Jointly organized by Gender Studies Programme, Universiti Malaya and Malaysia Team, CHCI-GHI 2020-2021.

Co-Acting: Refugee Researchers Acting with Refugee Women

What would participatory action research with refugees look like? How can we move from extractive academic research to one that is collaborative with researchers and refugee participants co-acting. In this presentation, Kirandeep Kaur and Naima Ismail will share their experience as collaborators in a participatory action research project and reflect on lessons learned in this process. This talk will include a presentation by Naima on “How not to waste refugee women’s time with pointless research; let’s get to the point’, followed by Kiran speaking on ‘How not to be wasteful with refugees. Bringing meaning into co-action’.

About the speakers:

Naima Ismail is a Somali refugee women’s activist and leader of SWAM. She is passionate about health policy and challenging health inequities for Somali women in Kuala Lumpur. Naima Ismail is a Somali refugee women’s activist and leader of SWAM. She is passionate about health policy and challenging health inequities for Somali women in Kuala Lumpur. This has led to starting a community organisation, supported by the UNHCR, focused on health literacy and access to healthcare for refugee women. She acted as translator for Health Equities Initiative (HEI) a global NGO working in Malaysia, the UNHCR and other NGOs. She is experienced in working with women on issues of health, SGBV, trauma and livelihoods. Through SWAM she has provided basic health services, training on leadership for women and health and trauma advice and support.

Kirandeep Kaur is a doctoral researcher in Law and Development at Tilburg University. She used a participatory action research approach in her doctoral fieldwork that involved living with, training and co-researching with refugee communities based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Also a Communication in Science lecturer at Leiden University Medical Centre. She works with medical and bio-medical students to help them better communicate their own research, thesis’ and studies. Please check out her website: www.kirandeep-kaur.com for further information