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SIHMA's Collaborations in the Academic Field
At SIHMA, the vision and the line that guides our work is based on the defence of the human rights of people on the move. With the idea of ensuring their dignity and access to the fundamental resources to develop their life projects, SIHMA focuses part of its activity on research.
OUR OBJECTIVE IN ESTABLISHING COLLABORATIVE NETWORKS:
Knowing the different contexts of the people, delving into the different perspectives of each migratory process and identifying the needs that the migrant population segment in general requires is vital. The importance of this certainly impacts on how we analyse migration policies and establish the different avenues of activism that lead us to promote and protect the rights of migrants.
Some of our work is accessible internationally through our blog "On the move" [1]. In it, we focus on the dissemination of the different migratory realities that occur in the African context through the publication of articles that address different issues. The blog is a great tool, but the deepening of certain issues is produced thanks to the synergy with other institutions and centres that allow the exchange of information.
For this reason, we do not carry out our research individually, but rather throughout our trajectory we have been fortunate enough to build a network of collaborations with different organisations that not only add different perspectives, but also nourish our knowledge.
Such collaborations happen in two ways. On the one hand, by creating connections and partnerships with other associations in order to share knowledge and research on the different realities that affect migration. On the other hand, by giving lectures and preparing trainings. Both actions are carried out in the public and private sectors, including universities, study centres and international organisations, among others [2].
The collaborations do not take place in a single geographical context, but rather we try to work on establishing relationships with centres and institutions at an international level that allow the transmission of the realities of African migration. For this reason, we work with enthusiasm when it comes to generating links with international centres and we are proud to have a long list of collaborators. And it is here that we find that although our disposition is global thanks to online dissemination, the nature of the majority of our collaborations is gaining strength mainly within the African and European sphere thanks to the construction of frameworks for exchange and group work. Reciprocity with the centres on this list of collaborators generates a network that extends to a regional level comprising different universities and study centres across the African continent, and to a European level encompassing different universities and research centres.
AT THE EUROPEAN LEVEL:
Some examples of such collaborations at the university level at the European level would be:
- The Catholic University of Milan (Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore) where they have a Master's programme under the name "Policies for international development cooperation" (Politiche per la cooperazione internazionale allo sviluppo). Within the framework of this master's programme, SIHMA members have been able to give some lectures focused on the dissemination of the different challenges posed by the migration issue and its characteristics. In addition, SIHMA's involvement in this master's degree also seeks to add a fieldwork perspective with migrants in order to complement the theoretical training of the programme's students.
- The University of Valencia (Universitat de València), which has an international master's degree programme in migration, hosts within its course structure more than one subject taught by members of different research centres of the Scalabrinian network [2 - https://www.scalabriniani.org/en/scalabrini-international-migration-network-simn/] around the world, such as the Centre d'information et d'études sur les migrations internationales (CIEMI) and the Centro Studi Emigrazione Roma (CSER). The Scalabrinian network has also been able to take part in different editions of the summer school organised by this master's programme.
SIHMA's forms of participation do not only address classroom participation but also include the offer of internship programmes providing research positions for students who want to further study the different issues of migration in the African context [3].
AT THE AFRICAN LEVEL:
Within the African continental context, the network of collaborators also extends in a broad and multidisciplinary way, orienting SIHMA's action not only to teaching but also to the development of research on the particularities of the different migratory flows that occur on the African continent, and which make African human mobility a challenge to study. Some of the African universities with which SIHMA collaborates are:
- University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University: In both institutions, lectures, conferences and different trainings on the subject of migration are organised within different study programmes. Not only are the specific characteristics of the different migratory flows addressed, but also the legislative implications of the defence of the rights of those who are on the move.
- University of Witwatersrand: This university has the African Centre for Migration & Society. This institute, dedicated to the study of migration, collaborates with SIHMA in the objective of broadening the knowledge of the characteristics of migratory groups on the African continent, as well as offering training courses for students and professionals in the area [4].
- University of Western Cape: The partnership between SIHMA and UWC culminates in the AHMR journal [5]. This publication addresses a wide range of issues concerning migration and generates debate through the discussion of topical issues. This free and open access journal also serves as a reference point for all those interested in proposing their articles for publication.
SIHMA continues to work to expand its work and presence on the African continent either through partnerships with associations, participating in different projects and supporting the research work of other study teams. With the clear objective of promoting the well-being and respect for the rights of migrants as well as creating a knowledge base around the cause of migration and its impact on contemporary and future societies.
James Chapman and Nicolette Pérez Verwer
SIHMA SIHMA
Project Manager Research and Communications Intern
INTEREST IN WRITING SOMETHING FOR SIHMA?
If you are interested in contributing to the SIHMA Blog on the Move please contact us at: https://www.sihma.org.za/contact or if you are interested writing an article to be reviewed and published in the African Human Mobility Review, please follow this link on making a submission: https://www.sihma.org.za/submit-an-article
REFERENCES:
[1] https://sihma.org.za/blog-on-the-move
[2] https://sihma.org.za/network-partners
[3] https://sihma.org.za/Blog-on-the-move/new-interns-starting-at-sihma-from-the-university-of-valencia
[4] https://www.wits.ac.za/acms/
[5] https://sihma.org.za/journal
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