Overview

This online course examines the role of universities as spaces of protection for human rights defenders (HRDs) in exile, focusing on how academic institutions can provide protection for activists. Today, authoritarianism is rising globally, and those who dare to contest authoritarian governments are often forced into exile. Traditional measures of human rights protection may not be sufficient. In this context, universities have the capacity to function as semi-safe spaces that offer resources, networks, and communities that allow HRDs to sustain their work. Drawing on comparative case studies from Russia, Myanmar, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Thailand, the course integrates insights from sociology, political science, forced migration studies, and human rights research. We explore the factors contributing to or hindering activist agency in exile and use the concept of intersectionality to explore the challenges that HRDs face.

A distinctive feature of the course is that it brings together students, scholars, and activists as both participants and co-teachers. Activists in exile will join the sessions to share their lived experiences, discuss survival strategies, and reflect on the political and institutional challenges they face. The course is conducted in partnership with Off-University, an organisation dedicated to supporting at-risk scholars and activists through online formats.

The seminar is part of the joint research project with the University of York funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation, which investigates universities as protection infrastructures for HRDs.