Natalie Brinham talks about the rich field of statelessness studies, how survivors of state crime disrupt dominant discourse around “legal identity”, and her experience of conducting qualitative research with Rohingya in the wake of the genocide in 2017. 

At that time, she was set to carry-out fieldwork for her PhD, but instead, took a bold step back, and changed her plans to enable a more ethical research process. She says: “when trauma is so fresh and widespread traditional research can sometimes do more harm than good.”

The interview was conducted by Samanwita Paul.

Dr Natalie Brinham (aka Alice Cowley) is a genocide and state crime scholar. She is coauthor (with Zarni) of the 2014 study titled ‘The Slow Burning Genocide of Myanmar’s Rohingya.’ She has worked for many years in NGOs in the U.K. and Southeast Asia on forced migration, trafficking and statelessness in both frontline service provision roles and research and advocacy roles. She has published policy papers, academic articles, and opeds on statelessness, legal identities and genocide. She completed her PhD in legal studies at Queen Mary University of London in 2022. Understanding genocide as a sociological process, her doctoral thesis explores the central role of state identification schemes in Myanmar’s genocide, from enabling systems of segregation and institutionalised discrimination, to the physical destruction of the group, to identity destruction and the reorganisation of national identities and power relations. Drawing on Rohingya oral histories and narratives relating to their ID cards, the research considers how survivors of state crime disrupt international discourses on statelessness and legal identities for all.  In October 2023, Dr Natalie Brinham will begin an ESRC Post Doctoral Fellowship at Migration Mobilities Bristol at the University of Bristol.

Ep.4 (S4): Natalie Brinham On Statelessness And Research Ethics

“Migrating is a very difficult and dangerous thing if you're doing it undocumented, but also it's a very beautiful thing because you're walking, you're meeting people, you're talking… I hope this is not romanticizing the pain they experience, but I think... my book tries to show that they experience both. They are people, they are complete people, who are enduring the journey and sometimes enjoying the journey while walking alongside other people and interacting and expressing things.” 

In this episode, we hear Itzel Eguiluz speaking with Alejandra Díaz de León about her book “Walking Together: Central Americans and Transit Migration through Mexico”, which was published in 2023.

Alejandra talks about how the journey of Central American migrants walking north, through Mexico, is about much more than just having practical strategies to survive the journey –solidarity, trust and social bonds that are formed along the way, can also be valuable elements of the experience. We hear about what Alejandra calls “road families” and how during their journeys, migrants form communities around their common understanding and experiences of crossing Mexico.

Alejandra would like to acknowledge Dr. Yasemin Soysal and
Dr Carlos Gigoux for their contribution/support. 

Alejandra's research  benefitted from funding through the CONACyT scholarship and SLAS.

Alejandra Díaz de León is an assistant professor of migration and violence at the Center for Sociological Studies at the Colegio de Mexico, in Mexico City. She holds a PhD in Sociology and an MA in Human Rights from the University of Texas. 

Her research focuses on human rights, solidarity, and the creation of bonds, trust, and cooperation among strangers during contexts of violence and uncertainty, like the transit of Central Americans through Mexico and to the United States.

Also check out these publications by Alejandra:
Díaz de León, Alejandra. “Family Dynamics, Violence and Transit Migration through Mexico.” Third World Quarterly 0, no. 0 (May 16, 2023): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2023.2193321.

Díaz de León, Alejandra. “Why Do You Trust Him? The Construction of the Good Migrant in the Mexican Migrant Route.” European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies 111 (2021): 1–17.  https://doi.org/10.32992/erlacs.10645.

Díaz de León, Alejandra. “Resignation and Resistance: How Do Undocumented Central American Migrants View Detention in Mexico? Journal of Latin American Geography 22, no. 1 (2023): 11–30. 

Díaz de León, Alejandra. “Keep Them Out! Border Enforcement and Violence since 1986.” In These Ragged Edges: Histories of Violence along the U.S.-Mexico Border, edited by Andrew J. Torget and Gerardo Gurza-Lavalle. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2022. 

While you're here – we, at the IMISCOE Migration podcast, would like to give you a recommendation for another, related podcast episode from the “Borders and Belonging” podcast, which is produced by our friends at Toronto Metropolitan University. They are currently releasing their second season, and have a really interesting episode on Mexicans migrants in the US who are from indigenous groups – check it out! 
This is the link: https://www.torontomu.ca/cerc-migration/borders-and-belonging/#!tab-1699366719120-ep--2

Ep.8 (S4): Alejandra Díaz de León on "road families" en route to the Mexico-US border

Check out the "Migration Talks" podcast and their recent episode on the impact of migration narratives on EU policymaking, just in time before the EP elections this month.

In this episode, the "Migration Talks" team explores how migration narratives shape the upcoming European elections and influence policymaking in Brussels. These narratives are central to discussions and policies across Europe, especially as far-right parties amplify them as security threats for electoral gains. What are the prevailing migration narratives within the EU, and how do they impact the policymaking processes of the European Union? These and more questions will be answered by Florian Trauner, Co-director of BIRMM and Omar Ba who is a community organizer, activist and politician. 

You will find the Migration Talks podcast here: Migration Talks: 
https://birmm.research.vub.be/migration-talks-a-podcast-by-birmm

Introducing: Migration Talks - The Impact Of Migration Narratives On EU Policymaking

The field of migration and mobility studies is vast and has grown exponentially over the past decades. To make sense of the movement of people, this podcast explores migration and mobility research globally. Providing a platform for migration scholars to speak about their projects, ideas and insights, The IMISCOE Migration Podcast aims to publicize what happens inside universities around the world. This is a podcast by the research community for everyone interested in knowing more about academic research on migration. 

Download or subscribe to hear about new books, or listen to one of our episodes in which we speak to scholars about ideas that changed how we think about migration. 

Team for season 5:
Production: 
Kate Dearden 

Team & Programming Coordinators: 
Milena Belloni, Roos Derrix, Mark Marvin Kadigo

Financial Administration & Engagement: 
Asya Pisarevskaya

Interviews: 
Amanda Paz Alencar, Liberty Chee, Silindile Mlilo, Itzel Eguiluz, Samanwita Paul

New tracks tagged #Social Science &amp; Humanities

New tracks tagged #Social Science & Humanities