Public Lecture Series
New Eastern Arc of Sanctuary Seminar Series Launch 2026
We are delighted to be part of the new Eastern Arc of Sanctuary seminar series. The aim of the seminar series is to create opportunities for a wide range of voices – from the Eastern Arc universities and beyond – to speak to current challenges and issues relating to embedding concepts of welcome in higher education institutions.
The first will be hosted by UEA and will focus on ‘Freedom of Speech and Sanctuary in UK Higher Education: Friends or Foes in 2026?’
In this inaugural research seminar, Professor Anshuman Mondal from the University of East Anglia and Professor David Ruebain from the University of Sussex will join an informal conversation on freedom of speech and sanctuary in UK Higher Education.
Key topics to be covered include the meaning of “free speech”, how different political actors invoke “freedom of speech” for strategic purposes, and the relationship between freedom of speech, inclusion and sanctuary at UK universities. The seminar will start with a conversation between Professor Anshuman Mondal, Professor David Ruebain and the moderator (Dr Ulrike Theuerkauf, University of East Anglia), and then be opened to further conversation with audience members.
Registration
The session will take place on Wednesday 28 January 2026, 1-2pm and is open to all. To register, click here.
Previous Public Lectures
October 2022- Climate Change and Migration.
Esmatullah Khyber, PhD student, School of International Development.
This lecture explored human migration and its relationship to climate change and included cases from Afghanistan and other developing nations. The lecture concluded with a discussion of possible solutions and policy options.
March 2023- Qualification Passports for Refugees. Abass Isiaka (EDU), Theresa Frey (EDU) & Yann Lebeau (EDU) and chaired by Lauren Bouttell (EDU).
This lecture examined how the UNESCO Global Convention and Concurrent Introduction of the UNESCO Qualification Passport for Refugees is being translated into Higher Education, National and Institutional Policies.
June 2023-Adult Learning in Scotland and England. Lauren Bouttell, PhD candidate, School of Education and Life Long Learning, UEA. Lauren shared details of her research which focuses on the lack of funding for adult education for those with a background of forced migration in the UK. This lecture explored the role of community organisations in facilitating learning.
October 2021- What next for the UK's asylum system? University of Sanctuary online roundtable event. In this online roundtable, Kirsten McConnachie (UEA), Nikos Skoutaris (UEA) and Ben Jackson (Together with Refugees) discussed the current state and likely future of the UK’s asylum system. Topics discussed included the impact of Brexit on the UK’s border management and asylum system; the implications of the Home Office’s New Plan for Immigration for the governance of refugees; and the effects of structural changes to the UK’s asylum system on the everyday experiences of asylum-seekers and refugees.
June 2021- Sanctuary During The Pandemic: Refugee And Asylum-seeker Experiences At Times Of COVID-19 Drawing on observations from refugee camps in Greece and networks in Norwich (UK), Dr Yasir Hameed (Psychiatrist and Honorary Lecturer at UEA), Dr Ludek Stavinoha (UEA), Parwana Amiri (Human Rights Activist), Béatrice Humarau (Bridge Plus), Rosie Sexton (English +), and Amélie Sells (New Routes) discussed how the pandemic context has affected the provision of sanctuary support.
Key themes covered included the securitisation of refugee camps in Greece, obstacles in mental health care provision and challenges in applying for refugee status in the UK.
May 2021- 'The Gendered Security of the Refugee Journey'.
Juliet Colman, Founder and Director of SecurityWomen. Juliet discussed how the violence and lack of security experienced by sanctuary seekers is different for women and men, and how the ‘receiving’ countries for sanctuary seekers have the opportunity to restore decency and dignity and better economic and social change.
Decolonising Academia Series: Realisation and Beyondnising Academia: Realisation and Beyond. This seminar series focused on what ‘decolonisation’—a term that has gained much traction in recent times and has generated various critique—entails in academia, and the role of academics in challenging colonial structures that form the foundations of the modern world.
All seminars in this series were organised by PhD researchers in International Development and Politics: Francesca Chiu, Touseef Mir, and Moé Suzuki, supported by the School of International Development and the University of Sanctuary.
November 2020- 'Decolonisation: Meaning and significance of decolonising academia'. Prof. Dibyesh Anand and Dr. Claire Hynes in conversation with PhD Researcher Touseef Mir. The second session of this series focused on the meaning and significance of ‘decolonisation’, and why academia in general and academics in particular should care about it.
October 2020- 'Ms. Yuen Chan and Prof. Anshuman Mondal in conversation with PhD Researcher Francesca Chiu'. In this first seminar, the focuse was on The Politics of Being Apolitical. What does it mean to engage in politics as academics, and in academia? How might ‘non-engagement’ or claims about being ‘neutral’ serve as a form of politics in itself?
To watch the recording of this seminar, please click here.
April 2020- 'Language sanctuaries: why language is integral to the arts of integration'. Alison Phipps, UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts. The webinar was a joint event with the UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts at Glasgow University.
In this webinar, Alison Phipps with Gameli Tordzro, Naa Densua Tordzro, Tawona Sitholé, Giovanna Fassetta and Sahar Alshobaki presented the work of the UNESCO Chair for Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts. The webinar included an examination of different policies that focus on integration through language acquisition; a critical assessment of the pitfalls in focusing on language acquisition as a technological or technocratic ‘fix’ to the tasks accompanying integration; a discussion of the ways in which a monolingual perspective dominates and shapes understandings of the language acquisition; and a consideration of shifting policy landscapes.
To watch the full webinar, click here.
October 2019- 'Intercultural understanding on sexual health and relationships among recently resettled refugees and asylum seekers'. Presenters: Burcu Evren, Catherine Jere, Chris Millora, Esther Priyadharshini, Anna Robinson-Pant (UEA), Dee Robinson & Roshan Dykes (New Routes Integration) and Chris Simmons (Terrence Higgins Trust)
During this lecture, the presenters discussed the origins of and key findings from a participatory action research project that seeks to enhance intercultural understanding on sexual and gender relations among recently-resettled communities. The project led to the production of a workshop guidance pack on this topic, which can be found here.
March 2019 – Dr Rayah Feldman, ‘The Impact on Migrant Women of NHS Charging for Maternity Care’. Rayah Feldman discussed her report for Maternity Action, What Price Safe Motherhood?. The report explored the impact of charges for NHS maternity care on migrant women during and after their pregnancies.
January 2019- Dr Mark Doidge, University of Brighton, ‘Active Integration: Sport Taking an Active Role in the Integration of Refugees’. Mark Doidge discussed how the participation of migrants with a refugee background in community sport can play a role in fostering a sense of community belonging.
November 2018– ‘Empowering the Newly Arrived Child within Mainstream Schools: The Challenges of Diversity, Communication and Social Morality’. Madeleine Arnot discussed the roles and needs of newly-arrived migrant children in mainstream schools, and what strategies might help to empower them.