The number of individuals forcibly displaced from their homes now numbers more than 100 million, with 35 million displaced across international borders. Many experts agree that global cooperation is necessary to effectively respond to displaced peoples, but the political contention around the topics of migration and refugees continues to hinder action. Through the lens of this humanitarian crisis, Dr. Kelsey Norman will engage with Hayv Kahraman’s exhibition, The Foreign in Us, to shed light on why the issue of refuge can be met with resistance, rather than compassion and generosity. Kahraman’s work challenges the prevailing tendency to see differences and to fear the ‘other,’ likewise, Norman will discuss how that inclination can grant unchecked authority to the state to provide or deny protection to those crossing their borders.

A light lunch will be provided for attendees following the presentation.

The event is organized by the Moody Center for the Arts with the support of the Human Rights, Women’s Rights and Refugees Program of the Baker Institute’s Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East.