Talks by Our Advisory Board Members
Alexander Betts, Professor of Forced Migration and International Affairs at Oxford University. MBS Advisory Board member.
Alexander Betts
It’s Not About Migration, it’s About Economic Transformation
Alexander has been studying forced migration for over two decades. His work challenges common misconceptions and proposes new ways of refugee assistance, which depart from the old logic of humanitarian assistance and charity, building, instead, on the opportunities offered by globalization, markets, and human mobility.
See Alexander’s books on our research page here.
Betts, A. (2019). It’s Not About Migration, it’s about Economic Transformation [Video file]. TEDxOxford. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1m174S_SYE
Dilip Ratha, Head of KNOMAD and Lead Economist, Migration and Remittances, Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice, World Bank. MBS Advisory Board member.
Dilip Ratha
The Hidden Force in Global Economics: Sending Money Home
Every year, international migrants’ remittances add up to three times more than the total of global foreign aid. Dilip’s work focuses on the positive impact of remittances on the lives of those receiving them, as well as on national economies in migrants’ countries of origin.
Dilip’s latest articles published on the World Bank blog can be accessed here.
Ratha, D. (2014). The hidden force in global economics: sending money home [Video file]. https://www.ted.com/talks/dilip_ratha_the_hidden_force_in_global_economics_sending_money_home?language=en
Other Talks on Migration
Ordered chronologically
Sahaj Kaur Kohli, mental health and wellness advocate, and founder of Brown Girl Therapy.
Sahaj Kaur Kohli
Why Children of Immigrants Experience Guilt and Strategies to cope
Children of immigrants in the US often experience a unique kind of guilt, brought on by the pressures of navigating different cultures, living up to their parents’ expectations, and taking on extra family responsibilities. Mental health advocate Sahaj Kaur Kohli offers helpful strategies for dealing with these difficult feelings.
See Brown Girl Therapy (mental health community for children of immigrants) here.
Kohli, S. K. (2021). Why children of immigrants experience guilt and strategies to cope. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UeaxsubJ70
Colleen Bies, Wedding photographer, entrepreneur, Non-profit Professional, and Migrant.
Colleen Bies
Why Children of Immigrants Work so Hard
Children of immigrants often have a mindset learned from parents who navigated the roadblocks on their journey to freedom. This talk explores that mindset, and how it could apply to those who are generations away from the immigrant experience.” Colleen’s family are first-generation Hmong migrants in the U.S.
See Colleen’s Wedding Photography website here
See the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation website here
Bies, C. (2019). Why Children of Immigrants Work so Hard. TEDxOshkosh. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lRUVfFGVxQ
Professor Ian Goldin, Director of Oxford Martin Programme on Technological and Economic Change.
Ian Goldin
Losing it: the economics and politics of migration
Professor Ian Goldin will identify the economic impact of migration and examine how the contribution that migrants make has been overwhelmed by politics. As Chair of the www.core-econ.org initiative to reform economics, he will locate the economics of migration within the broader need to reform economics.
Goldin, I (2019). Losing it: the economics and politics of migration. Oxford Martin School. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEmgO8C_RIE
Professor Robin Cohen is an Emeritus Professor and former director of the international migration institute at the University of Oxford. He is a senior research fellow at Kellogg College.
Robin Cohen
Migration: the movement of humankind from prehistory to the present
Migration is present at the dawn of human history - the phenomena of hunting and gathering, seeking seasonal pasture, and nomadism being as old as the human social organisation itself. The flight from natural disasters, adverse climatic changes, famine, and territorial aggression by other communities or other species were also common occurrences.
But if migration is as old as the hills, why is it now so politically sensitive? Why do migrants leave? Where do they go, in what numbers, and for what reasons? Do migrants represent a threat to the social and political order? Are they nonetheless necessary to provide labour, develop their home countries, increase consumer demand, and generate wealth? Can migration be stopped? One of Britain's leading migration scholars, Robin Cohen, will probe these issues in this talk.
Cohen, R. (2019). Migration: the movement of humankind from prehistory to the present. Oxford Martin School. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umpVnLIWBsY
Michelle Ezeuko, Campaigner, Facilitator, Youth Rights Trainer, Migrant.
Michelle Ezeuko
The Myth of Migration
The myth of migration is about the political criminalization of migrants. Michelle Ezeuko has personally experienced what it means to “fall out” of the legal system. In this talk, she discusses the costs of this myth and proposes ways forward.
See the Let Us Learn Campaign website here
See the SOAS Detainee Support website here
Ezeuko, M. (2019). The Myth of Migration. TEDxSOAS. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvp9xRlBlbw
Shirin Karsan, who serves on the Boards of the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians, the Global Bioethics Initiative and the Aga Khan Conciliation and Arbitration Board, joined The Philadelphia Foundation Board in 2018
Shirin Karsan
Migration is Inevitable. Progress drives Migration.
Migration is inevitable. It has been happening for centuries. Whether by choice or by necessity, it will continue with every generation. We are intellectual beings. We strive to progress. Progress is a driver for migration. Stop progress, and migration will stop.
Karsan, S. (2019). Migration is inevitable. Progress drives migration. TEDxPhiladelphiaSalon. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVkY1FzyNik
Yoseph Ayele, an entrepreneur, changemaker, and global bridge builder. He is co-founder and CEO of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF), a platform that brings together purpose-led entrepreneurs and investors to address global challenges from Aotearoa New Zealand.
Yoseph Ayele
The Way We think about Immigration is Flawed
Rethinking immigration systems based on the human potential and the value migrants bring to the society. Yoseph Ayele, originally from Ethiopia, a high-skilled migrant in the U.S., which he was forced to leave, discusses the vision behind the Global Impact Visa and its applications in the New Zealand context.
See more information about Global Impact Visa (GIVs) here
See more information about Edmund Hillary Fellowship here
Ayele, Y. (2018). The way we think about immigration is flawed. TEDx Auckland. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vqethhad_k
Nalini Krishnankutty is a first-generation immigrant American, an engineer turned writer, educator, and speaker, who focuses on shaping narratives about immigrants.
Nalini Krishnankutty
How Immigration shape(d) the United States
Do immigrants need the United States, or does the United States need its immigrants? Writer, researcher, and first-generation immigrant American Nalini Krishnankutty showcases many surprising examples of traditions, businesses, and ideas that are considered All-American today, but which owe their origins to first-generation immigrants. She examines whether Americans ever truly welcomed immigrants, and provides parallels between current anti-immigrant sentiments and similar feelings during other periods in US history.
Krishnankutty, N. (2018). How Immigrants shape(d) the United States. TEDxPSU. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irtxoIPBVWs
Janet Mclaughlin is an Assistant Professor of Health Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford Campus and is a Research Associate with the International Migration Research Centre.
Janet Mclaughlin
Working Together to Support Migrant Worker Health
Migrant workers are the invisible backbones of the agricultural sector. However, the conditions in which they work are often precarious, involving high probabilities of injuries and chronic health problems. In this talk, Janet Mclaughlin describes the long and windy road to making the healthcare system accessible to migrant workers and shares best practices from community engagement initiatives from Canada.
See more information about Quest Community Health Centre here
Additional recommendation: “Challenging a ‘Cycle of Neglect’: Health and Safety Among Transnational Agricultural Workers in Canada and the UK” by Dabrowska-Miciula and de Lima, in Bretones (MBS member) and Santos (eds), Health, Safety and Well-being of Migrant Workers (2020).
Mclaughlin, J. (2018). TEDxWLUBrantford. Working Together to Support Migrant Worker Health. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JURD_BlcnRY
Dipa Swaminathan, the founder of ItsRainingRaincoats(IRR)
Dipa Swaminathan
Helping Migrant Workers
"It's Raining Raincoats" - How we can show kindness and give back to the hardworking migrant workers in Singapore in various simple and creative ways.
Swaminathan, D. (2018). Helping Migrant Workers. TEDxTanglinTrustSchool. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8kfvklUXaI
Amal Azzudin is a Somali-Scottish campaigner and activist who co-founded the Glasgow Girls, a group of seven young women who campaigned against the harsh treatment of asylum-seekers in response to the detention of one of their friends.
Amal Azzudin
The Refugee Story
Through her own work and life story, Amal is looking at the ‘refugee crisis’. By outlining the differences between migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, she argues that being a refugee is not a choice and hence the world should not be blaming punishing people who are titled as such. In the end, we are all human.
Nobody chooses to be an Asylum seeker or a refugee. “Seeing people as people and not as labels.”
More information about Glasgow Girls-Campaigning for the rights of asylum seekers here
Azzudin, A. (2017). “The Refugee Story.” TEDxUniversityofGlasgow. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH8F9m3rFoc
Melanie Nezer is Senior Vice President for Public Affairs for HIAS, the American Jewish community's international refugee agency.
Melanie Nezer
The Real Facts of the Refugee Crisis, and What We Can Do
Refugees are not just hosted by developing countries but also by poorer countries like Kenya, Jordan, Turkey, etc. We need a global movement for refugees.
Nezer, M. (2017). The real facts of the refugee crisis, and what we can do. TEDxMidAtlantic. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQx73ts6KX8
Raj Singh is an Indian businessman based in the Tees Valley and proprietor of the multimillion-pound Prestige Group.
Raj Singh
Four Important Lessons that I learned from the Migrant Workers
Hidden behind the paradise comprising of tall skyscrapers and a glamorous economy, there exist migrant workers who face grim realities in Singapore. In this personal and heartfelt talk, Raj Singh gives us a glimpse into the day of the life of these workers and shares the four important life lessons that he has learned from them. Raj's challenge for us: “Can we start treating these workers as fellow human beings?"
Singh, R. (2017). Four important lessons that I learned from the migrant workers. TEDxNTU. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iSgNsbCbqw
Zrinka Bralo, chief Executive of Migrants Organise – a community organising platform for migrants and refugees acting for justice. Zrinka is a refugee from Sarajevo (Bosnia), where she was a journalist and where she worked with leading war correspondents during the siege in the 90s.
Zrinka Bralo
Migration is Part of Life; Instead of Fearing it Let’s Organise it
“What does a refugee look like?”- usually, negative media images. The word most associated with ‘immigrant’ is ‘illegal’. How we talk about refugees and migrants makes a difference. They should not solely be seen as ‘facts’ but also as human beings on the move and survivors. When we recognize migration as a fact of life, we will then have the confidence to organize it.
Bralo, Z. (2016). Migration is part of life; instead of fearing it let’s organise it. TEDxThessaloniki https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sUWSDHOVn0
Erik, who crossed the border from Mexico with his family when he was five, walks us through his life as an illegal immigrant chasing the American dream.
Erik Gomez
Through the Eyes of a Child Immigrant
Immigrants are classified as lazy and dangerous in America to date. The speaker crossed the Mexican border illegally to reach America. This raises the question of whether people need to be more educated about immigration and how America has been labeled as the ‘greatest country in the world’ in which immigrants have a large role to play. Change the lens through which we view immigration and embrace diversity.
Gomez, E. (2016). Through the eyes of a child immigrant. TEDxPSU. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46wWjKTn4Ac
Dace Dzenovska, Associate Professor in the Anthropology of Migration at Oxford University
Dace Dzenovska
Refugees in Europe: a Crisis of Connection
How do humans get to see themselves as collectives? Our current life has benefitted due to numerous past historical connections. Europe, for instance, has benefitted from colonial exploitation. The speaker calls for ‘responsible collectedness’.
More information about The Child in the Broom Closet: States of Killing and Letting Die here
More on The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas here
Dzenovska, D. (2015). Refugees in Europe: a crisis of connection. TEDxRiga. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvnwVGBy26c
Professor Hein de Haas, Professor of Sociology, with a special focus on the study of migration and social cohesion, at the University of Amsterdam’s (UvA) Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences.
Hein de Haas
Behind the headlines: investigating the drivers and impacts of global migration
Myths, hysteria, panic. As the migrant and refugee crisis has reached a fever pitch in recent months, so has political and media fear-mongering, but what are the facts behind the headlines? Hear from Professor Hein de Haas on what drives migration, whether the current crisis could have been avoided with different policies, and what practical solutions politicians should now be implementing.
De Haas, H. (2015). Behind the headlines: investigating the drivers and impacts of global migration. Oxford Martin School.Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CGtgCayVM8
Alvaro Huerta, Associate Professor in Urban & Region Planning and Ethnic & Women’s Studies at Cal Poly Pomona University.
Alvaro Huerta
Migration as a Universal Human Right
Throughout history, human beings, especially the global poor, have been in constant movement. Huerta says we should view this migration as a universal human right and treat honest, hard-working immigrants with the dignity and respect that they deserve.
Huerta, A. (2015). Migration as a universal human right. TEDxClaremontColleges. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17fi3buAscY
Melissa Fleming, United Nations, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications
Melissa Fleming
Let’s Help Refugees Thrive, Not Just Survive
Today's refugee crisis is the biggest since World War II, and it's growing. When this talk was given, 50 million people had been forcefully displaced from their homes by conflict and war; as of 2021, the number grew to more than 82 million. There were three million Syrian refugees in 2014; now there are 5.5 million languishing in neighboring countries. Inside this overwhelming crisis are the individual human stories -- of care, growth, and family, in the face of lost education, lost home, and lost future. Melissa Fleming of the United Nations tells the refugees' stories -- and asks us to help them rebuild their world.
Fleming, M. (2014). Let’s Help Refugees Thrive, Not Just Survive. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bXAkbCyjpo
Ben Huh, South Korean-American internet entrepreneur, former CEO of The Cheezburger Network.
Ben Huh
What If You Were an Immigrant?
Many immigrants experience poverty in their own way. Today suffering of an immigrant is man-made: through policy, bureaucracy, etc. Our view of immigration has always been affected by race, origin, and religion. America today, is more of a reflection of its immigrants
Hun, B. (2013). What If you Were an Immigrant? TEDxPortland. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi1TjE13S3s
Jose Antonio Vargas is a journalist, filmmaker, and immigration rights activist. Born in the Philippines and raised in the United States from the age of twelve.
Jose Antonio Vargas
Actions are Illegal, Never People
Immigration is the most controversial but least understood issue. The term ‘illegal’ is imprecise and dehumanizing. “Sometimes you risk your life to free yourself from it”
Vargas, J. A. (2012). Actions are illegal, never people. TEDxMidAtlantic. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmz9cCF0KNE