Breaking the Silences, Breaking the Frames: A Gendered Diasporic Analysis of Sexual Violence in the DRC, 2017, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Special issue: Diaspora Mobilizations for Conflict and Postconflict Reconstruction: Contextual and Comparative Dimensions
The role of diasporas in fuelling conflict has been extensively studied, with much less attention... more The role of diasporas in fuelling conflict has been extensively studied, with much less attention being paid to their role in peace-building. It is increasingly recognised that diasporas from conflict regions are contributing to the reconstruction of their countries of origin, acting as ‘peace-makers’ rather than ‘peace-wreckers’. Women and men migrants have also been found to engage differently towards their country of origin, but attention to women’s activism is still scarce. This article addresses the issue of political activism by Congolese women in the diaspora in both the UK and Belgium. Their activities are assessed analytically through the prism of ‘mechanisms of framing’, which shape the ways in which messages are conveyed during the mobilisation process. The paper discusses diagnostic, motivational and prognostic frames to address sexual and gender-based violence against Congolese women in the protracted conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Framing strategies vary among Congolese diaspora women’s groups depending on the national context in which they are embedded (Belgium and the UK) but a variety of narratives is also discerned which transcends and is shared among Congolese women beyond national borders.
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Papers by Marie Godin
Decisions to apply for naturalization have increased more markedly among EU nationals from ‘old’ EU member states (EU14) who, until the EU referendum, had felt their position in Britain as fully secure.
Among EU nationalsfrom Central and Eastern Europe (EU8 + EU2), application rates for naturalization have increased but less steeply, as they were applying for naturalization already before the EU referendum.
Decisions concerning naturalization are often family-minded and future-oriented. A range of economic, social and cultural considerations intervene, including application fees, eligibility restrictions, and the right to dual nationality. Family composition, in terms of country of birth of parents and children also play a role in the decision-making process.
In mixed nationality families, including in those with a UK-born partner, ‘going home’ is not an easy option to consider and securing status is the option that is easier to pursue. Attitudes towards naturalization vary significantly among EU nationals, with more well off and educated EU nationals and EU14 citizens displaying more resistance to applying to become British, on moral and political grounds. Others, instead, take a more pragmatic approach to acquiring a British passport.
Frustration, anxiety, and disappointment are shared for Brexit by all participants. However, not everyone is being and will be equally affected. Attention to class, ethnicity, age, life stage, and gender are essential
for a more nuanced understanding not only of the impact of Brexit, but also of the resources and options available to families for mitigating this impact.