The international refugee crisis will be the topic of an upcoming lecture by Dawn Nowacki, chair of the Linfield College political science department.
Nowacki, the Elizabeth and Morris Glicksman Chair in Political Science, will speak on “Voluntary and Involuntary Migrant Status: Thoughts on the International Refugee Crisis,” Wednesday, March 9, at 4 p.m. in 201 Riley Hall at Linfield.
Nowacki will discuss what it is like to walk hundreds of miles voluntarily as a person from a wealthy country, as well as what it means to flee from war, leave everything behind and make one’s way through inhospitable states or across dangerous seas. Her talk will highlight humanitarian, gender and ethnic dimensions of displacement as she reflects upon her sabbatical experiences in Europe.
Nowacki teaches political science, including comparative politics and international relations at Linfield. Her current work is centered on women in politics, war and gender, women and politics in the Middle East, women and Islam, and politics and Islam. Her work has been included in the book “Discipline and Punishment in Global Politics: Illusions of Control.” Previous research focused on women’s political representation in Russia and its peripheral provinces, strategies of marginalized groups in post-communist systems, and democratic orientations and authoritarian practice.
Nowacki’s scholarship, including study in Russia, Turkey, Jordan and China, has been supported by a Fulbright Scholar Award and the National Endowment for the Humanities. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Russian area studies and a master’s degree in communications from the University of Washington. She earned her Ph.D. in political science from Emory University.
The talk is free and open to the public. It is part of a series of programs at Linfield in honor of Women’s History Month. It is sponsored by the Linfield College Department of Political Science, Multicultural Programs and International Programs. For more information contact Lauren Card, 503-883-2326, lcard@linfield.edu.
