PhD

PhD Thesis Title: Democratic Confederalism and Transnational Democracy

PhD Supervisor:  Julie Billaud, Till Mostowlansky

This research project brings together two of my enduring interests: the political subjectivies of migrants and refugees in their new geographical and political contexts, and democratic ideologies that seek to subvert state hierarchy. The question that has continued to arise in my previous research is how to build a foundation for refugee/migrant political subjecthood that places the condition of refugees/stateless/non-citizens/migrants in both the political context of their country/region of resettlement, while emphasising their capacity to exert agency as a participant and subject in global migration systems, rather than as an object whom migration forces act upon.

To this end, I have decided to focus on the Kurdish diaspora in Europe, and their attempts at building a transnational political community. The case of the Kurdish diaspora holds key insights to understand both the barriers and the possibilities for grassroots, non-citizen democratic approaches to migration governance accountability and reform, the development of a non-citizen political subjecthood, and the internal contradictions that arise between ideology, interest and identity. By investigating this question, I hope to open space for discussions with relevant actors, in the hopes that further understanding may open pathways for greater mutual understanding between migration management professionals seeking better integration and accountability, and migrants who face barriers in understanding the systemic condition that shape their own migration experience.
 

Profile

Clare Maxwell is a PhD researcher in Anthropology and Sociology. She holds a Master of Development Studies from the Geneva Graduate Institute, and joint Bachelor degrees in Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies from Goshen College. Her research focuses on democratic strategies and processes in the Kurdish diaspora, and their links with indigenous political organization. She comes from a background in journalism and policy education with a focus on migration and asylum rights, and direct democracy.
 

Research Interests
 

• Diaspora studies
• Asylum and forced migration
• Social movements and participatory democracy
• Kurdish Studies

Affiliations
 

Global Migration Center