“How open are my political structures to refugee women*?” This question, posed by Bethi and Doris from Women* in Exile & Friends (WiE), a self-organized group of refugee women*, prompted us, as graduate students of Gender Studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), to reflect on barriers to equal participation in political organizing and ways to overcome them. We got the opportunity to talk with Bethi and Doris during a workshop, held at the very beginning of last semester on June 04, 2024 at the Grimm Zentrum (HU), organized as part of our seminar “Migration and Borders: Political Theory and Postcolonial Critique”, which took place over two semesters from October 2023 until July 2024. Despite our diverse backgrounds, we share the goal of critically examining power relations in knowledge production and collaborating with activist communities, rather than doing research on them. This article explores the marginalization of refugee women* in both scholarship and political organizing, highlighting the extractivist approaches often seen in research.

Structual Barriers to High Education

In Germany, the path to academic careers is particularly narrow for those without an Abitur or a formal education in Germany. This includes a host of bureaurcatic requirements – passing the Studienkolleg, achieving high proficiency in German or English, and obtain official translations documents, to name a few. This highly restricts refugee women*‘s access to higher education and with that also to the position of researchers, many of whom may have lost key documents during their journey to refuge or having left them behind before fleeing the country.

Yet, even where refugee women* are being approached to participate in research, many times it is not so much as subjects but as objects of research. This is in disregard both of their subjectivity and of their active role in the production of knowledge. In other words, research is most often made about refugee women* rather than with them. This practice constitutes what we understand as extractivism of activist knowledge. This extractivist relation between researcher and refugee women* can manifest itself in different ways: by a lack from the research process – for example, by disregarding their needs when determining the research question(s) and the methodology, as well as by misuising their knowledge.

As Ruth Wilson Gilmore unequivocally writes, “the Academy is in crisis” (Gilmore 2022: 52). In order to find a way out of this perplexing situation, immediate solutions are strongly nedded. One approach highlights the necessity of perspectives that challenge the “epistemological possibilities” dominated by Western academia (Ibid: 63). For example, privileged texts are hard to access or in languages shaped by the histories (and present) of coloniality, such as Enflish and German. This is however not the only way the ‘crisis’ manifest itself.

Why does activist knowledge matter – in academia?

In the seminar “Migration and Borders”, we discussed the impact and valuation of activist knowledge(s) within academia. In the context of increasing racist violence and the precarious conditions faced by many refugees due to asylum system reforms in Germany and the EU, the situation of refugee women*, the challenges of political organizing, and the extractivist approaches to scholarly research became crucial points of discussion. Migration Studies are generally skewed toward policy development, often using racist categories and narratives to describe migration phenomena. Migration itself is typically framed as unidimensional, focusing on a one-way movement from the Global South to the Global North, while migration from North to South or migration within the Global South is rarely acknowledged or researched. For example, so-called “expats or elite businesspeople” from the Global North are often absent from migration research and broader debates about immigration (Bradley/Noronha 2022: 6). We might ask here: who really researches topics like migration?

In order to counter these barriers, we believe it’s essential to reflect on our own critical standpoint and positionality. Therefore it’s necessary in each research process to make our own reflections and research design transparent. Here a few sample questions from our questionnaire:

• Have you thought about at what point you want to involve the activists in the research process?
• How acknowledged is the positionality of the participants, and how does it contribute to structuring these exchanges ?
• What form will the activists’ participation in your research take?
• Will you adapt the research focus and concepts based on the activists’ needs?

During a workshop with WiE, Bethi and Doris spoke about the practical challenges of applying “intersectionality” in their activism. One striking examples they shared was the very practical sense in which they used the word “intersectionality”, for instance, mentioning the challenges they faced when trying to make their spaces more inclusive for refugee women* with disabilities. Unlike in academia, where intersectionality is often an abstract concept, for WiE activist, it represents a lived experience that requires tangible solutions. This example demonstrates how activist knowledge provides a critical perspective in how abstract theories like intersectionality are put in real world-context.

Building on these reflection, a starting point for rethinking how we can foster more inclusive and equitable forms of collaboration and solidarity could be to address the following questions which were raised during the workshop: “What are the barriers that prevent people from equal participation? What do we need to work together? How are we connected?” Following Bethis and Dori’s example, we would like to conclude by thinking collectively about collaboration and solidarity. How can we create processes of collaboration and exchange? What do we need to work with each other?

Shaping Processes of Collaboration

To foster collaboration and solidarity, we need rooms where we can come together and identify shared goals. For these rooms to be effective, it’s important to reflect on one’s positionality and role within discussions. How much space should one take up? When is it appropriate to listen and make room for others? When does privilege require a more active role? Through these exchanges, we can focus on common goals and work out how to get there together. While critically reflecting on these questions, we encourage you to become Friends of Women* in Exile, as the shared experience of being a refugee is not a prerequisite for working towards transformative justice. In practicing solidarity, more voices are needed.

Women* in Exile regularly organizes events that provide opportunities to engage in solidarity, knowledge transfer, and the connection of struggles (for example, the arts and culture festival at Oranienplatz from August 23rd to 25th, 2024 a significant space for Berlin’s refugee movement).

These events offer spaces to learn, collaborate and actively support the cause. While attending such events is a meaningful step, real change requires not only short-term engagement but also long-term commitment and continuity. Solidarität muss praktisch werden!

For that reason, we encourage everyone to come by, get to know their work and support in whichever way your resources allow! You can donate to WiE.

 

References

Bradley, Gracie Mae/Noronha, Luke De (2022) Against Borders. The Case for Abolition. London and New York: Verso.
Gilmore, Ruth Wilson (2022) Abolitionist Geography. Essays Towards Liberation. London and New York: Verso.

 

Mera Adolf, Sandrina Bahlo, Ivo Maria de Lonet Delgado Jörgens, Carolina de Oliveira Kfouri, Anne Kühlmeyer, Leah Maarschalk, Sarah Naqvi, Elinor Adina Reinicke and Jania Reviaka are currently studying the M.A. Gender Studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.