John Marnell
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John Marnell is a doctoral researcher at the African Centre for Migration and Society (ACMS). His work uses visual and narrative methodologies to explore the lived experiences of LGBTIQ migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Having joined the ACMS after many years working in LGBTIQ activism, John is passionate about working collaboratively with social justice movements and experimenting with different forms of participatory knowledge production.
Posts by Author
Seeking Sanctuary: Stories of sexuality, faith and migration
maHp/ACMS doctoral researcher John Marnell recently published ‘Seeking Sanctuary: Stories of sexuality, faith and migration’. The book is a collection of poignant life stories from fourteen lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) migrants, refugees and asylum seekers living in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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Lifeline to LGBTQI+ migrants, refugees and asylum seekers
The African LGBTQI+ Migration Research Network (ALMN) and the Gala Queer Archive, both located at Wits, joined forces at the onset of Covid-19 to establish an emergency relief fund to mitigate the adverse effects of the virus on the LGBTQI+ community. For their work, these organisations received nominations as Wits Heroes for going beyond the call of duty.
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‘It’s about being safe and free to be who you are’: Exploring the lived experiences of queer migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa
In this article, maHp/ACMS doctoral researcher John Marnell, Elsa Oliveira and Gabriel Hoosain Khan draw on participant-created visual and narrative artefacts to offer insights into the complex ways in which queer migrants, refugees and asylum seekers living in South Africa negotiate their identities, resist oppression and confront stereotypes.
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