Session three: Necropolitics and Migration
At our third session on 20 September 2023, we focused on themes of necropolitics and migration and the impact these have on health – both locally and globally. The ‘politics of life and death’ (necropolitics) is ever present in global health. Who decides who must live or die? Do governments and institutions prioritise certain populations at the detriment of others? Decisions that are not evidence-based can result in vulnerable populations being further marginalised and at the risk of death – whether physical, social or political. In this session, we explored how necropolitics has played a role in key global health issues around border enforcement, detention centres, unending asylum processes and, ultimately, the health of migrants.
For this session, recorded on 20 September, we were joined by BSMS' Dr Arianne Shahvisi, and external speakers Hyab Yohannes, Tesfalem Yemane and Mohammad Salaymeh. This was filmed as part of an academic event and views expressed by speakers are held by the individual, not the institution.
Watch Dr Arianne Shahvisi's talk: Letting die: the necropolitics of the hostile environment.
Watch Mohammad Salaymeh's talk: Access to health for Palestinians.
Watch Hyab Yohannes and Tesfalem Yemane's talk: The Refugee Condition as a Site of Necropolitics and Decolonial Possibilities.