Governing the Displaced: Race and Ambivalence in Global Capitalism

Join us at the book launch of Governing the Displaced: Race and Ambivalence in Global Capitalism by Dr. Ali Bhagat. Explore how refugees are managed in today's world of widespread displacement. 

In his new book, Dr. Ali Bhagat explores the intricate dynamics of managing displaced individuals within the global capitalist framework. From passive humanitarianism to violent exclusion and organized abandonment, the book unveils the paradoxes of the global refugee regime, drawing on examples from the European Union and East Africa. By elucidating the interconnectedness of refugee governance across diverse contexts, Dr. Bhagat engages with theories of racial capitalism, right-wing populism, and everyday forms of exclusion, offering a timely contribution to migration studies and political economy. 

Following the book lecture, a panel discussion will follow, moderated by Professor. Genevieve LeBaron and featuring Dr. Sharon Luk, Professor Geraldine Pratt (UBC), and Dr. Kyle Willmott. Explore key themes and perspectives emerging from the book and participate in an interdisciplinary dialogue on the pressing issues of refugee politics and policy. 

Refreshments will be provided during the event. 

About the author:  

Dr. Ali Bhagat earned his Ph.D. in Political Studies (Queen's University) and worked largely on the topic of refugee/migration policy and racial equity. As an international political economist, he is interested in the intersections of race, class, and sexuality and has worked on issues pertaining to LGBTQ+ refugees in particular. His work is based on qualitative methods drawing from interviews, policy analysis, and other ethnographic techniques. Dr. Bhagat is also an assistant professor and the director of the Minor in Public Policy, a recent undergraduate offering from Simon Fraser University's School of Public Policy.  

About the moderator:  

Professor Genevieve LeBaron is a professor and the director of the School of Public Policy. Her award-winning research investigates the business of forced labour in global supply chains and the effectiveness of government, industry, and worker-led strategies to combat it. Professor LeBaron is also Co-Principal Investigator of Re:Structure Lab, a research and policy Lab based across SFU School of Public Policy, Stanford and Yale Universities. 

About the panellists:  

Dr. Sharon Luk is an associate professor in SFU’s Department of Geography. Dr. Luk is also a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair of Geographies of Racialization. As Tier 2 Canada Research Chair of Geographies of Racialization, she is currently returning to the history of knowledge production that defines Western civilization in contradistinction from “the Orient.” She aims to interrogate shifts in such “East-West” discourse and its transformative potential if we situate “the West” in the context of Afro-modernity—its epistemological foundations and world concept—rather than in assumptions of European dominance. 

Professor Geraldine Pratt is a professor and head of the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia. Professor Pratt’s research focuses on labour precarity, global migration and new geographies of care. She has a long history of working in multiple modalities of inclusive scholarship and co-production of knowledge, including the media of film, art installation, and theatrical performance. 

Dr. Kyle Willmott is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at SFU. He is a political and economic sociologist who studies the production of knowledge in relation to Indigenous nations, settler colonialism, and racialization. His current research examines tax politics, racialization and settler colonialism; and right wing, anti-Indigenous political organization in settler states. He is a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation.