International scholars shed light on challenges faced by marginalized groups
Indian construction workers in Dubai are one of the many precarious groups affected by the closing of national borders, as argued by Pandemic Borders contributor S. Irudaya Rajan from the Middle East Institute, based out of Washington, D.C. Photo credit: Piotr Zarobkiewicz/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
The pandemic shows us how borders can dramatically change lives. Never in recent memory have boundaries between places, products and people been as visible or powerful.
In April, Ryerson’s Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Migration & Integration Anna Triandafyllidou in collaboration with Open Democracy (external link) and international scholars launched Pandemic Borders (external link) . The platform brings together critical perspectives on the humanitarian and governance implications of COVID-19 as they relate to the millions of individuals – including IT experts, nurses and construction workers – who live outside their countries of origin.
“As COVID-19 unfolded, we recognized that millions of the most vulnerable in our world, including refugees and migrants, were being left out in the cold,” says Triandafyllidou, a sociology professor in the Faculty of Arts.
“The irony is that these people are the foundations of our economy, including the health-care sector, and will be at the heart of our reconstruction. My colleagues around the world and I saw the urgent need to better understand migration and mobility during these times,” she adds.
As the virus spreads, governments have moved to contain it by containing people. With the land border between the United States largely sealed and with air traffic in and out of the country grounded to a halt, Canada finds itself remarkably isolated from the world and at odds with its self-image as a uniquely open society.
As COVID-19 unfolded, we recognized that millions of the most vulnerable in our world, including refugees and migrants, were being left out in the cold. – Prof. Anna Triandafyllidou
Pandemic Borders brings focus to the challenges that the health crisis raises for temporary residents and migrant workers. Articles cover state surveillance, global solidarity, marginalized women, economic drivers of migration, international students, health of refugees and more.
It’s not all doom and gloom. Triandafyllidou points to many examples of resilience and solidarity in her piece titled “At times of a pandemic: transnational solidarity not national borders (external link) .” In it, she highlights the unprecedented sharing of scientific knowledge and medical supplies between countries as well as the many grassroots initiatives to help those stranded across closed borders. Triandafyllidou also proposes that civic responsibility and global solidarity should define us during these times,
“The virus knows no citizenship, no race, no social class. So must our effort to contain it,” she says.
Pandemic Borders has already attracted 30 contributors from Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, the U.K., the U.S. as well as Canada.
The virus knows no citizenship, no race, no social class. So must our effort to contain it. – Anna Triandafyllidou
Contributor Letizia Palumbo from the European University Institute in Florence, for example, shares what it’s like for precarious farmworkers in Europe in an article co-written by Alessandra Corrado from the University of Calabria.
“Migrant farmworkers in Italy and across southern Europe cannot go look for work because they cannot move – especially those without a residence permit or a regular contract. They are stuck in informal encampments where there is no possibility of social distancing and have limited access to health services,” says Palumbo.
“Initiatives like Pandemic Borders are very important for raising awareness among the international community and for sharing ideas on appropriate policy solutions,” she adds.
Triandafyllidou thinks the initiative exemplifies Ryerson’s leadership in producing knowledge that speaks to real world concerns. She hopes Pandemic Borders is a forum to provoke critical thinking within the academic community as well as engage casual readers and policymakers alike.
“We are seeing in the news almost daily the tragic conditions that so many migrants face, but at the same time we’re also learning about the many contributions they make to society. The blog identifies vulnerabilities, but also proposes good practices and policy solutions. The pandemic can be turned into an opportunity to build resilience and solidarity,” Triandafyllidou says.
Read the latest article on Pandemic Borders (external link) for analysis of COVID-19’s impact on people around the world. Join the CERC in Migration & Integration for the Pandemic Borders webinar series beginning May 6, 2020. Blog contributors will give short talks, followed by an audience Q&A. All are welcome to join.