Hi all
I think as critical geographers and social scientists we should escape the neoliberal discourse on risk assessment, responsibility, protection and the like and we should rather interrogate ourselves about what means being progressive researchers (as Giulio was) and how can we oppose contemporary forms of Western colonialism in Africa and elsewhere in the world that are behind these repressive regimes.
This mailing list was founded 20 twenty years with this purpose and I believe Giulio's terrible story teaches us that we should continue in that direction.
cheers
Ugo
Il domenica 14 febbraio 2016, Elisa Pascucci <
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Dear All,
I agree with Sara that Giulio Regeni's colleagues at Cambridge and elsewhere deserve our solidarity and utmost respect in these tragic circumstances. Comments on their risk assessment procedures being inadequate are entirely inappropriate, especially when we do not actually know what kind of measures were taken in this particular case.
That, however, doesn't mean that there shouldn't be a debate about the efficacy of universities' risk planning and other forms of support and protection available for researchers in dangerous field contexts. Last Wednesday, for instance, the MESA BoD issued a 'Security Alert on Study and Research in Egypt' that might lead other professional bodies and academic institutions to change their planning and safety requirements for research work also in other authoritarian contexts : http://mesana.org/about/board-letters-statements.html#Egypt-Security-Alert
I think there should also be a broader discussion about British universities' "duty of care", particularly towards international graduate students and people on precarious/temporary contracts or scholarships. Many researchers engaged in potentially risky fieldwork are PhD students, postdocs and local research assistants, which makes their condition even more vulnerable.
And yes, Jon's message about Giulio being a leftist activist was puzzling for those among us who know about him mostly through common academic friends and colleagues, like myself (not to mention the romanticizing portrayal of Italian activist youths...) However, he's not the only one to associate Giulio's figure with the militant left. The commemoration held yesterday in Piazza Santi Apostoli, in Rome, for instance, saw the participation of some of the most active Roman radical leftist groups. This obviously doesn't imply that Giulio was a militant himself. But I do think that, rather than as an unwarranted appropriation, it can be read as a testament to his intellectual engagement and political liveliness, as well as to the relevance of his work.
Best wishes,
Elisa
Elisa Pascucci
Postdoctoral Researcher
Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence in Research on the Relational and Territorial Politics of Bordering, Identities and Transnationalization (RELATE)
Space and Political Agency Research Group (SPARG)
Kanslerinrinne 1
33014 University of Tampere
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________________________________________
From: A forum for critical and radical geographers <[log in to unmask]')">[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Nelly Ali <[log in to unmask]')">[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 10 February 2016 16:30
To: [log in to unmask]')">[log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: In memory of Giulio Regeni
So well said Sara.
As someone who has conducted my PhD research in Egypt in often very risky circumstances, I would definitely appreciate your approach if the same thing had happened to me.
------
Warm regards,
Nelly Ali
Senior Teaching Fellow
UCL University of London
www.nellyali.com
> On 10 Feb 2016, at 13:30, Sara Fregonese <[log in to unmask]')">[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Dear Jon,
>
> As an Italian (but also a British citizen) I have never felt as orientalised as I did reading your email.
>
> Let's establish some facts.
>
> -I have seen no reports anywhere of Giulio Regeni actually being some kind of radical leftist activist who marches in Genoa. I don't know where you got your narrative from.
>
> -Giulio was much less Italian than you seem to portray. He was a PhD student at Cambridge and a graduate of a US college. "Post-Italian" is what is actually currently being used in the Italian press to describe Italian youth going to study abroad because their home country is disinvesting from knowing about the world - especially in the social sciences. Something that I'm sure several people on this list can share.
>
> -Giulio was part of an extremely knowledgeable network of scholars and practitioners in Egypt and in Cambridge, starting from his supervisor Maha Abdelrahman and ending with my friend Gennaro Gervasio, who was the last person to speak to Giulio on January 25th. These people are devastated and deserve our support and solidarity.
>
> - I suspect you don't know what risk assessment was done before Giulio's fieldwork. But I can tell you, as a geographer researching the Middle East and currently with PhD students in the Middle East, that we spend several hours thinking through risk mitigation strategies. I imagine similar procedures are in place at Cambridge. Surely we all recognize the limits of this kind of risk planning and rather than casting blame on Cambridge (or any other university) for sending this naive smiling Italian boy that you describe to his death, we should support each other as academics.
>
> Best wishes,
> Sara
