Graphic Novels: A Pedagogical Device for Understanding Key Concepts in Global Migration and Encouraging Empathy for the Experiences of Displaced Persons

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 In the following discussion, I draw upon the International Organization for Migration (IOM) definition and use the phrase “displaced person” to encompass the many circumstances that might force an individual to move away from their home and seek refuge elsewhere. This helps to address the problematic binary of refugee vs. migrant distinction, but it remains tricky because definitions are subject to the social interpretations and political contexts in which they are created and enforced. Obviously, many individuals cross international borders to find safety in another country but do not qualify for formal UN “refugee” status because they do not meet the definition created by that entity. Betts (2010) uses the idea of survival migration as an alternative framing for those international migrants who increasingly experience a complex interaction of environmental change, livelihood collapse, and state fragility, since these individuals typically fall outside established categories but still cross borders. As Culcasi, Skop, and Gorman (2019) contend, even as states and international institutions generally continue to see the world largely in terms of the voluntary vs. forced dichotomy, the reality is that most global migrants today experience displacement stemming from serious deprivations of socioeconomic rights related to underlying political situations, sometimes exacerbated by worsening environmental conditions. Thus, this article uses the term “displaced persons” to recognize the many circumstances under which people are forced to move. For more explanations of the difference among refugee, internally displaced person, displaced person, and asylum seeker, see the assigned reading (Skop 2019) for this lesson plan along with this resource available from the United Nations: https://www.unrefugees.org/refugee-facts/what-is-a-refugee/.

2 The student papers included in this special issue cover all of the concepts explored in this lesson plan, including space, place, movement, networks, scale, and territory as well as citizenship and belonging, placemaking, intersectionality, identity, and the role of the state in producing categories and policies that shape the realities of displaced persons. In this way, the papers serve not only as evidence of the benefits of this particular lesson plan but also as a potential answer key to the provided worksheet for instructors looking for examples on how to assess individual responses to the questions posed.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Emily Skop

Emily Skop is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment Studies at University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Professor Skop’s scholarship explores global migration and its consequences with a particular focus on refugee resettlement and placemaking. She also broadly examines the multiple ways in which scale is utilized as a concept to create legacies of advantage and disadvantage, in a variety of contexts, including academia. Professor Skop has built a significant research record, including a book titled The Immigration and Settlement of Asian Indians, and more than fifty peer-reviewed book chapters and research articles. In addition, she maintains ongoing academic and service interests in the discipline of geography, with a focus on broadening participation in higher education.