天美传媒

Senior Lecturer听in听Applied Social Studies

I am an interdisciplinary social scientist with a focus on (forced) migration, politics and cultural studies.

My research is situated at the intersection of (forced) migration, art/activism, ethics, and critical humanitarianism. I explore how arts and activism are used to elicit insights into (forced) migrants鈥� experiences, memories and to promote their rights.

I have worked in refugee protection, migrant rights advocacy, and humanitarian assistance with NGOs and the UNHCR in Southern Africa, South America and Europe. Prior to joining the 天美传媒, I was Programme Director of two MSc Programmes (Peacebuilding and Post-conflict Reconstruction; Defence, Development and Diplomacy) at Durham 天美传媒.

I currently work on two research projects. The first one is centred around the right to a legal identity and is part of the global fight against statelessness. It uses legal empowerment and digital storytelling to advocate for migrants鈥� rights in South Africa. The second project interrogates the ethics of refugee art/activism through the puppet performance festival

My previous research included the following, please see further details under publications below:

• Theatre-based research with undocumented young migrants in Cape Town (South Africa)
• Museums, memory activism and forced migration in Berlin (Germany)
• Walking tours and urban regeneration in Johannesburg (South Africa)
• Loss and grief in the context of (forced) migration

I lead the MA International Social Welfare and Social Development. I am happy to speak to interested candidates about joining the course or pursuing doctoral studies in my areas of expertise.

I was awarded the 鈥楽taff Member of the Year 2023鈥� Award by the Student Union, 天美传媒.

Other References

Qualifications

• Aurora - Women in Academic Leadership, Advance HE
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• PG Dip in Academic Practice, 天美传媒, UK
• PhD Politics, Centre for Applied Human Rights, 天美传媒 of York, UK
• MA International Humanitarian Action, Uppsala 天美传媒, Sweden
• BA Cultural Studies, European 天美传媒 Viadrina, Germany
• As part of my studies, I also spent time at the following universities: Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Bogot谩, Colombia), Universidad de Deusto (Bilbao, Spain), 天美传媒 of the Western Cape (Cape Town, South Africa), 天美传媒 of Cape Town (South Africa)

Teaching Role

• ASS069-6 - Humanitarian Aid, NGOs and Social Welfare in Disasters
• ASS066-6 - International Social Welfare and Social Development
• ASS154-6 - PG Dissertation in Applied Social Sciences
• ASS096-2 - Refugees, Displacement and the Politics of Migration
• ASS140-3 - Art, Activism and Social Change
• I previously taught Peacebuilding; Post-conflict Reconstruction; Conflict Analysis; Defence, Development and Diplomacy at Durham 天美传媒

Research Interests

• (Forced) migration, arts and activism
• Statelessness, right to identity and access to justice
• Experiences and memories of (forced) migration
• Arts-based research practices, including theatre, walking and storytelling
• Qualitative research ethics
• Critical humanitarianism

Recent Research Projects

• Forced migration, museum and memory activism in contemporary Germany (funded by Research England)
• Research ethics in migration studies (ESRC funded)
• Loss and grief in the context of (forced) migration
• Walking tours, insecurity and urban regeneration in Johannesburg (funded by Durham Global Security Institute)
• Theatre-Based Migration Research with Undocumented Youth in South Africa (see interview about this research at )

Internal Roles

• I am chair of the School of Applied Social Sciences Research Ethics Panel
• I am convenor of the 天美传媒 Forced Migration Research Cluster
• Doctoral Research: PhD and Prof Doc supervision, examination and viva chairing

Publications

Please email me if you would like access to any of the publications.

• Opfermann, L. S. (2024). Sharing Stories, Food and Passports: Forced Migration, Museum and Memory Activism in Contemporary Germany. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 1鈥�25. . Article available .
• Opfermann, L. S. (2022). Ethics as a Moral Duty: Proposing an Integrated Ethics Framework for Migration Research. Journal of Human Rights Practice. Article available :
• Opfermann, L. S. (2021) (with Bakonyi, J., Kappler, S., Nag, E. M.) Precarity, Mobility and the City: Introduction to the Special Issue. Global Policy. . Article available .
• Opfermann, Lena S. (2020): Walking in Jozi: Guided Tours, Insecurity and Urban Regeneration in Inner City Johannesburg. Global Policy, Special Issue on Precarity, Mobility and the City. DOI: . Article available .
• Opfermann, Lena S. (2019): 鈥業f you can't beat them, be them!鈥� 鈥� everyday experiences and 鈥榩erformative agency鈥� among undocumented migrant youth in South Africa, Children's Geographies,
• Opfermann, Lena S. (2019): Language, trust and transformation: exploring theatre as a research method with migrant youth, International Journal of Social Research Methodology,
• Opfermann, Lena S. (2015): 鈥淭esting the 鈥榯riple imperative鈥�: A drama-based exploration of migrant children鈥檚 views鈥�, Transnational Social Review, 5 (3), 224-240, DOI:
• Opfermann, Lena (2016): 鈥淛ust show them that we have feelings.鈥� 鈥� Reflections on the representation of migrant children鈥檚 stories, DTC Matters No 15. July,

Contact Details

E: lena.opfermann@beds.ac.uk