GMIAU director Denise McDowell was recently invited by the University of Manchester to work with a Student Group on the module – The Anthropology of Development and Humanitarianism. The students presented their research on the subject of “how anthropology can help to think about the issue of refugees and people seeking asylum.”

The group discussed pertaining issues that surround this topic. People seeking asylum, in many times, are treated with a label. People are categorized by their illness, their status and the documents they have. A fascinating discussion about the bit that we see in the person.

After the group discussion, Denise joined a panel of other organisations (British Red Cross, Independent Commission of Aid Impact, Oxfam, Student Development & Community Engagement at UoM) on a general questions and answer period.

What advice do we have for these passionate students looking to get into the type of work we do? Start to build up a CV around volunteering with organisations in this area. Your dedication will prove to future employers that you are dedicated to the field. Campaigning is another great way to highlight issues and injustices that you see, and standing up in a political sense to make things better.

A filming of the discussion and panel will be available in the coming weeks and will be shared on our social media outlets so be sure to follow along.