought Voices*. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 2025.

  3. Jun 9

    Magdalena Slavkova, *Conversion, Leadership and Identity of the Evangelical Roma in Bulgaria*. Paderborn, Germany: Brill Schöningh, 2025.

    In her groundbreaking research, Magdalena Slavkova combines historical and ethnographic viewpoints, making a notable contribution to our understanding of Romani evangelicalism. This phenomenon emerged in Bulgaria at the beginning of the 20th century, well before many other European nations, with various missionaries, such as Methodists, Baptists, and later Pentecostals, engaging with the Roma. The book explores the conversion journeys of both men and women from different Romani communities, highlighting their identities as followers of Jesus Christ, and illustrates how power shifts from older to younger men and from men to women through the processes facilitated by evangelism.

    Magdalena Slavkova, *Conversion, Leadership and Identity of the Evangelical Roma in Bulgaria*. Paderborn, Germany: Brill Schöningh, 2025.

  4. May 11

    Yianni Cartledge, *Ikarians in South Australia, 1900–1945: Emigration, Settlement, Community Building, and Integration*. London: Anthem Press, 2026.

    This scholarly monograph investigates a relatively unexamined diaspora that traces its roots back to the Greek Aegean Island of Ikaria. Ikaria is a small, isolated island located close to the Turkish coastline. It has a rich and independent history, characterized by times of autonomy and self-rule, including the short-lived Free State of Ikaria in 1912, which arose from the Ikarian Revolution against the Ottoman Empire. Up until the nineteenth century, the people of Ikaria were quite insular, but they began to migrate during that era. The initial Ikarian emigrants settled in Ottoman port cities and urban areas, as well as on nearby Aegean islands. Over time, Ikarians made their way to major migration centers such as Egypt and the United States. By 1910, the first Ikarians had arrived in Port Pirie, South Australia, marking the start of a long-standing tradition of Ikarian migration and settlement in that area. This book explores the experiences of Ikarians in South Australia from 1900 to 1945—a timeframe that has not been thoroughly studied, in contrast to most research on Greeks in Australia, which mainly emphasizes the mass migration that took place after World War II and the Greek Civil War. This monograph opens up avenues for future research on Ikarians in South Australia beyond 1945. The book is organized around four key themes: emigration, settlement, community development, and integration, while also examining ideas such as localism and identity as significant elements within these themes.

    Yianni Cartledge, *Ikarians in South Australia, 1900–1945: Emigration, Settlement, Community Building, and Integration*. London: Anthem Press, 2026.

  5. May 8

    Maxim Matusevich, *Six Trains of No Return: Short Stories and Novellas*. Boston: Academic Studies Press, 2026.

    This book features twelve short stories and novellas that delve into immigrant narratives and dislocations that are both deeply personal and universally significant. These tales recount past lives and loves, memories that are both delicate and sometimes unreliable, and our connections to larger historical narratives. They also reflect the Soviet Jewish experience during what was perceived as 'The End of History' in the declining days of the USSR. A French-Cambodian woman embarks on a series of enigmatic journeys to the 'killing fields' of her youth, while a confrontation in a Nigerian jail forces the narrator to confront an insurmountable moral challenge. A heartfelt friendship blossoms among three young soldiers drafted into the Soviet army, and a young man's unexpected romantic encounter with a childhood friend rekindles memories of long-forgotten schoolyard hardships. Furthermore, a pair of soldiers in the twilight of the Soviet Union experience the film Jaws for the first time at a semi-underground video salon. These stories, emotionally impactful yet tinged with gentle humour, delve into themes of displacement, belonging, and memory—resonating across diverse cultures and backgrounds.

    Maxim Matusevich, *Six Trains of No Return: Short Stories and Novellas*. Boston: Academic Studies Press, 2026.

  6. May 6

    Alice Neikirk, *The Elephant Has Two Sets of Teeth: Bhutanese Refugees and Humanitarian Governance*. Calgary: University of Alberta Press, 2023.

    This ethnography examines the experiences of Bhutanese refugees who fled their homeland, spent time in camps in Nepal, and eventually settled in the markedly different culture of Australia. During this process, they come to understand how humanitarian compassion can be manipulated to oppress, restrict, and diminish human rights. However, they also discover that this charitable system has small openings that allow for action. The Bhutanese adeptly maneuver through the conflicting expectations of being refugees as they aim to achieve citizenship. Their experiences reveal the complex power dynamics that dictate who is considered deserving of compassion. Neikirk also discusses the shift in responses to refugee crises, moving from facilitating the movement of people to enforcing their containment. This in-depth transnational study will engage those interested in refugee studies, anthropology, and development studies.

    Alice Neikirk, *The Elephant Has Two Sets of Teeth: Bhutanese Refugees and Humanitarian Governance*. Calgary: University of Alberta Press, 2023.

  7. Feb 22

    Viola Alianov-Rautenberg, *No Longer Ladies and Gentlemen: Gender and the German-Jewish Migration to Mandatory Palestine*. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2023.

    For the sixty thousand German Jews who fled Nazi Germany and found refuge in Mandatory Palestine from 1933 to 1940, migration signified radical transformations: it altered their professional and cultural lives and confronted them with a new language, climate, and society. This book intertwines German-Jewish and Israeli history, narrating the story of German-Jewish migration to Mandatory Palestine/Eretz Israel as a gender history. It argues that this migration was shaped and structured by gendered policies and ideologies, experienced by men and women in a gendered manner—from the decision to immigrate and the anticipation of change, through the effects on family life, body, self-image, and sexuality.

    Viola Alianov-Rautenberg, *No Longer Ladies and Gentlemen: Gender and the German-Jewish Migration to Mandatory Palestine*. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2023.

  8. Jan 13

    Niamatullah Ibrahimi, *The Hazaras and the Afghan State: Rebellion, Exclusion and the Struggle for Recognition*. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017

    The Hazaras of Afghanistan have faced the consequences of many destructive forces that began with the formation of the Afghan monarchy in 1747. Their relationship with the Afghan state has been characterized by numerous episodes of ethnic cleansing, mass dispossession, forced displacement, enslavement, and social and economic marginalization.  Mainly Shia in a country that is predominantly Sunni Muslim, and recognizable by their Asian features, the Hazaras have become the internal "Other" in Afghanistan. They look different and adhere to a unique interpretation of Islam in a nation that is vulnerable to internal conflict and external influences. Therefore, the history of the Hazaras offers a distinct perspective on the deep contradictions within Afghanistan as a modern state, and how its ethnic and religious complexities continue to pose challenges to the political framework established after 2001. Niamatullah Ibrahimi’s exceptionally detailed history helps us comprehend the current political situation in Afghanistan. Throughout the book, Ibrahimi adopts a balanced critical viewpoint on essentialist theories of ethnicity. He skillfully demonstrates that to fully understand Afghan politics, one must both broaden their perspective to global and transnational levels and narrow it down below the provincial level. His comprehensive account of the Hazaras’ relationship with the Afghan state not only clarifies the social and political complexities of a particularly vulnerable group; it also illuminates aspects of the state-building process in Afghanistan, highlighting the wider challenges faced by internationally-supported state-building initiatives. By concentrating on the Hazaras, Ibrahimi illustrates how ethnicity, instead of being a fundamental form of social organization, transformed into a tool for political mobilization. He evaluates the costs linked to the creation of modern nation-states in multiethnic societies by recounting the struggles endured by the Hazaras during Afghanistan's evolution. This book is a must-read for political analysts, policymakers, and anyone keen on understanding why failed multiethnic nation-states result in politics of rage and extremism in the region. This work is truly captivating as it adeptly examines the link between the formation of nation-states since the late 1800s and the politicization of ethnic identities. Ibrahimi brings to life the history of the long-oppressed Hazara minority, detailing their interactions with the Afghan state over the last two hundred years, their complex internal political conflicts, the effects of foreign interventions, and their recent strides in the ongoing pursuit of recognition. It is a story filled with bloodshed, tragedy, and yet, moments of inspiration. This book offers a fresh viewpoint on the strategies and tactics used by the Afghan state, as well as the responses from the Hazaras, focusing on three key events: the Hazara rebellion and their resistance to the Afghan state's encroachment in the 19th century; the incorporation of the Hazara homeland into Afghanistan during the 1890s, which led to their marginalization and exclusion; and the Hazaras' ethnic mobilization and their quest for recognition in recent times.

    Niamatullah Ibrahimi, *The Hazaras and the Afghan State: Rebellion, Exclusion and the Struggle for Recognition*. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017

  9. 12/26/2025

    Allison Wolf, *Just Immigration in the Americas: A Feminist Account*. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2020.

    In contrast to most theoretical discussions on immigration that commence with philosophical ideas and subsequently derive conclusions from them, this book adopts a distinct approach. It starts with actual cases and immigration policies from the United States, Mexico, Central America, and Colombia to assess immigration control and prepare us to confront it. Each chapter begins with particular immigration policies, practices, or immigrant experiences in the U.S. and Latin America, then analyzes them through the perspective of global oppression. This enables us to identify what renders these situations unethical and prepares us to react to such injustices and improve the lives of immigrants. This work stands out as one of the first thorough examinations of immigration ethics that also includes Central and South America alongside the U.S. and Mexico.

    Allison Wolf, *Just Immigration in the Americas: A Feminist Account*. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2020.
  • 9 Episodes

About

This podcast features scholarly interviews with professors specializing in refugee research, authors of recent monographs in migration studies and writers of memoirs on refugee experiences. It offers insightful academic dialogues on a variety of topics. It intends to reach students, practitioners and laypersons.

Information

  • Creator
    Ari Barbalat
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Dialogues in Refugee Studies
  • Show Website
    Dialogues in Refugee Studies