Andreea R Torre | Chulalongkorn University (original) (raw)

Papers by Andreea R Torre

JustJobs Network: People on the Move Advancing the Discourse on Migration & Jobs, 2018

In the last 15 years, the number of international migrants has grown rapidly, a trend that will m... more In the last 15 years, the number of international migrants has grown rapidly, a trend that will most likely accelerate in years to come. This trend has fueled a surge of interest in the development impacts of international migration for work. A growing body of research has shed new light on the nature of the migration-development nexus, with emerging evidence showing a positive effect of migration on poverty reduction in migrant-sending countries.3 Yet migrant workers are more than “remittances heroes.” Remittances help families invest in health, education and entrepreneurial activities in origin countries. But migrant workers also contribute to new skills, change cultural norms and patterns of behavior, and convey new values and ideas to their families and communities. More recently, a closer look at the demographic composition of contemporary global migrant populations has also revealed the highly gendered dimension of mobility processes. In many Asian countries, women migrate not only for economic reasons but also to escape physical or psychological violence and abuse. This “feminization of migration” is especially pronounced in the domestic and care sectors of destination labor markets where many female migrant workers find employment. Within the domestic and care sectors, however, the often unregulated nature of reproductive labor, which includes paid domestic work such as care giving and household tasks (i.e. cleaning, cooking, washing, etc.), places migrant women at risk of exploitation in the form of low wages, poor working conditions, and even physical and/ or sexual abuse. This chapter provides an analysis of these quality of work issues with a specific focus on women’s migration for domestic work in the ASEAN region (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). It examines disadvantages inherent in the domestic work sector and the insecurities women migrant workers face at various stages of the migration journey. The first section provides a panoramic view of the flows and trends of women’s migration for work in the ASEAN region. Next, the chapter investigates challenges and vulnerabilities that migrant domestic workers face. Finally, the last section discusses how to reduce domestic workers’ vulnerabilities in countries of origin as well as in host nations so that women migrant workers can achieve their full potential as agents of equitable and sustainable development. Conceptually, our analysis of the migration-development nexus moves beyond the pure economic logic that dominates the migration and development narrative to provide a notion of development that encompasses not only the economic welfare but also the socio-cultural and rights-based well-being of migrants. As such, it also addresses the often disregarded or undervalued human and social capital transfers of migration.

Handbook of Governance in Small States, 2020

In this chapter, we explore the emergence of new intra-regional migration routes between Pacific ... more In this chapter, we explore the emergence of new intra-regional migration routes between Pacific countries and how these are contributing to the reconfiguration of the South Pacific migration system. Based on case studies in Fiji and Vanuatu, experiences of transient mobility for the pursuit of education and health care, and short- and long-term mobility of professionals, are here framed within the Pacific regional, sub-regional, and bilateral intergovernmental frameworks and mechanisms.

1 Research conducted in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Paki... more 1 Research conducted in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam Coastal communities in South and Southeast Asia are strongly tied to marine and coastal resources that are vital for their food security and livelihoods. Meanwhile, pervasive expansion of the global economy is leading to rapid changes in coastal and marine resources, specifically through overfishing and hasty coastal development. Such rapid changes produce severe consequences for different groups of women and men in local communities that are at the front line in terms of experiencing the hardships of marine resource depletion and coastline degradation. Furthermore, these hardships often lead to changes in gender roles and rights.

The general objective of this edited collection is to shed new light on significant gendered, soc... more The general objective of this edited collection is to shed new light on significant gendered, social, economic and political aspects of the diverse Pacific Islands’ migratory landscape. The articles focus on some of the emerging patterns and development implications of current migration trends and policies in the region such as temporary and seasonal labour mobility, migrant women’s work in traditionally male-dominated sectors, strategies for managing environmentally-induced migration and the policies for coercive relocation of asylum seekers. Processes of internal mobility and their connection to challenges posed by rapid urbanisation in Melanesian countries, are also addressed in this collection. Without losing sight of global forces that have structured and still impact economies and patterns of mobility in the region, our approach situates the migration and development nexus within the context of Pacific Islands’ colonial legacies and post-colonial relations, economic and enviro...

Disasters, 2021

Disasters and climate‐related risks displace millions of people each year. Planned relocation is ... more Disasters and climate‐related risks displace millions of people each year. Planned relocation is one strategy used to address displacement. However, little attention has been paid to the secondary impacts of planned relocations, and how they influence the risk, vulnerability, and well‐being of other groups, particularly people who live on the land selected for relocation sites, or in neighbouring areas. This paper explores how current and potential planned relocations in Fiji and the Philippines redistribute vulnerabilities to non‐target communities that previously lived on, or alongside, relocation site land. The notion of cascading displacement is introduced to illustrate a serious consequence of planned relocations in which insecurity and displacement are recreated and perpetuated due to a failure to consider the needs of non‐target groups that are directly disadvantaged by relocation processes. Insights from this paper may be used to inform future relocation policy and practice ...

Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration, 2018

Much of the traditional literature on migration in the South Pacific describes Pacific Islands as... more Much of the traditional literature on migration in the South Pacific describes Pacific Islands as countries of permanent out-migration directed towards the Rim countries. Yet over the past two decades there has been considerable diversification of the routes and patterns of South Pacific mobility. This article, by focusing on emerging mobility trajectories between Pacific Island Countries, ventures into the scarcely studied arena of intra-regional migration with a case study of Nauruan migrant families in Fiji. Conceptually, this research is positioned within the literature on transnationalism. Yet most studies on transnational family migration have focused on ‘South–North’ migration routes; emphasized the impacts of both economic and social remittances on local communities at origin; and identified migratory patterns characterized by family separation, with parents ‘on the move’ and children and older family members ‘left-behind’. This article, which relies on a mix-method approach integrating quantitative data and qualitative information, provides a complementary perspective highlighting the centrality of education as primary driver of the migration process, the pivotal role of children in the construction of transnational social fields and the intersections between institutional structures, self-initiated practices of movement and kinship relations in shaping the family migratory trajectories.

Routledge Handbook of Gender and Environment, 2017

The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 2016

The main aim of Positive Contributions: Being a Refugee in Britain (Sigona and Torre 2006) is to ... more The main aim of Positive Contributions: Being a Refugee in Britain (Sigona and Torre 2006) is to show, through their voices, that refugees and asylum seekers contribute positively to British society, not just in economic terms but also, and above all, socially and culturally. Giving refugees a voice means creating a space where this voice can be heard – a context where it is possible to retrieve details of a normality that refugees and asylum seekers endlessly build, even in the most adverse of circumstances. The project develops the idea of positive contribution in three main directions: - refugees enrich British society through their presence by multiplying points of view and creating an attitude that is conducive to questioning assumed truths and credos; - their knowledge, skills and resources enhance society as a whole when they become part of the common shared values and culture - forced migration is a result of highly interrelated social and economic processes occurring at global level. As individuals living in ‘our midst’ refugees, asylum seekers and forced migrants bring direct and actual experience of these processes to society. Photo exhibition: [vimeo http://vimeo.com/19810487]

The Journal of Pacific Studies

The main aim of Positive Contributions: Being a Refugee in Britain (Sigona and Torre 2006) is to ... more The main aim of Positive Contributions: Being a Refugee in Britain (Sigona and Torre 2006) is to show, through their voices, that refugees and asylum seekers contribute positively to British society, not just in economic terms but also, and above all, socially and culturally. Giving refugees a voice means creating a space where this voice can be heard – a context where it is possible to retrieve details of a normality that refugees and asylum seekers endlessly build, even in the most adverse of circumstances. The project develops the idea of positive contribution in three main directions: - refugees enrich British society through their presence by multiplying points of view and creating an attitude that is conducive to questioning assumed truths and credos; - their knowledge, skills and resources enhance society as a whole when they become part of the common shared values and culture - forced migration is a result of highly interrelated social and economic processes occurring at glo...

Regional Synthesis Report , 2019

SEI Briefs, 2019

Gendered experiences in fisheries and coastal resource management are often overlooked. To close ... more Gendered experiences in fisheries and coastal resource management are often overlooked. To close some of these knowledge gaps, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) along with International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) explored drivers of inequality and the constraints imposed on different groups of women in various coastal contexts of South and Southeast Asia.

SEI Briefs, 2019

Key messages • Governments are introducing new “just transitions” policies to help workers and co... more Key messages
• Governments are introducing new “just transitions” policies to help workers and
communities move away from fossil fuels.
• Most policies assume that justice goals will be achieved by helping those dependent on coal,
oil and gas move into new roles; however, there is little critical reflection on what justice
means in the context of an energy transition away from fossil fuels.
• There are a number of gaps in current just transition policies when viewed through a justice
lens. For example, no policies contain measures to improve the lives of people currently
marginalized in the energy system.
• Creating just and equitable transition policies requires collecting data on the current
distribution of the harms and benefits of the energy system, and mapping out how this will
change as fossil fuels become a less-prominent part of the energy mix.
• By taking justice considerations into account, transition policies are more likely to limit
social and political resistance, win a broad consensus, and achieve effective implementation.

Much of the traditional literature on migration in the South Pacific describes Pacific Islands as... more Much of the traditional literature on migration in the South Pacific describes Pacific Islands as countries of permanent out-migration directed towards the Rim countries. Yet over the past two decades there has been considerable diversification of the routes and patterns of South Pacific mobility. This article, by focusing on emerging mobility trajectories between Pacific Island Countries, ventures into the scarcely studied arena of intra-regional migration with a case study of Nauruan migrant families in Fiji. Conceptually, this research is positioned within the literature on transnationalism. Yet most studies on transnational family migration have focused on ‘South–North’ migration routes; emphasized the impacts of both economic and social remittances on local communities at origin; and identified migratory patterns characterized by family separation, with parents ‘on the move’ and children and older family members ‘left-behind’. This article, which relies on a mix-method approach integrating quantitative data and qualitative information, provides a complementary perspective highlighting the centrality of education as primary driver of the migration process, the pivotal role of children in the construction of transnational social fields and the intersections between institutional structures, self-initiated practices of movement and kinship relations in shaping the family migratory trajectories.

JustJobs Network: People on the Move Advancing the Discourse on Migration & Jobs, 2018

In the last 15 years, the number of international migrants has grown rapidly, a trend that will m... more In the last 15 years, the number of international migrants has grown rapidly, a trend that will most likely accelerate in years to come. This trend has fueled a surge of interest in the development impacts of international migration for work. A growing body of research has shed new light on the nature of the migration-development nexus, with emerging evidence showing a positive effect of migration on poverty reduction in migrant-sending countries.3 Yet migrant workers are more than “remittances heroes.” Remittances help families invest in health, education and entrepreneurial activities in origin countries. But migrant workers also contribute to new skills, change cultural norms and patterns of behavior, and convey new values and ideas to their families and communities. More recently, a closer look at the demographic composition of contemporary global migrant populations has also revealed the highly gendered dimension of mobility processes. In many Asian countries, women migrate not only for economic reasons but also to escape physical or psychological violence and abuse. This “feminization of migration” is especially pronounced in the domestic and care sectors of destination labor markets where many female migrant workers find employment. Within the domestic and care sectors, however, the often unregulated nature of reproductive labor, which includes paid domestic work such as care giving and household tasks (i.e. cleaning, cooking, washing, etc.), places migrant women at risk of exploitation in the form of low wages, poor working conditions, and even physical and/ or sexual abuse. This chapter provides an analysis of these quality of work issues with a specific focus on women’s migration for domestic work in the ASEAN region (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). It examines disadvantages inherent in the domestic work sector and the insecurities women migrant workers face at various stages of the migration journey. The first section provides a panoramic view of the flows and trends of women’s migration for work in the ASEAN region. Next, the chapter investigates challenges and vulnerabilities that migrant domestic workers face. Finally, the last section discusses how to reduce domestic workers’ vulnerabilities in countries of origin as well as in host nations so that women migrant workers can achieve their full potential as agents of equitable and sustainable development. Conceptually, our analysis of the migration-development nexus moves beyond the pure economic logic that dominates the migration and development narrative to provide a notion of development that encompasses not only the economic welfare but also the socio-cultural and rights-based well-being of migrants. As such, it also addresses the often disregarded or undervalued human and social capital transfers of migration.

Handbook of Governance in Small States, 2020

In this chapter, we explore the emergence of new intra-regional migration routes between Pacific ... more In this chapter, we explore the emergence of new intra-regional migration routes between Pacific countries and how these are contributing to the reconfiguration of the South Pacific migration system. Based on case studies in Fiji and Vanuatu, experiences of transient mobility for the pursuit of education and health care, and short- and long-term mobility of professionals, are here framed within the Pacific regional, sub-regional, and bilateral intergovernmental frameworks and mechanisms.

1 Research conducted in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Paki... more 1 Research conducted in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam Coastal communities in South and Southeast Asia are strongly tied to marine and coastal resources that are vital for their food security and livelihoods. Meanwhile, pervasive expansion of the global economy is leading to rapid changes in coastal and marine resources, specifically through overfishing and hasty coastal development. Such rapid changes produce severe consequences for different groups of women and men in local communities that are at the front line in terms of experiencing the hardships of marine resource depletion and coastline degradation. Furthermore, these hardships often lead to changes in gender roles and rights.

The general objective of this edited collection is to shed new light on significant gendered, soc... more The general objective of this edited collection is to shed new light on significant gendered, social, economic and political aspects of the diverse Pacific Islands’ migratory landscape. The articles focus on some of the emerging patterns and development implications of current migration trends and policies in the region such as temporary and seasonal labour mobility, migrant women’s work in traditionally male-dominated sectors, strategies for managing environmentally-induced migration and the policies for coercive relocation of asylum seekers. Processes of internal mobility and their connection to challenges posed by rapid urbanisation in Melanesian countries, are also addressed in this collection. Without losing sight of global forces that have structured and still impact economies and patterns of mobility in the region, our approach situates the migration and development nexus within the context of Pacific Islands’ colonial legacies and post-colonial relations, economic and enviro...

Disasters, 2021

Disasters and climate‐related risks displace millions of people each year. Planned relocation is ... more Disasters and climate‐related risks displace millions of people each year. Planned relocation is one strategy used to address displacement. However, little attention has been paid to the secondary impacts of planned relocations, and how they influence the risk, vulnerability, and well‐being of other groups, particularly people who live on the land selected for relocation sites, or in neighbouring areas. This paper explores how current and potential planned relocations in Fiji and the Philippines redistribute vulnerabilities to non‐target communities that previously lived on, or alongside, relocation site land. The notion of cascading displacement is introduced to illustrate a serious consequence of planned relocations in which insecurity and displacement are recreated and perpetuated due to a failure to consider the needs of non‐target groups that are directly disadvantaged by relocation processes. Insights from this paper may be used to inform future relocation policy and practice ...

Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration, 2018

Much of the traditional literature on migration in the South Pacific describes Pacific Islands as... more Much of the traditional literature on migration in the South Pacific describes Pacific Islands as countries of permanent out-migration directed towards the Rim countries. Yet over the past two decades there has been considerable diversification of the routes and patterns of South Pacific mobility. This article, by focusing on emerging mobility trajectories between Pacific Island Countries, ventures into the scarcely studied arena of intra-regional migration with a case study of Nauruan migrant families in Fiji. Conceptually, this research is positioned within the literature on transnationalism. Yet most studies on transnational family migration have focused on ‘South–North’ migration routes; emphasized the impacts of both economic and social remittances on local communities at origin; and identified migratory patterns characterized by family separation, with parents ‘on the move’ and children and older family members ‘left-behind’. This article, which relies on a mix-method approach integrating quantitative data and qualitative information, provides a complementary perspective highlighting the centrality of education as primary driver of the migration process, the pivotal role of children in the construction of transnational social fields and the intersections between institutional structures, self-initiated practices of movement and kinship relations in shaping the family migratory trajectories.

Routledge Handbook of Gender and Environment, 2017

The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 2016

The main aim of Positive Contributions: Being a Refugee in Britain (Sigona and Torre 2006) is to ... more The main aim of Positive Contributions: Being a Refugee in Britain (Sigona and Torre 2006) is to show, through their voices, that refugees and asylum seekers contribute positively to British society, not just in economic terms but also, and above all, socially and culturally. Giving refugees a voice means creating a space where this voice can be heard – a context where it is possible to retrieve details of a normality that refugees and asylum seekers endlessly build, even in the most adverse of circumstances. The project develops the idea of positive contribution in three main directions: - refugees enrich British society through their presence by multiplying points of view and creating an attitude that is conducive to questioning assumed truths and credos; - their knowledge, skills and resources enhance society as a whole when they become part of the common shared values and culture - forced migration is a result of highly interrelated social and economic processes occurring at global level. As individuals living in ‘our midst’ refugees, asylum seekers and forced migrants bring direct and actual experience of these processes to society. Photo exhibition: [vimeo http://vimeo.com/19810487]

The Journal of Pacific Studies

The main aim of Positive Contributions: Being a Refugee in Britain (Sigona and Torre 2006) is to ... more The main aim of Positive Contributions: Being a Refugee in Britain (Sigona and Torre 2006) is to show, through their voices, that refugees and asylum seekers contribute positively to British society, not just in economic terms but also, and above all, socially and culturally. Giving refugees a voice means creating a space where this voice can be heard – a context where it is possible to retrieve details of a normality that refugees and asylum seekers endlessly build, even in the most adverse of circumstances. The project develops the idea of positive contribution in three main directions: - refugees enrich British society through their presence by multiplying points of view and creating an attitude that is conducive to questioning assumed truths and credos; - their knowledge, skills and resources enhance society as a whole when they become part of the common shared values and culture - forced migration is a result of highly interrelated social and economic processes occurring at glo...

Regional Synthesis Report , 2019

SEI Briefs, 2019

Gendered experiences in fisheries and coastal resource management are often overlooked. To close ... more Gendered experiences in fisheries and coastal resource management are often overlooked. To close some of these knowledge gaps, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) along with International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) explored drivers of inequality and the constraints imposed on different groups of women in various coastal contexts of South and Southeast Asia.

SEI Briefs, 2019

Key messages • Governments are introducing new “just transitions” policies to help workers and co... more Key messages
• Governments are introducing new “just transitions” policies to help workers and
communities move away from fossil fuels.
• Most policies assume that justice goals will be achieved by helping those dependent on coal,
oil and gas move into new roles; however, there is little critical reflection on what justice
means in the context of an energy transition away from fossil fuels.
• There are a number of gaps in current just transition policies when viewed through a justice
lens. For example, no policies contain measures to improve the lives of people currently
marginalized in the energy system.
• Creating just and equitable transition policies requires collecting data on the current
distribution of the harms and benefits of the energy system, and mapping out how this will
change as fossil fuels become a less-prominent part of the energy mix.
• By taking justice considerations into account, transition policies are more likely to limit
social and political resistance, win a broad consensus, and achieve effective implementation.

Much of the traditional literature on migration in the South Pacific describes Pacific Islands as... more Much of the traditional literature on migration in the South Pacific describes Pacific Islands as countries of permanent out-migration directed towards the Rim countries. Yet over the past two decades there has been considerable diversification of the routes and patterns of South Pacific mobility. This article, by focusing on emerging mobility trajectories between Pacific Island Countries, ventures into the scarcely studied arena of intra-regional migration with a case study of Nauruan migrant families in Fiji. Conceptually, this research is positioned within the literature on transnationalism. Yet most studies on transnational family migration have focused on ‘South–North’ migration routes; emphasized the impacts of both economic and social remittances on local communities at origin; and identified migratory patterns characterized by family separation, with parents ‘on the move’ and children and older family members ‘left-behind’. This article, which relies on a mix-method approach integrating quantitative data and qualitative information, provides a complementary perspective highlighting the centrality of education as primary driver of the migration process, the pivotal role of children in the construction of transnational social fields and the intersections between institutional structures, self-initiated practices of movement and kinship relations in shaping the family migratory trajectories.

Negotiating Gender Expertise in Environment and Development. Voices from Feminist Political Ecology, 2021

This chapter develops through a conversation with fellow gender specialists and researchers who h... more This chapter develops through a conversation with fellow gender specialists and researchers who have placed gender at the centre of their environment-related studies and policy engagement in the different centres of the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) across Asia, Europe and the USA. Marisa Escobar, Andreea R. Torre, Laura Forni, Lisa Segnestam, Ha Nguyen and Emily Ghosh reflect on the challenges of assiduously working for bringing gender in, and keeping it central, to the realms of environmental science, capacity-building activities and policy engagement.
Those challenges are multiple and take place at different scales. They relate to complexities of situated geo-political identities of ‘being a woman scientist’ and to differing disciplinary and professional backgrounds as well as to the nature of work that involves navigating encounters between epistemologically masculine fields which often overlook the micro-scale of human and more specifically women’s experiences. The reflections in this chapter are hence rooted in the never-ending dilemmas about self-identifying and being identified as gender professionals, the ontological and epistemological tensions between natural and social science researchers, as well as the politics and practice of gender work in a historically technical, and increasingly managerialist field.

Routledge International Handbooks: Handbook of Governance in Small States, 2020

In this chapter, we explore the emergence of new intra-regional migration routes between Pacific ... more In this chapter, we explore the emergence of new intra-regional migration routes between Pacific countries and how these are contributing to the reconfiguration of the South Pacific migration system. Based on case studies in Fiji and Vanuatu, experiences of transient mobility for the pursuit of education and health care, and short- and long-term mobility of professionals, are here framed within the Pacific regional, sub-regional, and bilateral intergovernmental frameworks and mechanisms.

JustJobs Network: People on the Move Advancing the Discourse on Migration & Jobs , 2018

In the last 15 years, the number of international migrants has grown rapidly, a trend that will m... more In the last 15 years, the number of international migrants has grown rapidly, a trend that will most likely accelerate in years to come. This trend has fueled a surge of interest in the development impacts of international migration for work. A growing body of research has shed new light on the nature of the migration-development nexus, with emerging evidence showing a positive effect of migration on poverty reduction in migrant-sending countries.3 Yet migrant workers are more than “remittances heroes.” Remittances help families invest in health, education and entrepreneurial activities in origin countries. But migrant workers also contribute to new skills, change cultural norms and patterns of behavior, and convey new values and ideas to their families and communities. More recently, a closer look at the demographic composition of contemporary global migrant populations has also revealed the highly gendered dimension of mobility processes. In many Asian countries, women migrate not only for economic reasons but also to escape physical or psychological violence and abuse. This “feminization of migration” is especially pronounced in the domestic and care sectors of destination labor markets where many female migrant workers find employment. Within the domestic and care sectors, however, the often unregulated nature of reproductive labor, which includes paid domestic work such as care giving and household tasks (i.e. cleaning, cooking, washing, etc.), places migrant women at risk of exploitation in the form of low wages, poor working conditions, and even physical and/ or sexual abuse. This chapter provides an analysis of these quality of work issues with a specific focus on women’s migration for domestic work in the ASEAN region (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). It examines disadvantages inherent in the domestic work sector and the insecurities women migrant workers face at various stages of the migration journey. The first section provides a panoramic view of the flows and trends of women’s migration for work in the ASEAN region. Next, the chapter investigates challenges and vulnerabilities that migrant domestic workers face. Finally, the last section discusses how to reduce domestic workers’ vulnerabilities in countries of origin as well as in host nations so that women migrant workers can achieve their full potential as agents of equitable and sustainable development. Conceptually, our analysis of the migration-development nexus moves beyond the pure economic logic that dominates the migration and development narrative to provide a notion of development that encompasses not only the economic welfare but also the socio-cultural and rights-based well-being of migrants. As such, it also addresses the often disregarded or undervalued human and social capital transfers of migration.

The Journal of Pacific Studies (JPacS) is a multidisciplinary journal that focuses on development... more The Journal of Pacific Studies (JPacS) is a multidisciplinary journal that focuses on development issues. Since development issues are a key concern in the Pacific, the Journal of Pacific Studies focuses on such contemporary concerns. It is a locally generated area studies journal for the South Pacific which gives primary attention to developmental, economic, historical, geographical and political issues with current investigations in The University of the South Pacific (USP) region and beyond. The newly revived JPacS team of editors is from various fields of work who collectively aim towards bolstering research and disseminating knowledge in and about the region. The review process of the journal is 1 to 2 months on average and the articles are currently accepted through e-mails and go through a vigorous reviewing, proofreading and editing process before the final publication is done. The review process includes external reviewers. The journal aims to become the main vehicle through which USP can express its intellectual life and leadership.

The main aim of Positive Contributions: Being a Refugee in Britain (Sigona and Torre 2006) is to ... more The main aim of Positive Contributions: Being a Refugee in Britain (Sigona and Torre 2006) is to show, through their voices, that refugees and asylum seekers contribute positively to British society, not just in economic terms but also, and above all, socially and culturally. Giving refugees a voice means creating a space where this voice can be heard – a context where it is possible to retrieve details of a normality that refugees and asylum seekers endlessly build, even in the most adverse of circumstances. The project develops the idea of positive contribution in three main directions:
- refugees enrich British society through their presence by multiplying points of view and creating an attitude that is conducive to questioning assumed truths and credos;
- their knowledge, skills and resources enhance society as a whole when they become part of the common shared values and culture
- forced migration is a result of highly interrelated social and economic processes occurring at global level. As individuals living in ‘our midst’ refugees, asylum seekers and forced migrants bring direct and actual experience of these processes to society.

Photo exhibition: [vimeo http://vimeo.com/19810487]

The Routledge handbook of gender and environment, edited by Sherilyn MacGregor, Abingdon and New ... more The Routledge handbook of gender and environment, edited by Sherilyn MacGregor, Abingdon and New York, NY, Routledge, 2017, 520 pp., £130.00, ISBN: 9780415707749
While gender has long been recognised as important within environmental debates, conceptualisations about gender and environment have also dynamically evolved from the mid-1970s. As feminist theories around women and gender have changed, so have those of the women-and-nature nexus, leading to a key debate within ecofeminism and related literatures about whether there is an essential or a contingent relationship between women and natural environments. Edited by MacGregor (2017), scholar of feminist and environmental politics, The Routledge Handbook of Gender and Environment is a thoughtful and expansive work that critically analyses key concepts and frameworks of this transdisciplinary field as well as the history and unfolding debates that have characterized the complex relationships between gender and environment. It is an essential and academically rigorous resource for scholars working on gender and environment issues and it fills a significant gap by providing an excellent reference text for those seeking a broad, yet thorough, introduction to this area of study.