We would like to announce the launch of the inaugural edition of the Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration (OxMo) – the first student authored, edited, and managed journal dedicated to protecting and advancing the human rights of forced migrants.
As an independent publication, OxMo moves to engage with forced migration by establishing a forum in which students and forced migrants can meaningfully contribute to the global discourse that intersects academia and practice. In particular, OxMo seeks to draw attention to the plight of displaced persons, to identify gaps within existing international and national protection regimes, and to engage intellectually with the many practical and conceptual factors that perpetuate dislocation. We are committed to presenting critical yet balanced analyses of social, political, and legal issues pertaining to displacement, asylum and return, placing emphasis on monitoring the policies and actions of governments, international organisations, and NGOs. Equally, OxMo endeavours to give expression to innovative undertakings that strive to counter and alleviate forced migration predicaments. We also provide a space for persons who have been or are currently displaced to present their unique insight.
To find out more about OxMo and to access OxMo Vol. 1 No.1 free of charge please visit our website www.oxmofm.com.
This issue includes short essays and academic articles from authors in Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Ecuador, Hong Kong, the UK, and the USA. Our eleven contributors have drawn from first hand experiences, their own academic research and knowledge gleaned from being in the field and working in human and refugee rights advocacy. Amongst others, in the Monitor section, Alice Taylor discusses the threat of persecution resulting from socio-political activism in Colombia and the ways in which it has critically affected the role of IDP women leaders. In First Hand, Alberto Grajales García shares his reflections on his journey towards obtaining a refugee visa. In the Academic Articles section, James Souter unpacks the parallel notions of cultures of disbelief and cultures of denial and examines the impact of such trends on reducing the opportunity for asylum seekers to secure protection in the UK.
We would like to announce that we are expanding our forum to include a new section on our webpage called From Academia, Policy and Practice, to enable the continuation of discussion and debate initiated by articles featured in OxMo. We invite academics, practitioners, and policy makers to offer responses to ideas or arguments put forth by contributing authors, in the form of a brief commentary. We also welcome short essays that delineate specific aspects or concerns that may serve to direct students towards particular issues that require further scholarship. This will be a chance for professionals to impart their knowledge and to share their thought and experiences with students, forced migrants and others working in the field. We hope that this initiative fosters greater discourse between policy and practice, students and academics, as well as organisations and the individuals they strive to serve. Please email submissions to oxmofm@googlemail.com.
We hope that you find our first issue of OxMo thoroughly engaging.
Please send all replies to: oxmofm@googlemail.com
Many thanks for your support,
OxMo Editorial Team