Call for Papers: Workshop: ‘Terrorism and Asylum’

Workshop: ‘Terrorism and Asylum’
Refugee Law Initiative, University of London
Friday 8 December 2017

Fears that refugee flows may facilitate the entry of terrorist elements are amply demonstrated by State responses to the refugee crises in Syria and Iraq. Such concerns about the prevalence of terrorism in today’s world have direct consequences for the legal protection of refugees and asylum-seekers. This one-day workshop convened by the Refugee Law Initiative aims to promote reflection on links between ‘terrorism’ and ‘asylum’ on the part of scholars and practitioners working in these separate fields.
Paper abstracts for the workshop are invited from researchers and practitioners at all stages of their careers. Relevant legal, social and policy themes include but are not limited to:

• The framing and definition of ‘terrorism’, especially in relation to armed conflicts, and its implications for defining entitlement to, or exclusion from, refugee status or other forms of international protection;
• The mechanisms used by governments and other institutions, including under criminal and administrative laws, to identify and deal with persons suspected of (the potential for) involvement with terrorism; and their relevance in the asylum context;
• The doctrinal relationship between refugee law and terrorism law in international law and in national settings, including the balance between national security concerns and respect for human rights and/or non-discrimination in the context of terrorism and asylum;
• Pre-emptive measures used by States to ‘shield’ themselves from prospective terrorist elements in refugee flows, including bars to entry, deterrence mechanisms and screening procedures.

Paper abstracts on these, or any other, pertinent themes should not exceed 600 words, including the title, author name and institutional affiliation and a biography of 100 words. They should be sent for consideration before Friday 20 October 2017 to rli@sas.ac.uk.

Selection decisions will be returned by Monday 30 October 2017. Participants, including presenters, are responsible for making their own visa, travel and accommodation arrangements and will be required to pay the small registration fee to cover the cost of refreshments and lunch.