Giving Voice to marginalised members of Mozambique's LGBTQ+ community
February marks LGBTQ+ History Month and our lead story in this issue gives an insight into how a particular research approach, PhotoVoice, is supporting trans women in Mozambique, and potentially other countries in future.
This month we’ve many positive developments to report: news of two projects in Zimbabwe, the SAGE programme and the CHILD community education study, which is being showcased at an online event today (see Events below for more details); two brand-new projects, including a pilot with UN Women in six countries; and an unusual and highly welcome prize for one high-achieving student in Nigeria.
There’s a summary of some of our interesting research in progress in our latest Working Papers, designed to be compact and highly readable but also packed with information. And we have, as usual, links to our upcoming events. Something here for all our readers, we hope.
ID@OU
News and research round up
Giving Voice to marginalised members of Africa’s LBGTQ+ community
Dr Craig Walker's research with trans women activists in Maputo is eye-catching – and that's the point.
Zimbabwe gives seal of approval to Open University learning material designed for disadvantaged teenage girls
The Open University’s SAGE education programme will be ideally suited to support girls’ home learning during the pandemic.
Open University works with United Nations to support world’s most disadvantaged women
A £400,000 grant from UN Women, to create affordable learning and employment pathways for marginalised women in six countries, has been won by the Open University's International Development Office and its Faculty of Business and Law. The project will be led by Dr Michael Ngoasong in the OU Business School.
Open University graduate’s teaching prize is – a house
Nigerian Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship student Ayodele Odeogbola had lost his home, but his award-winning Masters open education project won him a new one.
Former International Development Secretary launches new BME seminar series
Baroness Amos spoke at the opening of Dismantling Racial Inequalities in Higher Education, the first in a series of events hosted by The Open University’s newly-created Black and Minority Ethnic Researchers Group.
Funding for new study on how COVID impacts HE in low-income countries
Professor Agnes Kukulska-Hulme will lead this investigation which is funded by the Open University’s Rapid Response scheme.
Pandemic ‘doing the legwork’ for researchers seeking to challenge norms of power and methodology
COVID-19 is forcing UK-based researchers to question the ease with which they can just hop on a plane and get access to schools and communities, writes Dr Alison Buckler in Times Higher Education.
A growing Burundian diaspora is seeking change from abroad
In the latest in the Idjwi blog series Nadine Nibigira, doctoral candidate in law and criminology at the University of Burundi explores the link between political conflicts in Burundi and the emergence of an engaged Burundian diaspora.
Unpacking the myth of race
Dr Lystra Hagley Dickinson and Dr Mark Pinder have worked with the BBC to create a short video asking if there is any biological basis for categorising humans by race?
Opportunities
PhD Studentships in the Open University Business and Law Schools
Applications are invited for full-time funded PhD studentships based in Milton Keynes, UK, in a number of specified projects that have economic, public and social value consistent with the mission of the Open University. Closing date for applications: 15 Febuary 2021.
Post-Doctoral Research Associates, REDEFINE
The Open University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences seeks four post-doctoral research associates to contribute to the European Research Council-funded project REDEFINE (Re-orienting development: the dynamics and effects of Chinese infrastructure investment in Europe). We would ideally like to fill each of these positions with experience from one of the following countries: UK, Greece, Hungary and Germany. Closing date for applications: 8 March 2021.
Events
CALRG seminar: Supporting children’s learning during emergency school closures in Zimbabwe
Thursday 11 February, 11:00 to 12:00 GMT, MS teams, open to all, follow link to join
This seminar showcases key findings from the recently completed CHILD (Community Help for Inclusive Learning and Development) study carried out by Open University researchers in collaboration with colleagues from World Vision Zimbabwe.
Speakers: Dr Alison Buckler, Claire Hedges, Tom Power.
IDII seminar series: Updating innovation manuals and metrics with lessons from COVID-19 and cancer care
Wednesday 17 February,12:30 to 14:00 GMT, MS teams, register to receive link
This talk focuses on the economic and historical assumptions and measurement challenges of how technological capabilities are built and industrial systems evolve. It will be chaired by Dr Lorena Lombardozzi, Lecturer in Economics, The Open University.
Presenter: Smita Srinivas, Professorial Research Fellow in the Economics Department and the Development Policy and Practice (DPP) group, Open University.
For a complete list of upcoming International Development and Inclusive Innovation seminars, see here. To watch seminars which have already taken place, see here
Writing International Student Migration Series: Seminar 2 Literature search, review and management
Wednesday 17 February, 14:00 to 15:30 GMT, online, free to register
Latest in a series of seminars organised as part of the WISMA project, funded by the British Academy. All attendees receive a digital Certificate of Participation.
Session leader: Professor Parvati Raghuram,The Open University, with Dr Gunjan Sondhi, The Open University, Dr Markus Breines, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Workshop: Financialization-Personal Finance-Migration Linkages: the case of the UK
Friday 19 February, 10:00 to 16.00 GMT, MS teams, see link for speakers and how to register
The aim of this workshop is to set an agenda for future research exploring the linkages between financialization, personal finance and migration with specific reference to the UK BME communities.
