Transnationalist Movements and Border Crossings amongst Queer Refugees in Germany and South Africa
Ernst van der Wal (Stellenbosch U)
Abstract
The presentation focuses on the impact of forms of transnational mobility on the lives of lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, and intersex (or lbgti) subjects who have fled their countries of origin in recent years because of either political conflict, or homo- and transphobia. Both South Africa and Germany have seen a heightened influx of queer refugees who deliberately choose these two countries for their apparent protection of lbgti rights. By drawing on photographic interview projects that were conducted in Germany and South Africa, van der Wal explores how narratives of sexual and gendered citizenship resound with larger debates surrounding transnational mobility and cross-cultural exchange.
Biographical Note
Dr. Ernst van der Wal (Visual Arts Department, Stellenbosch University, South Africa)
Ernst van der Wal is a lecturer in visual studies at the Visual Arts Department of Stellenbosch University, where he also obtained his PhD in the visual arts in 2013. His research examines the visualisation and embodiment of lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender identities within post-apartheid South Africa – a subject on which he has published widely. Recent research focuses on forms of community-based knowledge production that bridges the divide between transgender and cisgender scholarship.
Image source: Stellenbosch U, Link (29 September 2018)