Workshop on end of life for Syrian refugees

Published: 27 February 2017

Glasgow End of Life Studies group holds workshop with international experts on the Syrian refugee crisis.

A group of international experts visited the University of Glasgow's Dumfries Campus in February, sharing their experiences of working with refugees in Lebanon with members of the Glasgow End of Life Studies Group. Our academic colleagues shared some of their research into global end of life issues and challenges.

Image of Dr Shahaduz Zaman The workshop was the first meeting of a network for research on death, dying and end of life care among Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Twenty percent of the world’s population is currently displaced or has refugee status. While ‘refugee camps’ are generally seen as being temporary, many camps have existed for decades and are places where people are born, live and die.

This workshop is an early stage of a project supported by the ESRC Global Challenges Research Fund. The project is being led by anthropologist Dr Shahaduz Zaman of the Glasgow End of Life Studies Group as Principal Investigator.

The aim of the project is to create a network and to build capacity among experts in working with refugees and end of life experts, leading to further research bids.

Participants included representatives from international NGOs HelpAge International and the World Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA), and academics from universities around the world.

Facilitated by Dr Zaman, the group enjoyed a range of presentations and discussions:

  • University of Glasgow End of Life lecturer Dr Naomi Richards on the anthropology of the end of life
  • Professor David Clark on his team's work on global mapping and creating a taxonomy of end of life interventions
  • Dr Fouad M Fouad of the American University of Beirut giving an overview of the current situation for Syrian refugees in Lebanon
  • Dr Hala Kerbage, psychiatrist at the Hôtel-Dieu de France and the Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut, on the mental health of refugees in Lebanon
  • Emanuela Rizzo of HelpAge International on working with elderly refugees in Lebanon
  • Dr Janaka Jayawickrama of the University of York on the challenges of collaborating with disaster, conflict and uneven development-affected communities.
  • UofG PhD student Maria Grazia Imperiale introducing the Glasgow Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network (GRAMNET)
  • Filmmaker and visual artist Hoda Kerbage on her plans for a documentary film about refugees in Lebanon
  • Claire Morris and Dermott McDonald on the work of the World Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA)
  • Anthropologist and global health expert Dr Shahaduz Zaman on a plural approach to death and dying

More information

You can access podcasts of the presentations on the End of Life Studies Soundcloud page.

The Glasgow End of Life Studies Group are organising an end of life research showcase and networking event in Glasgow on 18 April. This will be open to all members of the University of Glasgow community. More details plus registration on the Eventbrite booking site.

Image of attendees at the Glasgow End of Life Studies workshop on Syria - February 2017

First published: 27 February 2017

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