- Monday, March 6, 2017
- 7:30 PM–10:00 PM
- Meeter Center Lecture Hall
Refugee Protection Gaps, Indifferent States, and the Role of Faith Communities and Civil Society
Stephanie Nawyn is the featured speaker for the Bouma Lecture Series hosted by the Sociology and Social Work Department.
As a preview to her lecture, titled "Refugee Protection Gaps, Indifferent States, and the Role of Faith Communities and Civil Society", Nawyn says, "The Syrian conflict has produced the largest refugee population since WWII. Coupled with other regional conflicts as well as displacement in other parts of the world, as a global society we face a particularly acute set of political and moral challenges to respond to historic levels of displacement. Nation-states have responded to these challenges by hardening borders and rejecting their international responsibilities, creating gaps in refugee protection. Within those gaps, civil society, including faith communities, have stepped in. In this lecture, I will explore this dynamic, highlighting the opportunities and limitations of this strategy for ensuring the rights of refugees."
Nawyn's work has primarily focused on refugee resettlement and the economic advancement of African migrants in the U.S. More recently Dr. Nawyn began a study of human trafficking in Turkey, and was a Fulbright Fellow at Istanbul University during the 2013-14 academic year. Dr. Nawyn is an Associate Professor and the Co-Director of Academic Programs, Outreach, and Engagement at the Center for Gender in Global Context at Michigan State University.
