The reality of the protection system around the world and in South Asia today presents a bleak and complex situation. A sharp contrast between the strength of the global protection system and the responsibility at the margin.
PLANNING MEETING
GLOBAL PROTECTION OF MIGRANTS & REFUGEES
PLANNING MEETING ON THE PROJECT ON
This research focuses on the Indian issue and examines the performativity of Indian state hospitality. This broad regional canvas should be taken into account when discussing the evolution of a protection regime.
RESEARCH BRIEFS
According to estimates, of all the persons whose names are not in the final draft of the NRC, four million happen to belong to the "working class". Today's Assamese nationalism tries to be translated and enacted within the template of authentic opposition.
EVENTS AT
COLLABORATING UNIVERSITIES
COLLABORATION WITH JADAVPUR UNIVERSITY
Public Lecture by Simon Behrman, Royal Holloway, University of London
Simon Behrman drew attention to the criticisms that often come with using the term "climate refugees" as a political tool rather than an accurate legal tool. But the indefinite extension of the term refugee will dilute its legal term and power, because it is a legal status.
Public Lecture by Liza Schuster, City University, London
The session ended with an interesting round of questions that dispelled myths surrounding Afghan refugees, the role of international organizations and the future of migrants and refugees in a climate of such political instability. Chairperson Sudeshna Banerjee briefly reflected on the institutions that provide asylum to refugees in Afghanistan.
COLLABORATION WITH RABINDRA BHARATI UNIVERSITY
Public Lecture by Ravi Palat, State University of New York, Binghamton
Better control of the water provided an efficient alternative to the expansion of cultivation, and the water supply could be better regulated on small plots of land. So it was these many claims to the landed property that led to the European claim that there was a lack of private property in land in Asia”.
SPECIAL LECTURE
FRIDAY LECTURES
Public Lecture by Ranabir Samaddar, Calcutta Research Group, Kolkata
Finally, Samaddar praised the "migrant's way" of writing these three books - where the authors are a small part of the world they present to their readers. The participants, after clarifying their unfamiliarity with the details of the books under discussion, posed some interesting questions to the lecturer. He expanded his appreciation of the writing style in the three books, especially the techniques used in writing.
The way in which the books are told is never an account of the migrant”, but is a reflection of the social relations around the self. The people who write these three books have written as "non-migrants", with nothing distinguishing their writing except the description of the passage.
ORIENTATION
CONCEPT NOTE
The conference had panels on topics ranging from the nature of the global protection regime, rising statelessness, the South Asian scenario of forced migration, global capitalism, the refugee economy and migrant labour, issues of race, gender and resources on the map of protection, and border areas. Many invited international speakers of world renown discussed important contemporary issues in the field of migration at the conference.
PROGRAMME
26 November 2019 Venue: Hotel Monotel, Kolkata
Theme Lecture by Paula Banerjee, University of Calcutta & Calcutta Research Group, Kolkata 12:30-01:00: Discussion. Alkistis Prepi, National Technical University of Athens, Athens & Konstantinos Gousis, University of Roehampton, London.
Module B
Topic Lecture by Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury, Rabindra Bharati University and Calcutta Research Group, Calcutta. Place: School of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, Jadavpur University Liza Schuster, City, University of London, London and Reza Hussaini, Kabul University, Kabul &. 11:30 am – 01:00 pm: Topic Lecture for Module D: Borderlands and Migrant Labor Chair: Subir Bhaumik, Calcutta Research Group, Calcutta.
Module C
Module D
28 November, 2019 Venue: Hotel Monotel, Kolkata
Module E
Module F
Chair: Samir Kumar Das, University of Calcutta and Calcutta Research Group, Calcutta Report Presentation of Research Workshop Modules A, B, C. The Migration Crisis in the Global South: Protection and Rehabilitation Issues Chair: Paula Banerjee, University of Calcutta and Calcutta Research Group, Kolkata Discussant: Sheila Meintjes, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. After the welcome address and introductions, Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury presented an overview of the workshop.
The stable and sustainable repatriation of refugees depends on “changing circumstances in the country of origin” and “their ties to home/homeland”. She provided a detailed account of the narratives of violence faced by Rohingya refugee women.
Conference Proceedings
These labels were used interchangeably in the media of the time and in government communication. In the case of the Rohingya refugees it would have been useful to adhere to the 1951 Convention. In Germany, in the second half of the twentieth century, immigration provided the country with ready work.
Samir Kumar Das emphasized the importance of the spirit of law becoming law, which is always in the process of becoming. Aurel Eschmann, Shyamalendu Majumdar, Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury and Samir Kumar Das (from left to right) in the closing session of the conference.
FEEDBACK ON THE EVENT
The local participants from the city of Kolkata were the backbone of the conference. The format of the conference with thematic lectures followed by parallel module sessions was excellent. In addition, documentaries and popular films about migration and refugees can be shown in the future during the evening or after dinner on any day of the conference.
The conference brochure had detailed the abstracts and biographical details of the conference participants. However, the MCRG is suggested to establish the contact details of the conference participants, which may be useful for future conversations and collaborations between the conference participants.
FIELD VISITS
KOLKATA – A MIGRANT CITY
Field Visit to Metiabruz, Kolkata: A Report 28 November 2019
The path led to the Suriname Ghat which was the first stop of the field trip. The jetties were known by the name of the destination to which the ships sailed. The third stop was Bichali Ghat on the banks of river Hugli which provides morning to evening ferry service from the eastern bank to the western bank of the river connecting the neighborhood of Metiabruz in the western part of Kolkata city with Howrah.
The workshop and conference participants engaged in an interesting discussion with the members of the Sibtainabad Imambara Trust and young activists, students and individuals involved in the upkeep of the Imambara Trust, drawn from migrant families in the locality. Residents of the neighborhood during their conversations with the participants of the Imambara emphasized the coexistence of all religious beliefs and workers in the organized and unorganized sectors surviving in peace and harmony.
Field Visit to Priya Manna Bustee, Howrah: A Report 28 November 2019
Toilets and drains etc. have been built in the Priya Manna Bustee as part of the project. In the past 21 years, several thousand young boys and girls have attended Talimi Huq School. Amina discussed in detail the issues facing their slum community and their experiences of running the school.
Amina along with a team of female volunteers has worked extensively in family planning and maternity health in the slum. Earlier, people in the Priya Manna bustee used to participate in Holi (a Hindu festival of colors) and Diwali with their Hindu neighbors.
The discussion about the book was followed by brief remarks by the contributors to the book. Iman Mitra, Shiv Nadar University, New Delhi elaborated on the infrastructure projects carried out in the northeast and the funders behind these projects. She emphasized the importance of digital connectivity and the connectivity in spaces as the relevant areas of connectivity.
He highlighted the changes in the policies and programs after the change of government at the center in 2014. Looking specifically at the case of Assam, Mitra also pointed out the insecurity of the linguistic and religious minorities.
He highlighted the issue of NRC by explaining the different effects of the policy for different religious groups using examples from his field study. She argued that the social structure of the area is absolutely unique and that there are many contradictions and identity politics. Next, Randeria spoke about the implications of the term "race". In Western Europe, the dialogue about race has given way to a discussion about the incommensurability of cultures, where the mixing of races is discouraged.
In this light, Poland's initiative to provide support for children with a growing number of children, regardless of parents' income, can be characterized as an anti-abortion agenda. In the case of Hungary, there is a great demand for training and education of the population to combat the brain drain.
PUBLICATIONS
Aditi Mukherjee “Migration and the Evolution of a 'City of Protection': Kolkata from the Interrogation of Citizenship: Eastern and Northeastern India Perspectives, Policies and Practices 109. Estifanos “Auto-Ethnography as a Research Method: Lessons from Field Research in the Informal Sphere of South Africa Economy,” Policy and Practices 110. Anoushka Roy “The In-Betweens: A Survey of the Quality of Life of the Self-Employed in the North East in Kolkata, India,” Borderlands, Migration and Labour, Policies and Practices 111.
An article on the Fourth Annual Research and Orientation Workshop and Conference on Global Protection of Migrants and Refugees was published in Kolkata Korcha, Anandabazar Patrika on 25 November 2019.
AUDIO-VISUAL RESOURCES
Yordanos Estifanos discussed his research on labor migration in South Africa and the vagaries of the informal labor market. Like any other large megacity, Calcutta, with more than three hundred years of recorded history, is a city of migrants. Although some of the migrant communities have now dwindled, they left their mark by lending the city their culture, architecture, cuisine and many more things.
In percentage, the people of Calcutta Urban Agglomeration were found to be immigrants, where they all came from and what they did in the city. Circular migration and the persistence of poverty provide one of Calcutta's iconic images: the hand-pulled rickshaw.
THE RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
Kusumika Ghosh, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati & Calcutta Research Group, Kolkata, [email protected]. Byasdeb Dasgupta, University of Kalyani, Kalyani & President, Calcutta Research Group, Kolkata, [email protected]. Maidul Islam, Center for Studier i Samfundsvidenskab Calcutta, Kolkata, [email protected] Nasreen Chowdhory, University of Delhi, New Delhi & Calcutta Research Group, Kolkata, [email protected].
సబ్యసాచి బసు రే చౌదరి, రవీంద్ర భారతి విశ్వవిద్యాలయం మరియు కలకత్తా రీసెర్చ్ గ్రూప్, కోల్కతా, [email protected]. ప్రశాంత రే, కలకత్తా రీసెర్చ్ గ్రూప్, కోల్కతా, [email protected] రవి పాలట్, స్టేట్ యూనివర్శిటీ ఆఫ్ న్యూయార్క్, బింగ్హామ్టన్, [email protected].
CALCUTTA RESEARCH GROUP
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