Seminar at SAPMiC: The Case of Undocumented Migration from Cambodia to Thailand

On the 13 November, from 12.30-13.30 our colleague Robert Nurick will speak at a Sydney Asia Pacific Migration Centre (SAPMiC) event.

Migration from Cambodia is a major livelihood strategy for rural families, with most having at least one member migrating in search of work. Thailand is their number one destination. Most have an undocumented status, putting them at risk of arrest and deportation.

Robert will share the findings of interviews with Cambodian migrants and members of their families exploring their motivations and decision-making. The involuntary return of undocumented migrants from Thailand in June 2014 provides the lens through which the significance of migration strategies and the impact of return on family livelihoods are studied. The second part of the talk reviews the experience of sharing the findings in comic form with migrants and their families. Their reflections have helped to frame a follow-up research agenda that addresses their priorities. He will conclude by proposing that the production and sharing of knowledge in an accessible and innovative form has transformed a ‘standard’ piece of qualitative research into a participatory action research process.

The comic, Precarious Migration, is available online in English, Khmer, and Thai.

If you would like to attend please contact Matt Withers (matt.withers@sydney.edu.au).