Laurier expert alert: World Refugee Day

June 17, 2024
For Immediate Release

WATERLOO — Since 2001, the United Nations has marked June 20 as World Refugee Day to honour the strength and courage of people around the world who have been forced to flee their home countries to escape conflict or persecution. The day was designated to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the 1951 UN convention relating to the status of refugees.

Wilfrid Laurier University experts are available to speak about World Refugee Day and related topics. The following list includes experts who are available to speak at this time but does not represent the full breadth of expertise at Laurier. For a more comprehensive inventory of Laurier’s faculty researchers, consult the Experts at Laurier database. 

Heidi Ahonen, a professor in Laurier’s Music Therapy program, is the coordinator of the Master of Music Therapy program and director of the Manfred and Penny Conrad Institute for Music Therapy Research. A registered psychotherapist and graduate of Harvard’s Global Mental Health: Trauma and Recovery Certificate Program, Ahonen’s areas of expertise include a specialization in trauma among refugee populations, with a particular focus on refugees living in southwestern Ontario. Contact: hahonen@wlu.ca

Bree Akesson is an associate professor of Social Work and the Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Global Adversity and Wellbeing at Laurier. Among her areas of expertise are the experiences of war-affected families and the impact of the destruction and loss of home in contexts of war. Akesson is also a research associate at the International Migration Research Centre and a fellow at the Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa. Contact: bakesson@wlu.ca

Madelaine Hron is an associate professor of English and Film Studies at Laurier. Hron’s areas of expertise include immigrants, refugees, human rights, trauma, healing, children's rights, and Africa as represented in popular culture, literature and film. She is the author of Translating Pain: Immigrant Suffering in Literature and Culture. Contact: mhron@wlu.ca

Magnus Mfoafo-M’Carthy, a professor in Laurier’s Faculty of Social Work, examines mental illness, disability and stigma among immigrant communities, as well as African ideals of family. He is also interested in postcolonial and critical race theories, social justice and anti-oppressive practice. Mfoafo-M’Carthy is a research fellow with Laurier’s Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa and Centre for Leading Research in Education. Contact: mmfoafomcarthy@wlu.ca

Kim Rygiel is a professor of Political Science at Laurier and the Balsillie School of International Affairs, as well as co-director and a research associate at Laurier’s International Migration Research Centre. Rygiel’s research interests include border security, migration, and citizenship politics within North America and Europe. Among her past federally funded research projects is “Humanitarian Aid, Citizenship Politics, and the Governance of Syrian Refugees in Turkey.” Rygiel’s forthcoming co-authored book, due for publication in September 2024, is titled Migration, Cosmopolitanism and Civil Society: Fostering Cultural Pluralism through Citizenship Politics. Contact: krygiel@wlu.ca

Dalon P. Taylor is a professor in the Faculty of Social Work. Her areas of expertise include migration, immigration, skilled migration, race, racism, anti-Black racism, community engagement, health inequities and social justice. Contact: dptaylor@wlu.ca

Stacey Wilson-Forsberg is an associate professor of Human Rights at Laurier, as well as associate director of the Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa and a fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. Among Wilson-Forsberg’s areas of research and expertise are asylum seekers in Mexico, immigrant and refugee youth, migrants with precarious immigration status, and refugee determination processes. Contact: swilsonforsberg@wlu.ca