Dr. Doná is Reader in Refugee Studies specialising in conflict and reconciliation, child and youth migration, and psycho-social assistance.  Her research has a geographical focus on Central America and East Africa.

Giorgia has held positions at the Oxford University's Refugee Studies Centre (UK), the Child Studies Unit of University College Cork (Ireland) and the Emergency Unit of the Italian Foreign Office (in Rwanda).  Giorgia has undertaken consultancy work for UNICEF, governments, and non-governmental organisations.  Her research projects have been supported by the Leverhulme Trust, the European Community, the UK Department for International Development and the UK Department of Health.

Giorgia teaches undergraduate level Anthropology, the postgraduate MA in Refugee Studies and PhD programmes.

She is member of the Research Excellence Framework School working group (Social Sciences) and the University representative on the  Council for Assisting Refugee Academics/Scholars at Risk UK Universities Network.

• Refugee and forced migration studies

• Ethnic violence and genocide

• Reconciliation

• Children in conflict and post-conflict

• Trauma interventions in humanitarian assistance

• Culture and well-being

• Psycho-social analysis of forced migration

• Participatory research methodologies

• Bsc Anthropology

• MA Refugee Studies

• PhD Programme

Modules:

• AI 2146 Anthropology of Refugees
• AIM 406 Introduction to Forced Migration
• AIM 410 Psycho-social Analysis of Forced Migration
• AIM 204 Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences
• AIM 403 Dissertation (MA in Refugee Studies)

Supervision of PhD students

Godin Marie "Gender, transnational links and the Congolese diaspora"

Khurshid Meehan "Psychotherapy with asylum seeking children"

Leadbitter Helen "Meeting the health care and support needs of refugee and asylum seeking families with particular reference to the impact of illness and disability on the young people within the family unit"

Munavu, Michael, Charles 'The influence of indigenous ethnic culture on communal self help and volunteering in Eastern Kenya'

Giorgia's current research explores the intersection of individual and national narratives in conflict and post-conflict transition.

1. ‘Bystanders to the Rwandan Genocide: Revisiting Genocide Narratives and Reconciliation Initiatives’

(Leverhulme Fellowship, funded by the Leverhulme Trust)

The project challenges dominant narratives of ethnic violence that are focussed on victims and perpetrators, and it documents the experiences of ‘bystanders’ to violence: witnesses, children of mixed ethnicity, diasporic communities, and family members of both victims and perpetrators. Methodologically, the project combines desktop analysis of published testimonies, collection of life histories and fieldwork in Rwanda and Europe. Theoretically, the project problematises our understanding of the category ‘bystander’ when this category is used to explain in-country socio-political relations of violence rather than non-involvement by external actors.

2. ‘The banality of evil and the ordinariness of good: Challenging dominant narratives of ethnic violence’

(funded by UEL SHSS Research Support)

This related project explores the social psychological dynamics of pro-social behaviors during socio-political violence.  Four  datasets are analysed: published testimonies; qualitative interviews; participant observation notes; and video and audio recordings. Differently from classic research on pro-social behaviour, this project examines  helping (and non-helping) behaviors towards victims and also with reference to perpetrators' pressures to refrain from pro-social actions. Additionally, while research on pro-social behavior focuses on critical episodes, this study examines pro-social behaviour over time. 

3. A Users’ Evaluation of the Health for Asylum Seekers and Refugees portal (funded by the UK Department of Health)

Harpweb is a website dedicated to providing health and social inclusion information to health professionals and agencies working with refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. This evaluation is designed to ascertain key information from users and potential users of the portal. It includes: profiles of visitors and potential visitors of the portal to confirm who is using the resource; the relevance and viability of the present portal; the profile of the portal amongst professionals and academics working with refugees and asylum seekers in health-related areas; potential improvements and developments of the existing portal; and the future viability of the existing portal.

Publications

• 2010 Collective suffering and cyber-memorialisation in post-genocide Rwanda, in M. Broderick and A. Traverso (eds) Trauma, Media, Art: New Perspectives, Newcastle on Tyne Cambridge Scholars Press, pp. 16-35
• 2010 Rethinking wellbeing: from contexts to processes, International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, 6(2): 3-14 http://www.pierprofessional.com/ijmhscflyer/sample.html
• 2010 A Users' Evaluation of Health for Asylum Seekers and Refugees Portal (Harpweb), UK Department of Health (with R. Sivagnanam)
• 2010 The Ethics of Migration Research Methodology:Dealing with Vulnerable Immigrants (2009) by I. Van Liempt and V. BIlger (eds) Brighton: Sussex Academic Press, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 33(8): 1485-1486 (Book review)
• 2010 Killing Neighbours: Webs of violence in Rwanda (2009) by L. A. Fuji, Cornell University Press, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 33(3): 557-558 (Book review)
• 2010 The Making of Psychotherapists: An Anthropological Analysis (2009) by J. Davies, London: Karnac Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 16: 435-436 (Book review)

Keynote and plenary presentations

• (2012) ‘Psychology and Refugee Studies’ invited keynote address at the XXXth  International Congress of Psychology, 'Psychology Serving Humanity' http://www.icp2012.com/web/invited-speakers
• 2010  ‘Icyizere: Hope' by Patrick Mureithi, opening ceremony panelist, Psychology of Genocide and its Aftermath Conference, Clark University, USA, 14-16 October
• 2010 ‘Challenging the exclusivity of ethnicity in ethnic conflicts’, Plenary presentation at the XVII International Sociological Association World Congress of Sociology- Sociology on the Move, Plenary theme 1 Violence and War, Section 4 Violence and Ethnic Conflict, Gothenburg, Sweden, 11-17 July 2010
  http://www.isa-sociology.org/congress2010/plenary_theme_1.htm

Books and Special Issues

• 2007 Special Issue of the Journal of Refugees Studies 'Refugee Research Methodologies' (20:2) (with E. Voutira)

• 2006 Themed Issue for the International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care 'Child and Youth Migration: Changing Trends and Responses' (2:2)

• 1999 'Reconstruir el Tejido Social: un Enfoque Critico de la Ayuda Humanitaria' (Rebuilding Society’s Social Fabric: A Critical Look at Humanitarian Assistance) Barcelona, Spain: Icaria Editorial (with C. M. Beristain, D. Paez, P. Sales, and I. Fernandez)

• 1998 'Psychology in Humanitarian Assistance' Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, vol. 7 (with C. M. Beristain)

• 1997  Enfoque Psychosocial de la Ayuda Humanitaria (Psychosocial approaches to Humanitarian Aid) Deusto: Universidad de Deusto Press (with C. M. Beristain)

Journal Articles and Book Chapters

• 2007 The microphysics of participation in refugee research, Journal of Refugee Studies 20(2): 210-229.

• 2007 Commentary to the Special Issue 'Working with refugees and asylum seekers', European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling, 9(3): 325-332.

• 2007 Refugee research methodologies: Consolidation and transformation of a field, Journal of Refugee Studies 20(2): 163-171 (with E. Voutira)  

• 2006 Children as research advisors: contributions to a ‘methodology of participation’ in researching children in difficult circumstances, International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, 2(2): 22-34

• 2006 Refugees in camps, in D. Sam and J.W. Berry, (eds) Cambridge Handbook of Acculturation Psychology, Cambridge University Press, pp. 218-232 (with L. Ackermann)

• 2006  Back Home? Refugees’ experiences of the first visit back to their country of origin. Journal of Refugee Studies, 19(4): 415-432 (with H. Muggeridge)

• 2006 Changing migration patterns and responses in the context of child and youth forced migration, International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, 2(2): 2-6

• 2004 Teaching and studying the anthropology of refugees, Ethnoscripts, 6(2), 71-88

• 2003 (reprint, 1999)  Refugee acculturation and re-acculturation, in A. Ager (ed), Refugees: Perspectives on the Experience of Forced Migration, Cassell Current Issues and Directions. London: Continuum, 169-195 (with J. W. Berry)
• 2003 Street children and political violence: A socio- demographic analysis of street children in Rwanda. Child Abuse and Neglect The International Journal, 27 (3) 253-269 (with A. Veale)
• 2002 Refugees’ wellbeing in countries of resettlement. Social Work in Europe, 9(1), 41-48 (Special edition on refugees and asylum seekers)
• 2002 Psycho-social interventions and children’s rights: Beyond clinical interventions. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, vol. 8(1), 47-61 (with A. Veale)
• 1994 Acculturation attitudes and acculturative stress of Central American refugees in Canada. International Journal of Psychology, 29(1), 57-70 ( with J. W. Berry)
• 1994 El estrés de aculturaciòn entre refugiados (Acculturative stress among refugees) In P. J. Farías Campero and R. M. Redondo (Eds), Experiencias del Refugio Centroamericano: Perspectivas de Salud Mental y Psicosocial en Refugiados, Desplazados y Migrantes, 47-51. Chiapas: San Cristobal de las Casas. (with J. W. Berry)
• 1992 Factors affecting the health of Central Americans in Canada.  Post conference edition of the Canadian Council on Multicultural Health, 102-110. Toronto: CCMH (with P. Ruiz)

Research Reports

• 2008 Transitional Professional Development Scheme for Refugee Academics, Council for Assisting Refugee Academics, CARA/SAR UK Universities Network  (wth A. Fábos and H. Taylor)

• 2004 Enhancing the Performance of Refugee Studies on the MA in Refugee Studies. Research report of a funded Quality Improvement in Learning and Teaching (QILT) Project. (with A.Fábos, S.. Sait, E. Maw, E. Ntabyera, and K. McKletchie)

• 2003 Overview of the Conditions of Children Outside Parental Care in Institutions and Communities. UNICEF: Bangladesh (with T. Islam)

• 2001 The Rwandan Experience of Fostering Separated Children. RADDA BARNEN: Stockholm, Sweden

• 1998 An impact study of family reunification. Save the Childen (UK) and UCC: Rwanda (with B. Mukakizima, F. Muramutsa, and F. Kefyalew)

• 1998 Situation analysis of street children in Rwanda. UNICEF, Italian Cooperation, Rwandan Government and UCC: Rwanda (with  A. Veale, F. Muramutsa, I. Iyakaremye, B. Mukakizima and C. Kalingere)

  (translated in French)

• Book Review Editor, International Journal of Migration, Health, and Social Care

• Editorial Board member: International Journal of Migration, Health, and Social Care, and Journal of Legal Anthropology

• Reviewer: Africa; Child Abuse and Neglect; Ethnic and Racial Studies; Hellenic Journal of Psychology; International Journal of Migration, Health, and Social Care; International Migration; Journal of Intercultural Studies, and Journal of Refugee Studies; Polity Press; UK Economic and Social Research Council; Department for International Development/Economic and Social Research Council (UK)

• Executive Committee member of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (2008-2009)

  Appointments

• 2003-2007 Honorary Senior Lecturer, Department of Medicine, University College London, UK

• 2004-present, Academic Fellow, Scuola Italiana di Psicoterapia per le Tecniche Immaginative di Analisi e Ristrutturazione del Profondo (Italian Insitute for Psychotherapy and In-depth Analysis)

• 2004-present President, Scientific Committee, Scuola di Formazione Transpersonale (Transpersonal Psychology Institute)

  Fellowships and awards

• Jean Royce Fellowship

• Queen’s Graduate Award

• Rotary Club, Canada

• Queen’s Graduate Fellowship

• R. S. Mc Laughlin Fellowship

• Dean’s Award, Queen’s University, Canada

• International Mobility Award, University of California, Santa Barbara and Universita’ degli Studi di Padova, Italy