Professor Giorgia Dona
Giorgia Doná is Professor of Forced Migration and Refugee Studies and Co-director of the Centre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging
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University of East London
Docklands Campus
University Way
London, E16 2RD
United Kingdom
E16 2RD - g.dona@uel.ac.uk +44208232791
Giorgia Doná is Professor of Forced Migration and Refugee Studies, co-director of the Centre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. For more than three decades she has worked as a researcher, practitioner and activist with displaced populations and refugees in Central and North America, Eastern Africa, and Europe. Her research focuses on conflict and displacement, child and youth migration, psycho-social perspectives in forced migration, refugee voices and representation, and multi-modal narratives.
She has held positions at the Oxford University's Refugee Studies Programme, the Child Studies Unit of University College Cork, Ireland, and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Giorgia has undertaken consultancy work for UNICEF, the IOM, governments, and non-governmental organisations, and her research has been funded by, amongst others, the European Community, the Leverhulme Trust, the UK Department for International Development and the UK Department of Health.
2019 Winner of the Best Paper Award Senior Scholar for Reversing the Gaze on Fortress Europe: Visual Interferences Produced by Migrants in Transit at the France-UK Border, jointly written with Marie Godin and Crispin Hughes. Awarded by the European Communication Research and Education Association, Diaspora, Migration and the Media Section
Overview
Giorgia’s areas of research expertise include:
Refugee and Forced Migration Studies
Ethnic Conflicts, Genocides and Political Violence
Child and Youth Migration
Psycho-social wellbeing and interventions
Refugee voices and representation
Participatory research methodologies
Multi-modal (written, oral, digital and arts-based) narratives
Giorgia is interested in hearing from potential PhD candidates wanting to research in the above areas
Research
Publications
External Research Grants
Digitally Enhanced Advanced Services (DEAS) Network Plus: ‘Principles in the Charity Sector - A Case Study of the Refugee Council’s Digital Social Care Provision for Children in Vulnerable Contexts’ (PI, £5K), 2020
Global Challenge Research Fund ‘Refugee University Education in the Middle East: Supporting and Evaluating the Provision of Key Skills, Guidance and Support for Syrian Refugees’ (PI, £14K), 2018-2019
Erasmus Plus Programme of the European Union: ‘Open Learning Initiative’, with Central European University, University of Vienna and European Network Against Racism (CI, £401K), 2016-2018
EU Cooperation for Science and Technology ‘Action 1206 Femicide Across Europe Network Grant’ (CI, £363K), 2013-2017
Leverhulme Trust Fellowship: ‘Bystanders to the Rwandan Genocide: Revisiting Genocide Narratives and Reconciliation Initiatives’ (PI, £30K), 2008-2010
European Community Action Programme to Combat Social Exclusion: ‘European Port Cities: Disadvantaged Urban Areas in Transition’ (CI, £134K), 2002-2006
President’s Fund, University College Cork: ‘Cross-cultural Perspectives on Children in Difficult Circumstances, (PI, £14,000) 1996
European Community: ‘The European Community Network for Humanitarian Assistance’ (PI, £9K), 1994-1995
Impact and Public Engagement Funding
International Organisation for Migration: ‘Mapping the Rwandan Diapora in Europe: A Comparative Analysis of Diapora Engagement in the Development of Their Country of Origin’ (PI, £6K), 2019
UK Government, Department of Health: ‘Evaluation of Harpweb, Health for Asylum Seekers and Refugees Portal’ (PI, £10K) 2009-2010
Council for Assisting Refugee Academics: ‘Transitional Professional Development Scheme for Assisting Refugee Academics/Scholars at Risk’ (PI, £10K), 2008
UNICEF: ‘Situational Analysis of Conditions of Children Outside Parental Care’ (PI, £17K) 2001-2002
London Boroughs: ‘Educational Experiences of Refugee Children’ (CI, £8K) 2001
UNICEF ‘Foster Care for Separated Children in Rwanda’ (PI, £34K) 2000-2001
UNICEF ‘Street Children in Rwanda’(PI, £27K) 1997-1998
Save the Children: ‘An Impact Study of Family Reunification in Rwanda’ (PI, £8K) 1997-1998
UK Department For International Development/Irish Aid/Trocaire: ‘Social Protection for Children in Difficult Circumstances: Training and Research Programme with Government Personnel, the National University of Rwanda and Non-governmental Organisations, (PI, £380,000) 1997-1999
Radda Barnen: ‘Research and Training Activities with Ethiopian Youth Workers Working with Street Children’ (PI, £18K), 1997
Funding
2018 – present Board of Directors, Barbara Harrell-Bond Foundation
2017 – present Editorial Board, Critical Childhood & Youth Studies: Theoretical Explorations and Practices in Clinical, Educational, Social, and Cultural Settings. Book Series, Lexington Books
2017 – present Academy of Social Sciences, member of the Special Interest Group on Migration, Refugees and Settlement
2016 – present UK Government, Office of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, member of the Independent Advisory Group on Country of Origin Information (IAGCI)
2006 – present Editorial Board, International Journal of Migration, Health, and Social Care
2014 – 2017 Co-convenor, Violence and Society Study Group, British Sociological Association
2012 – 2015 Co-chair, Theorising Forced Migration Working Group, International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (with E. Voutira)
2008 – 2009 Executive Committee, International Association for the Study of Forced Migration
Professional Activities
Selected Impact Activities
Giorgia’s long-standing policy and applied research on Child Protection and Welfare of Displaced Children Living in Difficult Circumstances informed the Government of Rwanda National Policy on Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children (2003) and the development of training materials produced and used by UN child protection officers and non-governmental agency staff.
This work became the Impact Case Study for the 2014 Sociology Research Excellent Framework submission, Improving the Protection and Welfare of Children Living in Difficult Circumstances in Rwanda, Bangladesh and around the World Read the case study
The report Mapping the Rwandan Diaspora in Europe: a Comparative Analysis of Engagement with the Country of Origin was written in 2019 to inform the International Organisation for Migration and the Government of Rwanda’s diaspora strategies for development
Selected Public Engagement Activities
Doná, G. (2020) Guest Speaker for the Indus News Lahore on France Slammed over Mistreatment of Refugees, Scope Show hosted by Waqar Rizvi, 4 July 2020 Watch the panel discussion
Doná, G. (2020) A Future beyond the Coronavirus Pandemic, a Future beyond the Hostile Environment, at Imagine a Better Future World Refugee Day 2020, event co-hosted by Sustainable Communities of Initiative of Change UK and International Centre for Eritrean Refugees and Asylum Seekers – ICERAS, 23 June
Doná, G. (2020) Interviewed by Jennifer Sadler-Venis for the article The Humanitarian Health Crisis for the business law and human rights magazine of the International Bar Association Global Insight Read the article
Doná, G. (2020) SonaTalks LIVE series, Access to Higher Education for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the Wake of the Covid Pandemic 5 May See the Line up for Sonatalks
Doná, G. (2020) Guest Speaker for the Indus News Lahore on Europe’s Refugee Crisis Amidst Covid-19, Scope Show hosted by Waqar Rizvi, 17 April Watch the panel discussion
Doná, G (2019) Marginalised Narratives of the Rwandan Genocide: an Interview with Giorgia Doná, Oxford Research Group See full interview
Expert adviser for the online magazine 11 Press (2011- 2015) Read the article
Country of origin expert (Rwanda) for Refugee Legal Aid (2011-present) Read the article
Research Impact and Public Engagement
Teaching
Introduction to Conflict, Displacement and Human Security
Forced Migration in the Global Area
Human Mobility, Forced Migration and Social Change
Research Methods for the Social Sciences
Policy and Practice of Humanitarianism and Development
Supervision of Master Dissertations
Supervision of Doctoral Students
Programme Leadership
Master in Conflict, Displacement and Human Security (co-Programme Leader, 2012-present)
Master in Refugee Studies (co-Programme Leader, 2011- present))
ESRC UBEL (UCL, Bloomsbury and East London) Doctoral Training Partnership (Sociology Pathway co-Leader, 2016-present)