Sydney Ideas

From building walls, to stopping boats, to attempts to ‘trade’ refugees between countries, we are witnessing unprecedented efforts by national governments to externalise their borders, absolving rich countries of their international obligations, and often shifting the burden to poorer countries. Our panel will examine the current policies of the United States and Australia and offer observations about the implications of such policies – for those who cannot move, for those who remain unprotected, and for those who try to respond. The panel will be preceded by a photography exhibition featuring the work of Syrians living the ‘Trapped In/Pushed Out’ experience, curated by Maher Jamous, a Syrian producer and filmmaker who fled Syria in 2012. SPEAKERS: - Professor David FitzGerald, Professor of Sociology, University of California San Diego
 - Graham Thom, Refugee Coordinator, Amnesty International
 - Michelle Peterie, PhD candidate (Sociology), University of Sydney
 - Behrouz Boochani, journalist, currently i