Communities in the margins: Geonarratives of Human Rights Defenders’ resistance, resilience, and agency amidst oppression

Panel Convenor(s)

• AA

  Aireen Grace Andal

  Macquarie University, Australia
• AO

  Arnisson Andre Ortega

  Syracuse University, United States

Panel Chair(s)

• AA

  Aireen Grace Andal

  Macquarie University, Australia

Presenter(s)

• AA

  Aireen Grace Andal

  Macquarie University, Australia
• AO

  Arnisson Andre Ortega

  Syracuse University, United States
• YL

  Yany Lopez

  University of the Philippines - Diliman, Philippines

This panel is a collection of papers that delve into the complexities of existence in the margins, highlighting the tensions, differences, and shared experiences on regional, national, and global scales. The papers specifically present geonarratives of Human Rights Defenders that experience marginalisation yet were able to negotiate ways to resist and gain agency. Such an approach provides alternative approaches to present “subjective stories that define, portray, delineate, emphasise, expand, rewrite, and imagine a place” (Palis, 2022, p. 700), encouraging a plurality of subjectivities and spatial narratives. The geonarratives presented in this panel capture a diverse range of subjectivities and spatial narratives. By focusing on geonarratives, the papers also spotlight the complexities of existence in the margins.

Under the ICAS thematic cluster, “Negotiating Margins: Representations, Resistances, Agencies”, this panel acknowledges the ongoing repression and rights violations based on factors like class, gender, age, race, and ethnicity, encompassing issues such as human rights violations, spatial exclusions, and everyday injustices. Such discussions serve as a platform for both presenters and their audience to share their insights and experiences on what marginality, modes of inclusion and exclusion, and new forms of relegation signify in the ever-evolving societies of twenty-first-century Asia. 

Informed by epistemologies of the South (de Sousa Santos, 2009; de Castro, 2020), this panel also emphasises decentering hegemonic discourses of vulnerability surrounding marginalised communities. Making space and documenting narratives of resistance, resilience, and agency can serve as a means to pluralise the stories written about communities in the margins. However, this does not condone romanticising their circumstances, but rather refuse to reduce their narratives into a single story. The aim is to illuminate the significance of embracing diverse geo narratives that can enhance marginalised communities’ representation, while also acknowledging the paradoxical struggle they face as they strive to give voice to others grappling with the identity as voiceless themselves (Mcquaid, 2016).

The panel's diverse array of research papers includes empirical studies and theoretical discussions, fostering a dynamic space for academic and civic exchanges. By providing a forum for multidisciplinary engagement, it invites scholars, practitioners, and the wider community to delve into the stories of Human Rights Defenders, uncovering their narratives of resilience, resistance, and agency.

Presentations:

• 16:15 – 18:00 (GMT+7)

  Re-enstranging Human Rights: Imaginaries of Justice through the Experiences of Filipino Human Rights Defenders
  

  Presenter: Aireen Grace Andal – Macquarie University
• 16:15 – 18:00 (GMT+7)

  Counter-cartographies and solidarity with Human Rights Defenders
  

  Presenter: Arnisson Andre Ortega – Syracuse University
• 16:15 – 18:00 (GMT+7)

  Using digital/spatial methods to look into the experiences of targeted/at-risk populations
  

  Presenter: Yany Lopez – University of the Philippines - Diliman