Migration and Health – Perspectives from South Asia

Workshop on Migration and Health – Perspectives from South Asia

October 12-13, 2023
Seattle, Washington
Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/97511275935

UW Faculty Nathalie Williams and Sarfraz Khan are hosting a workshop focused on Migration & Health: Perspectives from South Asia on October 12-13, 2023 on the UW campus (co-sponsored by CSDE and the South Asia Center).

You are invited to join, in person or on zoom, presentations by scholars from across South Asia and the U.S. The program is attached, with in person meeting rooms indicated for each day.

Human migration is a defining issue of our time and is increasingly recognized as a global public health priority. Migration has long been linked to the transmission of diseases and health risks, especially in the era of epidemics which do not respect international borders. Scholarship on health and migration has examined the social, political, and economic production of diseases and their interaction with processes of migration, transit, legal status, and migrants’ incorporation into the places to which they migrate, over time – as well as their effects on the places of origin.

The South Asian region is home to billions of people, as well as the source and destination of a substantial proportion of migrants globally. There are many similarities between the migration patterns and health vulnerabilities of the different countries in this region. While there are numerous country case studies about migration throughout the region, few efforts have integrated knowledge across the region. Understanding the similarities that combine to create a regional migration system and the differences between countries and micro-regions within countries can advance academic and policy-relevant research far more than research on each country in isolation.

Don’t miss out on the presentation of this exciting emerging work on the causes and types of migration and the health consequences of migration across the countries of South Asia!


Program Schedule

Day-1 October 12, 2023 (THURSDAY)

Time (Pacific) Activity
10:00-10:15 Inaugural Session

Venue: The HUB Room 337 or zoom (https://washington.zoom.us/j/97511275935)

  Welcome Note and Introduction to the Workshop:

Dr. Sarfraz Khan, & Dr. Nathalie Williams (University of Washington)

 

10:15-11:15

TECHNICAL SESSION-I [Effects of Migration on Health & Well-being]

Moderator: Dr. Sarfraz Khan (University of Washington)

  1. Rahat Shah, Goethe-University Frankfurt Germany.

Topic: Men´s Back Home/Return Migration and the Shift towards Female Breadwinning: A Grounded Theory analysis of couples navigating role transition in Pakistan

   2. Aryaa Rajouria, University of Washington

Topic: Beyond Migration: Examining the Impact of Migration Experience, Gender, and Ethno-Caste Identity on Mental Health

 11:15-11:30 Tea/Coffee Break
11:30-12:30 PM TECHNICAL SESSION-II [Migrant workers]

Moderator: Dr. Ayaz Qureshi (Edinburgh University, UK)

  1. Uttam Sharma, Institute for Social and Environmental Research, Nepal

Topic: Relationships between Remittances from International Labor Migrants and the Health of Children Left Behind in Nepal

2. Dr. Arjun Kharel, Tribhuvan University and Centre for the Study of Labour and Mobility, Nepal

Topic: Violence at Work: Experiences of Women Migrant Workers from Nepal

1:30-2:30 TECHNICAL SESSION-III [New Types of Migration]

Moderator: Dr. Nathalie Williams (University of Washington)

  1. Deeksha, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai India

Topic: Pathways of Care, Destinations of Labour: Networks, Infrastructure and Bodies of Migration for Healthcare

2. Rachel Murro, University of California, San Francisco, USA

Topic: Temporary Childbirth Migration: Characterization and impact on healthcare utilisation in Maharashtra, India

2:30-2:45 Tea/Coffee Break
2:45-3:45 TECHNICAL SESSION-IV [Migrant Well-being & Health]

Moderator: Dr. Nathalie Williams (University of Washington):

1. Dr. Javed Iqbal, IMSciences, Peshawar Pakistan

Topic: Access to healthcare for Afghan refugees in Pakistan; a case of positive refugee discrimination

2. Dr. Sarfraz Khan, University of Washington and Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad Pakistan

Topic: Migration, Remittances and Cultural Well-being: The Case of Rural Punjab, Pakistan

3. Waseem Haider, University of Turku, Finland

Topic: From Health Disparities to Economic Marginality: Investigating Migrants’ Health Status and Labor Market

3:45-4:00 Tea/Coffee Break
4:00-5:00 TECHNICAL SESSION-V [Dynamics of Migration]

Moderator: Dr. Ayaz Qureshi (Edinburgh University, UK)

1. Farseen Ali Puthanveettil, University of Oldenburg, Germany

Topic: Leveraging Community Resilience in Enhancing Institutional Response: Lessons from Keralaite Migrant Organizations in GCC Countries during the Pandemic

2. Ibrar Abdullah Sahi, Quaid e Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Topic: Understanding the Processes of Repatriation and Integration of Irregular Pakistani Migrants to Europe

3.     Rintu Borah, IIT Bombay, India

Topic: The Kinopolitics of Coronavirus fencing in Assam: Migration and Miya Muslims during Covid-19

Day-2 October 13, 2023 (FRIDAY)

Venue: Parrington Hall Room No. 360 or zoom (https://washington.zoom.us/j/97511275935)

Time (Pacific) Activity
9:00-9:45 AM TECHNICAL SESSION-VI VIRTUAL [Irregular Migration]

Moderator: Dr. Sarfraz Khan (University of Washington)

1. Amit Gautam, Social Science Baha, Kathmandu, Nepal

Topic: Forging Paths: Understanding Rohingya Refugees’ Livelihood Challenges in Nepal

2. Ghulam Muhammad, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Topic: Dunkey: Understanding the Agonies & Health Issues of Irregular Migrants (An Ethnographic Study of Pakistan-Afghanistan and Pakistan-Iran Border Areas)

9:45-10:45 TECHNICAL SESSION-VII VIRTUAL [Health of Migrants]

Moderator: Dr. Javed Iqbal (IMSciences, Pakistan)

1.     Dr. Minani Gurung, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal

Topic: Health Problems of Nepalese Labor Migrants: A Scoping Review

 2. Bittu Mandal, Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, India

Topic: Exploring the Impact of Age at Migration and Duration of Urban Exposure on Obesity among Rural-to-Urban Migrants in India: Insights from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India

3. Dr. Rajeevan Kunnath, University of Kerala, Trivandrum, India

Topic: Remittances and Health Modernity: Case of Persia Gulf Migration of Mappila Muslims from the Malabar region of Kerala, India

10:45-11:30 TECHNICAL SESSION-VIII VIRTUAL [Migration and Well-being during COVID]

Moderator: Dr. Nathalie Williams (University of Washington)

1. Dr. Abdullah Khoso, Forman Christian College, Lahore, Pakistan

Topic: Social Practices and Deprived Agency of Pakistani Migrant Workers Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

2. Dr. Kapil Pokhrel, Kathmandu University Kathmandu, Nepal

Topic: Health Shocks, migration, and household welfare: Evidence from Nepal

12:30-1:30 PM UW Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Sponsored Guest Lecture  

Dr. Ayaz Qureshi, University of Edinburgh, UK

Topic: Climate Change, Displacement, and Health in Pakistan