Protracted Crisis Research Centre

• Care

• Education

• Entrepreneurship

• Environment

• Fragile livelihoods

• Gender-based Violence

• Infrastructure

• Poverty

• Refugees in protracted displacement

Project: Jordan

Understanding and Reducing the Heightened Impact of Gender-based Violence during the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Syrian Refugee Women and Girls in Jordan

Research Team: Dr Dina Sidhva

Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, an estimated 1.3 million Syrian refugees have fled to Jordan. Women and girls comprise most of these refugees. There is increasing evidence suggesting that a significant number of refugee women and girls have experienced sexual gender-based violence (SGBV). They are more likely to experience physical-violence within the home; while harassment, emotional-violence, and discrimination are more likely to occur outside the home. This GCRF project aims to develop an empirical understanding of the heightened impact of SGBV on Syrian refugee women and girls in Jordan, with aim of reducing the impact on them through the recommendation of policies. In this sense, through policy-dialogue, the project will open space for policymakers and humanitarian-aid practitioners to critically examine the research findings in order to advance their development agendas, thus contributing to the realisation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (3,5,10) for empowering women and girls promoting their good health and well-being while reducing inequalities.

Project: Nigeria

Empowering women in protracted displacement in Nigeria: entrepreneurship, livelihoods and communities of resistance

Research Team: Dr Christian Harrison, Dr Julie Clark and Dr Emilia Pietka-Nykaza, Prof Colin Clark, Dr Evi Viza, Dr Abeer Hassan, Dr Stephen Gibb and Prof Andrew Hursthouse

Women account for around half of the world’s 33.2 million internally displaced persons, with Nigeria having the largest population (3.3 million) in Africa. Driven by conflict, natural and human-made disasters, protracted displacement of women is a multifaceted and complex phenomenon, creating refugees and threatening lives, choice and livelihoods.

Aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals (9-11) for innovation, reducing inequality, and urban sustainability, this GCRF funded project is underpinned by research in entrepreneurship and leadership. Its main objective is to develop a robust methodology for evaluating and addressing the challenges that women in protracted displacement encounter including:

Accessing and utilising diverse resources,

Developing innovative entrepreneurship behaviours to access livelihoods while fulfilling their economic, social and emotional needs.

Supporting women’s occupational safety and environmental health

Project: India

Waste, Water and Wellbeing: Lessons from the Interface of Formal/Informal Urban Systems in Dharavi, Mumbai - Compound 13 Lab

Research Team: Prof Graham Jeffery, Dr Julie Clark, Prof John Connolly, Prof Andrew Hursthouse (UWS),  Prof Anurag Garg (IIT Mumbai), Dr Mary Josephine (Nirmala College for Women), Dr Ben Parry (Bath Spa University)

This project, funded by GCRF through the British Academy, aims to provide an in-depth analysis of formal/informal infrastructural collisions in Mumbai. Dharavi, as one of the largest informal settlements in Asia, is a highly significant centre of employment and economic activity but is directly affected by many global challenges (e.g. poverty, plastic waste, water shortage, poor urban resilience, migration, housing and sanitation). Its recycling industry is entirely self-organised within the informal sector. Poor infrastructure creates air/groundwater pollution and significant land contamination. Reducing waste comes at the expense of human health and life. The research team seeks to examine urban development through the lens of the 'smart city from below', at the interface between the user-generated city and centralised urban planning systems. It looks to also address issues of trust, health protection, participation, ownership and ethics in the implementation of infrastructure-driven solutions, specifically at the points of collision between 'top down' development (e.g. the USD3.4bn Mumbai Metro 3) and the 'user-generated city' of the Dharavi workers colony.

Project: Ghana

Exploring Modern Slavery in James Town.

Research Team: Dr Steve Collins

This project began in 2018 with a research grant from the Anti-Slavery Knowledge Network (GCRF). Working with a community theatre and walking tour in James Town, Dr Steve Collins led an 18-month research project into the links between modern slavery and historic slavery in James Town, Accra, an area of significant economic deprivation. This project resulted in the development of a new performance based on original testimonies of survivors of modern slavery in the area. The performance was seen by over a thousand people in local schools and in the Community Theatre. The follow-on workshops, led by community practitioners revealed a new engagement with a topic that has long been taboo.

The team also developed a bespoke walking tour (bookable at Jamestownwalkingtours.wordpress.com) which takes tourists and locals around areas of particular significance to historic slavery in the area. A story that had long been forgotten. The film was given official selection at the Changing the Story International Film Festival in 2020.

View the film here

The team were given follow-on funding in 2020, to explore notions of formal and informal safeguarding for survivors of modern slavery. We are now pursuing further funding via AHRC/GCRF to examine the impact of the project.

The PCRC research teams bring together knowledge expertise from across various fields of studies to analyse and find solutions to problems impacting our global community. Here you will find a selection of recent academic publications presented by our research teams.

Palattiyil, G., Sidhva, D. HIV, Human Rights and Migration: Narratives of HIV-Positive Asylum Seekers in Scotland. J. Hum. Rights Soc. Work (2021). 

Collins, S. (2021) Community, Performance, Testimony: Talking about Human Trafficking in Accra. Global Policy e-book: International Law and Human Rights. (Forthcoming) 

Ahmed, F. And Harrison, C. (2021) Challenges and competencies of entrepreneurial leaders in driving innovation at DIY laboratories.  Technology Analysis and Strategic Management. E-pub ahead of print - 29 Mar 2021.

Application of a new HMW framework derived ANN model for optimization of aquatic dissolved organic matter removal by coagulation
Zhu, G., Xiong, N., Wang, C., Li, Z. & Hursthouse, A. S., 31 Jan 2021, In: Chemosphere. 262, 127723.

Biodiversity and extinction accounting for sustainable development: a systematic literature review and future research directions
Roberts, L., Hassan, A., Elamer, A. & Nandy, M., 31 Jan 2021, In: Business Strategy and the Environment. 30, 1, p. 705-720 16 p.

Corporate accountability towards species extinction protection: insights from ecologically forward-thinking companies
Roberts, L., Nandy, M., Hassan, A., Lodh, S. & Elamer, A., 15 Feb 2021, (Accepted/In press) In: Journal of Business Ethics.

CSR implication and disclosure in higher education: uncovered points. Results from a systematic literature review and agenda for future research
Adhikariparajuli, M., Hassan, A. & Siboni, B., 7 Jan 2021, In: Sustainability. 13, 2, 23 p., 525.

Environmental geochemical signature of shale in pollution assessment of trace metals in soil and water in parts of southern Benue Trough, southeastern Nigeria
Nganje, T. N., Adamu, C. I., Ekwere, A. S., Ibe, K. A., Edet, A. & Hursthouse, A., 1 Mar 2021, (Accepted/In press) In: International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry.

Identifying non-agricultural marginal lands as a route to sustainable bioenergy provision - a review and holistic definition
Mellor, P., Lord, R. A., João, E., Thomas, R. & Hursthouse, A., 31 Jan 2021, In: Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews. 135, 110220.

Sustainability and stakeholder awareness: a case study of a Scottish university
Raji, A. & Hassan, A., 10 Mar 2021, In: Sustainability. 24 p.

Sustainable strategies for improved regulatory compliance within the food-processing sector
Fagbohungbe, M. O., Hursthouse, A. S., Miller, J., Morrison, G., Stockwell, M. & McLellan, I., 29 Jan 2021, In: Waste and Resource Management. 12 p.

A hidden community: justifying the inclusion of Roma as an ethnic identity in the 2021 Scottish census
Hay, N., Campbell, L., Kowalewska, M., Clark, C., Tammi, L. & Balogh, B., 11 Dec 2020, In: Critical Romani Studies. 3, 1, p. 46-71 26 p.

Brexit, Europe and othering
Van Der Zwet, A., Leith, M. S., Sim, D. & Boyle, E., 29 Dec 2020, In: Contemporary Social Science. 15, 5, p. 517-532 16 p.

Brexit and the uncertain future of fisheries policy in the United Kingdom: political and governance challenges

Huggins, C., Connolly, J., McAngus, C. & van der Zwet, A., 4 Jun 2020, In: Ocean Yearbook Online. 34, 1, p. 20-42 23 p.

Business models and performance impact of incubators: a study of Nigeria
Adesanya, A. A., Harrison, C. & Simba, A., 2 Jul 2020, (Accepted/In press) In: International Journal of Business and Systems Research.

CSR reporting: a review of research and agenda for future research
Khan, M., Hassan, A., Harrison, C. & Tarbert, H., 14 Jul 2020, In: Management Research Review. 43, 11, p. 1395-1419 25 p.

Entrepreneurial leadership measurement: a multi-dimensional construct
Bagheri, A. & Harrison, C., 20 Jul 2020, In: Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development. 27, 4, p. 659-679 21 p.

Exploring factors relating to extinction disclosures: what motivates companies to report on biodiversity and species protection?
Hassan, A. M., Roberts, L. & Atkins, J., 6 Mar 2020, In: Business Strategy and the Environment. 29, 3, p. 1419-1436 18 p.

Income inequality among entrepreneurs in Ondo State, Nigeria
Ehinmowo, O., Harrison, C. & Olutumise, A. I., 4 Feb 2020, In: International Journal of Business and Globalisation. 24, 1, p. 19-38 20 p. 

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) pollution in surface soils in a typical urban region of south India: an application of health risk assessment and distribution pattern
Adimalla, N., Quian, H., Nandan, M. J. & Hursthouse, A. S., 15 Oct 2020, In: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 203, 10 p., 111055.

Scotland and Brexit: citizenship, identity and belonging
Pietka-Nykaza, E. (ed.), Leith, M. S. (ed.) & Clark, C. (ed.), 17 Aug 2020, In: Scottish Affairs. 29, 3, p. 293-304 12 p.

Stay or go? - Roma, Brexit and European freedom of movement
Clark, C., 31 Aug 2020, In: Scottish Affairs. 29, 3, p. 403-418 16 p.

The concentration, distribution and health risk from potentially toxic elements in the soil - plant - water system developed on black shales in SE Nigeria
Nganje, T. N., Edet, A., Cuthbert, S., Adamu, C. I. & Hursthouse, A. S., 31 May 2020, In: Journal of African Earth Sciences. 165, 30 p., 103806.

The role of the entrepreneurial leader: a study of Nigerian SMEs
Omeihe, I., Harrison, C., Simba, A. & Omeihe, K., 11 Mar 2020, (Accepted/In press) In: International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business.

Voluntary assurance of sustainability reporting: evidence from an emerging economy
Hassan, A., Elamer, A. A., Sobhan, N. & Fletcher, M., 5 Feb 2020, In: Accounting Research Journal. 33, 2, p. 391-410 20 p.

Decent work: what matters most and who can make a difference?
Gibb, S. & Ishaq, M., 8 Apr 2020, In: Employee Relations. 42, 4, p. 845-861 17 p.

Fair and decent work in Scotland’s local authorities: evidence and challenges
Gibb, S., Ishaq, M., Elliott, I. & Hussain, A. M., 6 Feb 2020, In: Public Money & Management. 11 p.

Policies for supporting women entrepreneurs in developing countries: the case of Tanzania
Nziku, D. M. & Henry, C., 10 Dec 2020, In: Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy. 10, 1, p. 38-58 21 p.

Words and power in conflict - Rwanda under M.R.N.D. rule
Moore, A. T., 30 Nov 2020, In: Peace and Conflict Studies. 27, 2, 32 p., 5.

The socio-economic and psychosocial impact of COVID-19 pandemic on urban refugees in Uganda
Bukuluki, P., Mwenyango, H., Katongole, S. P., Sidhva, D. & Palattiyil, G., 10 Jul 2020, In: Social Sciences and Humanities Open . 2, 1, 5 p., 100045.

In conversation with Henry Giroux
Jeffery, G. & McAuliffe, D., 2020, The SAGE Handbook of Critical Pedagogies. Steinberg, S. R. & Down, B. (eds.). SAGE Publications, Vol. 1.

Investigating Students’ Support for Learning Experience During COVID-19 & the Way Forward
Hassan, A., Alazzeh, D., Leung, D., Sidhva, D. & Obasi, C., 10 Sep 2020, Paisley: University of the West of Scotland. 20 p.

EU migrant retention and the temporalities of migrant staying: a new conceptual framework
Pietka-Nykaza, E., Pemberton, S. & Hof, H., 26 Jan 2021, (Accepted/In press) In: Comparative Migration Studies.

James Town and Slavery: A Virtual Walking Tour
Collins, S. & Quartey, N. K., 1 Jun 2020

DigiCAP: towards digitalization for empowerment and capacity building of handcraft developments in Sub-Saharan Africa
Marzano, A., Viza, E. & Cano, M., 13 Jun 2020, In: Procedia CIRP. 88, p. 179-184 6 p.

Name: Dr Dalia Alazzeh
Position: Lecturer, School of Business and Creative Industries
Email: dalia.alazzeh@uws.ac.uk
PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/dalia-alazzeh

Name: Dr Kalyan Bhandari
Position: Lecturer, School of Business and Creative Industries
Email: Kalyan.Bhandari@uws.ac.uk
PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/kalyan-bhandari

Name: Prof Colin Clark
Position: Professor, School of Education and Social Sciences
Email: colin.clark@uws.ac.uk
PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/colin-clark

Name: Dr Julie Clark
Position: Senior Lecturer, School of Education and Social Sciences
Email: julie.Clark@uws.ac.uk
PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/julie-clark

Name: Dr Stephen Collins
Position: Lecturer, School of Business and Creative Industries
Email: Stephen.Collins@uws.ac.uk
PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/stephen-collins

Name: Dr Karen Cooper
Position: Post-doctoral Research Fellow, School of Business and Creative Industries
Email:Karen.Cooper@uws.ac.uk
PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/karen-cooper

Name: Dr Robert Crammond
Position: Senior Lecturer, School of Business and Creative Industries
Email: Robert.Crammond@uws.ac.uk
PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/robert-crammond

Name: Dr Natalie Dickinson
Position: Lecturer, School of Health and Life Sciences
Email: Natalie.Dickinson@uws.ac.uk
PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/natalie-dickinson

Name: Dr Stephen Gibb
Position: Reader, School of Business and Creative Industries
Email: Stephen.Gibb@uws.ac.uk

PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/stephen-gibb

Name: Dr Christian Harrison
Position: Lecturer, School of Business and Creative Industries

Email: Christian.Harrison@uws.ac.uk

PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/christian-harrison​

Name: Dr Abeer Hassan
Position: Reader, School of Business and Creative Industries

Email: Abeer.Hassan@uws.ac.uk

PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/abeer-hassan

Name: Prof Andrew Hursthouse
Position: Professor of Environmental Geochemistry, School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences

Email: Andrew.Hursthouse@uws.ac.uk

PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/andrew-hursthouse

Name: Prof Graham Jeffery
Position: Professor, Strategic Hub for Culture and Creativity, School of Business and Creative Industries

Email: Graham.Jeffery@uws.ac.uk

PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/graham-jeffery

Name: Dr Kalia Kaparounaki
Position: Lecturer, School of Education and Social Sciences

Email: Kalia.Kaparounaki@uws.ac.uk

PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/kalia-kaparounaki

Name: Dr Allan T. Moore
Position: Lecturer, Institute of Youth and Community Studies, School of Education and Social Sciences

Email: Allan.Moore@uws.ac.uk

PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/allan-moore

Name: Dr Dina Nziku
Position: Lecturer, School of Business and Creative Industries

Email: Dina.Nziku@uws.ac.uk

PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/dina-nziku​

Name: Dr Emilia Pietka-Nykaza
Position: Senior Lecturer, School of Education and Social Sciences

Email: Emilia.Pietka-Nykaza@uws.ac.uk

PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/emilia-pietka-nykaza

Name: Dr Jo Scott
Position: Reader, School of Business and Creative Industries
Email: Jo.Collinson-Scott@uws.ac.uk
PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/jo-scott

Name: Dr Dina Sidhva
Position: Lecturer, School of Education and Social Sciences

Email: Dina.Sidhva@uws.ac.uk

PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/dina-sidhva

Name: Dr Arno van der Zwet
Position: Senior Lecturer, School of Education and Social Sciences

Email: Arno.van-der-Zwet@uws.ac.uk

PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/arno-van-der-zwet

Name: Evdoxia Viza
Position: Lecturer, School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences

Email: Evi.Viza@uws.ac.uk

PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/evdoxia-viza

Name: Dr Shadi Whitburn
Position: Post-doctoral Research Fellow, School of Business and Creative Industries

Email: Shadi.Whitburn@uws.ac.uk
PURE profile link: https://research-portal.uws.ac.uk/en/persons/shadi-whitburn​​

• Acorn Foundation, Dharavi, India - www.dharaviproject.org

• Higher Population Council of Jordan (Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation) - www.hpc.org.jo

• Pesher Business Consulting Ltd. Nigeria - www.pesherconsulting.com

Universities:

• Bath Spa University - www.bathspa.ac.uk

• University of Edinburgh - www.ed.ac.uk

• IIT Bombay - www.iitb.ac.in

• Mount Kenya University - www.mku.ac.ke

• Nirmala College for Woman, Coimbatore - www.nirmalacollegeonline.ac.in/nirmala-college-for-women.php

• Shiv Nadar University, Delhi - snu.edu.in

Staff Research News

Since our last update in July 2021 the PCRC has seen some remarkable achievements by staff members:  despite the ongoing pandemic we have maintained a large portfolio of internationally collaborative research projects, including fieldwork taking place in Ghana, Nigeria, Nepal, India, the Palestinian Territories, and South Africa, funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) via the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).   As part of the set of public events supported by UWS during COP26, PCRC co-hosted seminars and an interactive visit to Govan Graving Docks in Glasgow. These interdisciplinary events engaged with COP26 and the climate crisis by showcasing UWS research work with partners from across the global South.

In September, PCRC was delighted to host the visit of the Secretary General of the Higher Population Council (HPC, Jordan) and practitioners to work on a joint-research collaboration funding bid with the Global Refugee Health Research Network (GRHRN, University of Edinburgh) focused on young women and girl refugees.

We continue to establish PCRC as a multi-disciplinary and collaborative research centre, drawing together researchers and partner organisations with cognate research interests from across Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our team offers a wide range of active, socially engaged, creative and equitable approaches to generating knowledge collaboratively, with the voices and perspectives of participants and communities at the core of our work.  Ongoing projects funded via GCRF during 2021 include:

Dr Stephen Collins (School of Business and Creative Industries) “Developing strategies for arts-based engagement in combatting modern slavery” in Ghana 

In 2018, Dr Collins was Principal Investigator for the GCRF funded project Hidden Histories: the untold stories of slavery and James Town, Ghana. Together with the local partners, the James Town Community Theatre Centre and James Town Walking Tours, the project investigated the links between historic slavery and modern slavery in James Town, Accra. As part of the project, the team identified three distinct forms of modern slavery operating in the area: young boys being taken from James Town to work in fishing on Lake Volta, young girls coming to James Town from the Central and Northern regions as sex and domestic workers, and female school leavers being trafficked to the Gulf States as domestic workers.

Following this, the project team carried out an investigation into the safeguarding of survivors at the community level. Focusing on survivors returning from the Gulf States, they found a distinct lack of formal and informal support structures. The taboo surrounding modern slavery at the community level has a double impact: it prevents survivors gaining the support they need but it also prevents their stories from being heard and so acting as a warning to vulnerable groups.

To address this issue, the research team are working with a group of twenty female senior school students in James Town who have attended four workshops over two weeks and are working with JTCT facilitators to produce an original performance that will be shown in their school. In order to bridge the gap between survivors and vulnerable groups in a meaningful way, the methodology was further developed and refined. The team previously engaged with survivors at the start of the project to develop a piece of verbatim theatre, this time they centred the project around community-based survivors as experts. Their testimony was used to develop the themes for the project, but they have also been engaged throughout, watching the performance as it is developed by the students and reshaping it as required. Their presence throughout the project has led to meaningful adaptations in the performance output, but also developed an informal space, where conversations between survivors and at-risk young people occur without pressure or stigma. This space has been particularly valuable for humanising survivor-experts in the eyes of the young people.

Working with the James Town Theatre Centre allows the project to engage with a well-established community interlocuter. Their ability to access school groups and activate community resources has not only enabled this project to run smoothly but also seeded further schools and community projects on modern slavery in James Town. As they are a drama group using techniques derived from Augusto Boal, the tripartite dialogue between the survivor experts, students and the community is active and solutions-based. Hence, the performance has the potential to make a real impact in breaking the taboo on modern slavery in the community and informing young people who might otherwise fall victim to human trafficking.

Dr Abeer Hassan (School of Business and Creative Industries) “Exploring biodiversity reporting and extinction accounting in a developing economy” in South Africa

Dr. Abeer Hassan has been working closely with Professor Warren Maroun, Witwatersrand University in South Africa on two important issues in corporate reporting and sustainability accountability: the loss of biodiversity and emergence of circular economy (CE). In the first phase of the project data are being collected from South African listed companies. The data are being hand-collected and coded with an emphasis on the accuracy and completeness of this unique dataset. The research will make an important contribution to the academic literature. It expands on the body of work dealing with the importance of accounting for and protecting “natural capital” by providing additional empirical details and alternate theoretical perspectives on the need to conserve biodiversity. This is complemented by a formal review of how companies are reporting on CE and the possible interconnections between CE and biodiversity. The researchers have completed the preliminary data collection and analysis of South African-listed entities and the first set of detailed interviews. Data collection and analysis will continue into 2022 with a focus on expanding the South African data and dealing with UK entities. The researchers are pleased with the progress to date and the fact that the project has supported postgraduate students working towards their honours and masters qualifications in South Africa.

Dr Kalyan Bhandari (School of Business and Creative Industries) “Community level tourism resilience in Nepal”

This project aims to understand the challenges posed by COVID-19 on community managed homestays in Nepal and help them build resilience by connecting them with larger tourism entrepreneurs. It collaborates with PATA Nepal Chapter and expects to build a strong network with more than 70-80 national and community level tourism stakeholders of Nepal through series of roundtables/workshops.

By the end of November, two roundtables with community managed tourism groups have been completed. These roundtables were completed face to face on site. The original plan of the project was to carry out all roundtables online, however, after a series of consultations with the local project partners in Nepal it was suggested that on-site face-to-face roundtables will be more helpful as they are more open and engaging. As there was also an easing of COVID restrictions by the Government of Nepal, the first two roundtables took part on-site in two homestay locations. The two community groups where the roundtables have been completed represent two very diverse geographical regions of Nepal. The Dalla community homestay (above pic) is managed by one of Nepal’s most indigenous ethnic groups and the second Panauti community homestay (below pic) is managed by all women entrepreneurs.

The roundtables have been very helpful in understanding the impact of COVID-19 on community managed tourism initiatives and measures they have taken to minimise the impact. Through the remaining roundtables, the project team would like to know about measures that have worked for the local community and those that they would like to continue.  Final roundtables would also try to appreciate what support from government was expected compared to what was delivered, how the larger private sector tourism industry can contribute to tourism recovery and also exploring the idea of developing stronger tourism resilience in future. The response to all the above questions is very encouraging and it is expected that the project will provide useful insights on practical solutions to help build stronger collaboration between community-led tourism initiatives and the national tourism industry in developing long term partnerships to enhance strength and resilience in tourism in the future.

GCRF Funded Projects

Congratulations to the successful completion of 2020-2021 funded research projects via UWS GCRF Global internal seed funding:

• Dr Christian Harrison (School of Business and Creative Industries) and Dr Emilia Pietka-Nykaza (School of Education and Social Sciences) Empowering Women in protracted displacement in Nigeria: entrepreneurship, livelihoods and communities of resistance

Drawing on data obtained from interviews with women in protracted displacement in the (IDP) camp in Abuja namely, Sabon-Kuchingoro, Nigeria, this project aimed at developing the training of women in protracted displacement to strengthen their leadership and entrepreneurship behaviours to access livelihoods and fulfil their social and economic needs.

• Dr. Dalia Alazzeh (School of Business and Creative Industries) Investigating natural assets degradation in the settler-colonial context: the case of the Occupied Palestinian territories (OPT)

The degradation of natural assets in communities’ results in global biodiversity loss. However, this biodiversity loss might differ in spatial locations depending on factors contributing to the habitat loss. Parallel with the ongoing settler colonial domination practices of indigenous people is the ecocide and the biodiversity loss. The project aimed to unmask settler-colonial strategies that contribute to the degradation of the natural assets in a challenging context. The project fieldwork was conducted in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Field workers assigned by our partner AN Najah National University were able to interview fishermen and farmers in the Gaza strip and the West bank. Interviews conducted were thematically analysed and insightful themes were presented such as settler state practices of enforcing fishing areas to a maximum of 12 miles have resulted in overfishing in those areas.

The recent war on Gaza has contributed massively to the destruction of farming areas and has increased metal pollution in sea and farmlands increasing biodiversity loss. Moreover, the separation wall crossing through farmlands fragments the ecological areas and endangers native habitats. Research findings will be used to inform future projects to reduce biodiversity loss in this context.

COP26 Events & Seminars

Parallel to COP26 events and in contributing to ongoing academic discussions on tackling the climate emergency, this trimester’s PCRC Seminar Series focuses on understanding the various political, economic and technical challenges faced by communities at the frontline of the consequences of climate change in the global South. 

• On October 13^th, Prof Graham Jeffery led an international webinar for the British Academy on Waste Work and the Politics of Knowledge based on his ongoing AHRC/British Academy/GCRF funded work in Dharavi, Mumbai. It examined current working conditions in Dharavi under the circumstances of the pandemic and the prospects for developing more equitable and authentic forms of knowledge exchange through the ongoing work of Compound 13 Lab (see www.compound13.org).
• On October 18^th, PCRC in collaboration with the Scottish Energy Technology Partnership and provided a fascinating webinar on the methods and approaches to work together in tackling the consequences of climate change, energy and waste policy in communities living in acute poverty on the margins of cities. The presentation discussed forms of citizen science and informal knowledge that make a major contribution to carbon and waste reduction in the city, despite often being regarded as ‘informal’ and marginalised within urban infrastructures.  PCRC member Prof Andrew Hursthouse discussed methods of hazard identification and risk assessment of natural and man-made contaminants along with sustainable strategies to ensure long term local benefits. The webinar ended with a presentation from Dr Uche Chukwura-Osoagba, Lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria. Each highlighted the political, economic and technical obstacles in achieving a genuinely sustainable models of circular economy while offering solutions to public health and economic equity and wellbeing. The presentation is available here.
• On November 3^rd, during a hybrid webinar session from Glasgow Film City this trimester’s PCRC seminar guest speaker Prof Mathew Paterson (University of Manchester) offered a stimulating conversation on the underlying forces of cultural political economy – the pursuit of capital accumulation, and the embeddedness of climate change-generating practices in daily life. Drawing on his recent book, In Search of Climate Politics, Prof Paterson developed a particular account of the political dynamics surrounding climate change initiatives in Ottawa, Canada, exploring the implications for multi-level system change required elsewhere. A recording of the talk is available here.
• On November 5^th, recently appointed Lecturer in Performance Dr Cat Fallow hosted a workshop based on her work with Peoples Palace Projects at Queen Mary, University of London at the The Landing Hub in Glasgow. It showcased an AHRC-funded project developing cultural exchange between young people in Wales and young Indigenous people in the Xingu territories of the Amazon documenting their experiences of climate change. More information can be found here.
• On Saturday 13^th November PCRC Director Prof Graham Jeffery reviewed the outcomes of COP 26 with Dr Tom Wakeford from our collaborative NGO partner ETC Group, who attended throughout as an observer. You can listen to their conversation here.

Key Highlights

Jordan Delegation Visit

In September 2021, Dr Dina Sidhva, Dr Kallia Kaparounaki and Prof Graham Jeffery, in collaboration with the Global Refugee Health Research Network (GRHRN, University of Edinburgh) hosted the visit of Dr Abla Amawi and a team of researchers from the Higher Population Council (HPC, Jordan). The series of face to face workshops provided a unique opportunity to discuss the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the lives of refugee women living in protracted crisis in Jordan, exploring issues of adolescent reproductive health needs; gender-based violence; serious illness; poverty and hunger. The team is preparing a large scale research bid focusing on the lived experiences of young refugee women in Jordan.

Interactive visit to Govan Graving Docks in Glasgow

On November 5^th, PCRC contributed to a group of UWS students, researchers, COP26 delegates/ activists and NGO workers through a workshop and guided visit to Govan Graving Docks, an iconic waterfront heritage site that has been at the frontline of urban socioeconomic change for over four centuries and an important symbolic site of Glasgow’s entanglement in imperial maritime histories. As part of these events the team from Still Moving CIC and the Clyde Docks Preservation Initiative discussed their public art intervention ‘No New Worlds’, and participants also gained an introduction to the Govan Wetlands urban rewilding project.  This workshop, organised by Prof Katarzyna Kosmala and Prof Graham Jeffery with UWS doctoral researcher Liz Gardiner, was part of a larger series of events at Film City Glasgow presented by the Division of Arts and Media, School of Business and Creative Industries, the Creative Media Academy, and PCRC, UWS.

Looking Forward 2022

PCRC will continue to prioritise increased internationalisation, building on strategic relationships with academic and public sector research partners at a national and international level. As our work develops, we are delighted to showcase the excellent research work of PCRC members through our Seminar Series in 2022:

18th January 1:30pm-2:15 Dr Dalia Alazzeh on investigating natural assets degradation in the settler-colonial context- the case of the Occupied Palestinian territories (oPt)

22nd February 1pm-2:30 Dr Abeer Hassan and Prof Warren Maroun (University of the Witwatersrand) Exploring biodiversity reporting and extinction accounting in a developing economy.

29th March 1pm-2:30 Dr Kalyan Bhandari on Community Level Tourism in Nepal: understanding the challenges posed by COVID-19 on community managed homestays in Nepal

26th April 1pm-2:30 Dr Stephen Collins on Developing Strategies for arts-based engagement in combatting modern slavery

Please get in touch if you would like to attend any of these seminars, which are held online.

In addition, we are pleased to share that our colleagues in UWS’ Centre for African Research on Entrepreneurship, Education and Development’s will be holding their Annual Conference on 27^th and 28^th January 2022. The theme is Enterprise, Innovation and Structural Transformation of Africa in a Post-Covid Era. Booking details are here.

Social Media

You can follow PCRC on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PCRC_UWS and our LinkedIn group is here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8992009/ or on our website www.uws.ac.uk/pcrc where you can find regular updates on events, seminars and research activities.

Please get in touch if you would like any further information about any of our activities or you have a project or a proposal for collaboration. You can reach the PCRC team at pcrc.contact@uws.ac.uk.