Broadening Boundaries
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Intersectionality and Forced Migration in Indigenous Women in Mexico: Tzotzil Women in the City of Querétaro View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ilithya Guevara
Latin America has been characterized by historical gender, ethnic, and racial inequalities, reflected in gaps in the well-being, recognition, autonomy, and exercise of rights of women concerning men and indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants concerning non-indigenous populations nor Afro-descendants. One of the impacts that these inequalities have is forced migration in the face of political, criminal, or social violence that drives families and peoples into exile. Uneven development, coupled with ethnic, political, and religious conflicts, have been the main causes of internal displacement and forced migration in Chiapas. The work focuses on the case of Tzotzil women, who for a little over 5 years have been developing their economic life on the streets in the city of Querétaro. From a qualitative perspective, which emphasizes the perception of those who have been victims of this problem through in-depth interviews and emotional encounters that enable the exchange. It is part of a broader investigation, the first results are presented to identify the inequalities that led them to migrate, characteristics of mobility, as well as a general diagnosis of the conditions in which they live. Considering in the analysis the gender and intersectional perspective that allows us to understand how the different inequalities intersect when we talk about indigenous, rural, and migrant women -to highlight the different problems faced at the destination.
International Indigenous Diplomacy in Contemporary Times
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session David Wilkins
This paper examines the rationale, structure, and goals of contemporary treaty-making between Indigenous nations. While a number of international states negotiated treaties and other diplomatic accords with Native nations in the past (Canada continues the tradition today), most of that interracial and intercultural diplomacy ended in the late 19th century. Native nations, however, had historically forged such accords before colonialism ravaged their societies and beginning in the late 20th century they began a new surge of diplomatic international accord making. This paper examines what the issues are that are driving this political activity and closely looks at the political, legal, and cultural import of these treaties.
Unaccompanied Refugee Children: A Socio-ecological Exploration of Resilience in Inner-city Johannesburg View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sinoyolo Godongwana
Migration is not a new phenomenon for children and adults in many regions. However, the world is witnessing an ever-increasing movement of children across the globe. Hopes of better livelihoods, educational opportunities, the surge in prolonged crises and exposure to adversities are pushing ever more significant numbers of children to leave their homes. Enroute and upon arrival in host destinations, these children experience a number of adversities. This paper focuses on unaccompanied refugee children in an urban environment. It seeks to contribute to the understanding of this phenomenon by exploring—first—the concept of childhood and—socond—the experiences that unaccompanied refugee children are confronted with enroute to and while navigating their daily lives in Johannesburg's inner-city. In so doing, it aims to challenge the universal notion that children are humans that are yet to become. By exploring child agency, this study aims to contribute to the understanding of children as active agents of their journeys. The fundamental contention I make is that there is a need to go beyond simply appreciating children as social actors in an attempt to unearth the contexts in which their everyday agency unfolds. It is also vital to inquire about the type of agency that these children have, how they obtain and utilise it, and how their agency connects them to their resourcefulness; and how that—essentially—impacts on their health and well-being.
