October 17, 24, & 31, 2022
12:30pm – 1:45pm
In-person & online

Register Now

We kindly ask that you register to attend
regardless of the modality you will join.

Lunch will be served for in-person participants.

In-person:
Beach Hall – Room 404
UConn Department of Anthropology

Online:
Please register for Zoom details

Multi-gazed Ethnographies: Community Photographs and Narratives of the Heroin Epidemic in Colombia
Monday, October 17, 2022 | 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm
Camilo Ruiz (UConn, as of January 2023)

Activists/Scholars from Latin America at the Intersection of Medical Anthropology & Social Medicine
Monday, October 24, 2022 | 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm
César Abadía-Barrero (UConn)

Grassroots Collaborative Ethnography & Archival Activism as Human Rights Research Strategies
Monday, October 31, 2022 | 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm
Katherine A. Mason (Brown University), Heather Wurtz (UConn & Brown), and Sarah Willen (UConn)

Wednesday, November 9, 2022
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Dodd Center for Human Rights – Room 162

Register Now

How did the human right to adequate food figure in an intersection of U.S. foreign and domestic politics in the 1970s? This presentation will address the joint history of human rights principles and neoliberal economics in the response of state and non-state actors to global food insecurities. This subject poses questions about the principles and politics that formulated modern concepts of resource distribution and access to the most basic necessities of life.

David L Evans is a doctoral candidate in U.S. foreign relations history at the University of Connecticut. His research focuses on the formulation and global politics of economic, social, and cultural human rights, and specifically the human right to adequate food. Prior to pursuing his Ph.D., David earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Before entering academia, he served eight years in the United States Marine Corps where he deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Philippines, and Japan.

This event will take place in-person in the
Dodd Center for Human Rights, Room 162.

We kindly ask that you register to join us.

Presenter:

David L Evans
Department of History
University of Connecticut

The History of Human Rights and Humanitarianism Colloquium is a space for interdisciplinary dialogue on issues that require perspectives and expertise from multiple fields. Contributors represent the fields of history, art history, literature, critical theory, philosophy, political theory, anthropology, sociology, and law.

November 1, 2022
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
In-person with Livestream
Reception to Follow

Register Now

Wade Hudson, author of Defiant: Growing Up in the Jim Crow South, founded Just Us Books in 1988 with Cheryl Willis Hudson. Wade serves as president and CEO of the company. His career as a writer spans more than three decades and has resulted in more than 25 published books for children and young adults. They include Book of Black Heroes from A to Z, Jamal’s Busy Day, Pass It On: African American Poetry for Children, Powerful Words: Two Years of Outstanding Writing by African Americans, the Great Black Heroes series, The Underground Railroad and The Two Tyrones.

Wade serves on a number of community boards and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and Pen America. He speaks around the country about issues of inclusion, empowering Black boys to succeed through literacy and other topics. He has received numerous honors for his contributions to children’s literature, including the Stephen Crane Literary Award, induction into the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent, the Harlem Book Fair Phyllis Wheatley Award (2007), the Ida B. Wells Institutional Leadership Award (2008) presented by the Center for Black Literature and the Madame C. J. Walker Legacy Award (2012) given by the Zora Neale Hurston-Richard Wright Foundation.  He is co-editor with his wife of the anthologies, We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices, The Talk, Conversations About Race, Love & Truth and Recognize: An Anthology Honoring and Amplifying Black Life. Kirkus Reviews called his recent coming-of-age memoir, Defiant, Growing up in the Jim Crow South a “powerful testimony from a children’s literature legend.”

We kindly ask that you register to attend to join us for the in-person ceremony.

In-person:
Ceremony: 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Dodd Center for Human Rights – Konover Auditorium

Reception to Follow
Dodd Center for Human Rights – Lounge
Refreshments & Book Signing

Online:
Access to the livestream of the ceremony is available here from 5:00 pm November 1, 2022. Livestream

You are warmly invited to take part in this series of interactive dialogues. To participate, please register below.

HartBeat Encounters: ‘My Children! My Africa!’
Hosted by the HartBeat Ensemble
Wednesday, October 12. 5:30 pm-7:30 pm ET
The Carriage House Theater
360 Farmington Ave., Hartford, CT 06105

Register in advance for this event:
https://www.showclix.com/event/encounters-mcma

Please join us for Encounters: ‘My Children! My Africa!,’ a special dialogue event that features small group discussions on critical questions about the play, as well as specialist feedback and engagement. A light dinner will be served from 5:30 pm. Please note it is not required that you attend the show in order to participate in this community conversation. All participants are welcome and there is no cost to register or attend.

The Global Reach of the Local Talcott Church
Hosted by Connecticut’s Old State House
Saturday, October 22. 10:00 am-12:00 pm ET
Connecticut’s Old State House
800 Main St., Hartford, CT 06103

Register in advance for this event:
https://bit.ly/2022HHS

This guided community conversation, led by Dr Fiona Vernal, will use the Mars family as a lens for exploring how the congregants of Talcott Street Church cast their advocacy far and wide and weighed in on the emigration debates. This allows us insight into the wider network of the Mars family—particularly, Elizabeth Mars and her years of service in Liberia. It will also allow us to understand the relationship between the Connecticut Colonization society, the Hartford Female African Society, and the Charitable Society in the African Sunday School. These are important lenses for understanding the Christian missionary impulse in the Talcott Church as well as the role of black women as organizers and leaders. Hartford participated in the “The African Mission School” established at Trinity College, which was described as a “short-lived effort on behalf of Connecticut Episcopalians to develop a black leadership for the church in Liberia.”

Intimate Partner Violence: The Alyssiah Wiley Program
Hosted by the Democracy & Dialogues Initiative, the UConn Women’s Center, & Eastern Connecticut State University
Wednesday, October 26. 1:00 pm-3:00 pm ET
UConn Women’s Center, Student Union, 4th Floor Room 421
2110 Hillside Road, Unit 3118, Storrs, CT 06269

Register in advance for this event:
https://forms.gle/4GyHAdjQwML2xukeA

Domestic Violence is a pervading issue across our world. During the fiscal year of 2021, 38,989 people sought Domestic Violence Services in our state of Connecticut alone. We know this number does not actually reflect the entire amount of people who endured DV last year, as violence often goes unreported. We need to shatter the silence. Connect with us for a community dialogue and engage in crucial conversations on the impacts of Domestic Violence, healing and bystander intervention. Food will be provided and participation is free. Registration is required. This dialogue is hosted by UConn’s DDI and The Alyssiah Wiley Program.

UConn’s DDI‘s events bring people together for courageous conversations about issues that impact our communities and world. The Alyssiah Wiley Program is in memory of Alyssiah Wiley, who was a vibrant soul studying psychology at Eastern who gave her whole heart into everything. This program works to shed a light on Domestic Violence and create social change. Join us in educating ourselves about this critical issue through a short video presentation, small group discussion with facilitators, and engagement with experts in domestic violence services.

Encounters: Picturing the Pandemic: Voices from the Pandemic Journaling Project
Hosted by the Hartford Public Library
Wednesday, November 16. 5:00 pm-7:00 pm ET
Hartford Public Library – Downtown Branch
500 Main St., Hartford, CT 06103

Register in advance for this event:
https://hplct.libnet.info/event/7176888

Encounters: Art, Activism, and AIDS
Hosted by the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
Saturday, November 19. 10:00 am-1:00 pm ET
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
600 Main St., Hartford, CT 06103

Register in advance for this event:
https://my.thewadsworth.org/33580/35359

The Constitution of Connecticut
Hosted by Connecticut’s Old State House
Rescheduled date: Saturday, December 3. 10:00 am-12:00 pm ET
Connecticut’s Old State House
800 Main St., Hartford, CT 06103

Register in advance for this event:
https://bit.ly/CTConstitutionEncounters 

We invite you to explore the concept of ‘Constitution’ through a look into Connecticut’s constitutional history. Our state is known by many names, including the Nutmeg State and the Land of Steady Habits. But its official nickname is, of course, the Constitution State. From the Fundamental Orders of 1639, which some historians argue was the first American constitution, to the current state constitution passed in 1965, Connecticut has had many different documents serve as the basis of our state government. They define the powers and limits of elected officials, establish how new laws are made, and list the basic rights of all citizens. But what constitutes a constitution? How do constitutions affect the daily lives of citizens? What fundamental principles does a constitution need to meet to be legitimate? Join us in dissecting these issues through short readings, small group discussion, and engagement with specialists on the subject.

Lunch will follow for all participants.

We are always looking for more facilitators and moderators to help support the Encounters Series. If you are interested in getting involved, register for one of our trainings!

Facilitator Training
Hosted by the Democracy & Dialogues Initiative
Thursday, September 29. 1:00 pm-3:00 pm ET
Dodd Center for Human Rights, Room 162
405 Babbidge Rd., Storrs, CT 06269

Register in advance for this training:
https://forms.gle/ADE7e7frDyNx1UmS7

Facilitators are fundamentally important to running a successful dialogue. They are the folks who work with the small breakout groups and keep the conversation moving and productive. Want to learn more about the theory and practice of facilitation? Join us in person at the Dodd Center for Human Rights, Room 162, on the UConn Storrs campus.

Moderator Training
Hosted by the Democracy & Dialogues Initiative
Wednesday, October 19. 1:00 pm-3:00 pm ET
Dodd Center for Human Rights, Room 162
405 Babbidge Rd., Storrs, CT 06269

Register in advance for this training:
https://forms.gle/ADE7e7frDyNx1UmS7

The role of moderators is to run or direct a dialogue. This is the “emcee” position and the person serving in it walks participants from welcome to closing. They manage the structure and timing of the event and provide support to the facilitators. And they are always in demand! Join us in person at the Dodd Center for Human Rights, Room 162, on the UConn Storrs campus.

Facilitator Training
Hosted by the Democracy & Dialogues Initiative
Monday, December 5. 1:00 pm-3:00 pm ET
Dodd Center for Human Rights, Room 162
405 Babbidge Rd., Storrs, CT 06269

Register in advance for this training:
https://forms.gle/ADE7e7frDyNx1UmS7

Facilitators are fundamentally important to running a successful dialogue. They are the folks who work with the small breakout groups and keep the conversation moving and productive. Want to learn more about the theory and practice of facilitation? Join us in person at the Dodd Center for Human Rights, Room 162, on the UConn Storrs campus.

Wednesday, September 28, 2022
2:00pm – 3:30pm
Hybrid Event

Register Now

Dr. Tina Kempin Reuter will discuss how to transform cities into spaces that reflect fundamental human rights principles and prioritize inclusion and equity, especially for marginalized communities such as people with disabilities. Looking at both the built environment and the current trends towards technologization of cities, she will show how a human rights framework can change the urban discourse and how community-based participatory approaches can influence both research on urban development and smart cities as well as policy processes and empowerment of underserved communities.

Tina Kempin Reuter,
Director, Institute for Human Rights
The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Join us in person:
The Dodd Center for Human Rights – Room 162
Please register still to receive updates.

Join us online:
Register to receive Zoom login information.

Dr. Tina Kempin Reuter is the Director of the Institute for Human Rights and Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration and the Department of Anthropology, specializing in human rights, peace studies, and international politics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Her research focuses on human rights with a particular emphasis on the struggle of vulnerable and marginalized populations, including minorities, persons with disabilities, refugees and migrants, women, children, the LGBTQ community, and people dealing with the consequences of poverty. She studies how to use technology to improve access, inclusion, and participation of marginalized communities in society. In addition, she is an expert on ethnic conflict and peace making with a geographical focus on Europe and the Middle East.

Before joining UAB, Dr. Reuter was the Director of the Reiff Center for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution and Associate Professor of international and comparative politics at Christopher Newport University. She was formerly associated with the Solomon Asch Center for the Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict, University of Pennsylvania, the Institute of Public International Law at the University of Zurich, and the Center for Security Studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

Dr. Kempin Reuter holds a PhD in International Relations and International Law and an MA in Contemporary History, Economics, and International Law from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. She is the author of numerous publications in her field and has been awarded multiple prizes and grants to expand her research and teaching.

This event is sponsored by the Research Program on Economic & Rights in collaboration with the Human Rights Institute’s Colloquium Series.

The Economic & Social Rights Group (ESRG) is an interdisciplinary monthly gathering of faculty and graduate students who meet to share ongoing research and to discuss current scholarship around economic and social rights. It is the central to the mission of the Research Program on Economic & Social Rights. The Research Program on Economic & Social Rights brings more than a dozen UConn faculty together with over 30 affiliated scholars from across the United States and Canada. Together, we have generated numerous graduate and undergraduate courses, several edited volumes, multiple co-authored articles, and the National Science Foundation-funded Socio-Economic Rights Fulfillment Index (SERF Index).

Wednesday, April 6, 2022
4:00pm – 5:30pm
Hybrid Event

Join us for a talk by longtime member of the Research Program on Economic and Social Rights Richard P. Hiskes, whose widely acclaimed new book addresses the centrality of social and economic rights within a broader discussion of why taking children’s human rights seriously turns conventional human rights theory upside down. The book establishes the theoretical foundation for prioritizing social and economic rights in the name of children’s human rights. Read more about the book here.

Richard P. Hiskes is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Human Rights at the University of Connecticut. As a founding faculty member of the Human Rights Institute (HRI) he served as Associate Director and Director of Undergraduate Programs, including the Human Rights Major. He was Editor of the Journal of Human Rights for many years, and twice selected as President of the Human Rights Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA).

He is the author of many books and articles in political theory generally and human rights theory in particular. His human rights work focuses on the theory of environmental human rights and on the human rights of children. His 2009 book, The Human Right to a Green Future: Environmental Rights and Intergenerational Justice (Cambridge), won the 2010 award for the best book in human rights from the American Political Science Association. His most recent book is Suffer the Children: A Theoretical Foundation for the Human Rights of the Child (Oxford, 2021).

This event is sponsored by the Research Program on Economic & Rights at the Human Rights Institute (HRI), the Collaboratory on School & Child Health at the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), and the Department of Human Development & Family Sciences (HDFS).

The Economic & Social Rights Group (ESRG) is an interdisciplinary monthly gathering of faculty and graduate students who meet to share ongoing research and to discuss current scholarship around economic and social rights. It is the central to the mission of the Research Program on Economic & Social Rights. The Research Program on Economic & Social Rights brings more than a dozen UConn faculty together with over 30 affiliated scholars from across the United States and Canada. Together, we have generated numerous graduate and undergraduate courses, several edited volumes, multiple co-authored articles, and the National Science Foundation-funded Socio-Economic Rights Fulfillment Index (SERF Index).

The mission of the Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH) is to facilitate innovative and impactful connections across research, policy, and practice arenas to advance equity in school and child health. CSCH is committed to anti-racist work that prioritizes inclusion, reduces disparities, and creates systemic change.

CSCH serves as a central resource to University and external partners engaged in efforts that inform healthy, safe, supportive, and engaging environments for all children. The Collaboratory strives to create a positive environment that supports communication, knowledge sharing, and collaborative work among a diverse network of members in pursuit of this shared aim. Our collaborations intentionally use an inclusive, team- and relationship-based approach to broaden capacity for interconnected and cross-disciplinary projects that tackle the most pressing and complex issues in school and child health.

The Department of Human Development & Family Sciences (HDFS) focuses its research, teaching, and public engagement on a multidisciplinary understanding of 1) healthy development and wellbeing of individuals and families over the lifespan, 2) interactions and processes within families, and 3) individuals and families in societal and cultural contexts.

We are committed to excellence in research, teaching, and public engagement through our core values of individualized mentoring, innovation and leadership, diversity and equity, and applied/translational science.

You are warmly invited to take part in a series of interactive explorations of critical documents of American identity and their role in our lives today: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

This program aims to foster meaningful and informed discussion around the values that form the basis of our national experience by bringing the conversation back to first principles, to the founding of the American democratic experiment. In doing so, it encourages us to learn more about our shared history and to value and participate in our democracy. To participate, please register below.

This series of dialogues is funded by Connecticut Humanities through the A More Perfect Union granting program of the National Endowment for the Humanities

The Declaration of Independence
Hosted by Democracy & Dialogues Initiative
Tuesday, March 22. 6:00-8:00 pm ET

Register in advance for this event:
https://uconn-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEuceGhrj0oHdGDL_I83vMxzxBLvd4Ay-iv

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the dialogue.

The Constitution
Hosted by the Old Connecticut State House
Tuesday, April 5. 6:00-8:00 pm ET

Register in advance for this event:
https://uconn-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwvcOGoqDIjGdwOTaLCSltZQMhFIgxsYuWG

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the dialogue.

The Bill of Rights
Hosted by the Hartford Public Library
Tuesday, May 3. 6:00-8:00 pm ET

Register here for this event:
https://uconn-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqc-GqrDsoHdN1j6x8PHigbGDPXPz6Srxi

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the dialogue.

The Encounters Series is dedicated to fostering unexpected conversations around divisive issues and obscure knowledge. The program dives deeply into subjects that are of interest to the Greater Hartford community through facilitated, small-group dialogues followed by a question-and-answer style conversation with UConn faculty and community partners.

The Democracy & Dialogues Initiative is part of Dodd Human Rights Impact and supported by the Office of Global Affairs, the Office of the Provost, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Humanities Institute, UConn Extension, and the Division of Student Affairs’ Parent’s Fund.

Monday, April 11, 2022
1:00pm – 2:30pm
Panel Discussion (In-person & Livestream)

Join Us!
On Monday April 11th, Dodd Impact, El Instituto, and the Human Rights Institute, in collaboration with Skidmore College, invite you to the opening of an exhibit on children’s art created in the MPP camp of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

To mark the opening of the exhibit, a panel of faculty and activists will discuss the current situation of children in refugee camps created by the United States’ “Remain in Mexico” policy, as well as pressing concerns of youth who have arrived in CT.

In person: The Colloquium will be hosted in the Konover Auditorium in the
Dodd Center for Human Rights – DODD 166.

Livestream: Join us online at 1:00pm via http://www.kaltura.com/tiny/uyrei
Joining us virtually? You can still submit a question for the Q&A by clicking here.

Dr. Anne Gebelein,  University of Connecticut
Associate Director of El Instituto and
Associate Professor in Residence, Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Dr. Gebelein received her doctorate, M. Phil., and Master’s in Hispanic Literatures from Yale University Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese. Prior to her position at UConn, she worked as an educational consultant for the Anti-Defamation League and the Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis, and as a translator in health care and law enforcement settings. Anne Gebelein teaches a wide variety of courses in Latino and Latin American Studies, with a focus on migration, human rights, and border studies. She is faculty Co-Chair of Service Learning for the university, the ECE coordinator for Latin American Studies, and she directs community outreach efforts for El Instituto.

Dr. Diana Barnes, Skidmore College
Senior Teaching Professor of Spanish

Diana Barnes, PhD, is a Senior Teaching Professor at Skidmore College.  She began crossing the US/Mexico border as a toddler with her family at the San Ysidro point of entry near San Diego to visit her grandfather in Sonora, Mexico.  Over the decades, she has witnessed not only changes to the physical fence itself, but as well, the construct’s mythical, psychological, and political forces that project from the steel and concrete barrier.    Professor Barnes teaches courses about the US/Mexico border, as well as Spanish language & literature.  As a  life-long border crosser she holds a fundamental belief that the study of geographically contrived lines of division provides a unique critical lens into the state of humanity

Lucca Lucero de Alva,
Volunteer teacher in MPP Camp, Ciudad Juárez;
World Organization for Peace representative

Born in Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, Lucero Claudia De Alva Fernandez is an industrial engineer by trade, currently pursuing a master’s degree in Business Administration. She is the mother of 4 adult children–Daniela, Victoria Eugenia, Juan Pablo and Martha Isabel—and a business-owner. Her company, English Education Services, with provides English-Spanish translation, classes and interpreting services to the maquiladora industry since 1999.

Lucero is the author of the children’s story “Pita y los girasoles” from which a peace project called “Sembrando Paz” (Sowing Peace) was born, through which she has been able to reach more than 50,000 children in schools in the state of Chihuahua and throughout the country, as well as some schools in the United States.

Since 2019 Lucero has been in charge of the “Children and Youth for Peace” program, a title awarded by the World Organization for Peace. In 2018 she was named “Distinguished Woman” of Juarez by the Ibero-American Women’s Group and nominated for the title “Woman of the Year” by the group of professional women of Cd. Juarez.

Lucero is a dedicated volunteer and lover of the children of her city and the world. She volunteers in support of our migrant brothers and sisters, for whom she have been working since February 13, 2019, the day the first part of a caravan of migrants arrived in Ciudad Juarez. She have been part of the team that built the network of shelters for migrants, and feels fortunate to enable spaces within shelters that function as schools for the children who live in them, managing to get their education certified by the Federal Government (Secretary of Public Education).

Katia Daley, CT Students for a Dream
Healthcare Campaign Organizer

This event is sponsored by Dodd Impact, El Instituto, and the Human Rights Institute at the University of Connecticut, with invaluable support from Skidmore College.

We welcome you to view the exhibit in-person at The Dodd Center for Human Rights beginning April 11, 2022.

May 18, 2022
8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
In Person – UConn Storrs

Register Now

We’re pleased to announce the first annual Human Rights Close to Home Youth Action Summit!

We are offering Connecticut students an opportunity to participate in the Youth Action Summit, a major event within the Human Rights Close to Home initiative, which aims to promote youth involvement and advocacy in human rights around Connecticut. This Youth Action Summit is created and led by the Human Rights Close to Home Youth Advisory team. This is a one-day educational space for young activists and allies from around CT to come together as a community. Our goal is to provide resources and support to all attendees so that they can continue fighting for their human rights in their communities long after the Summit concludes.

Throughout the Youth Action Summit, students will participate in workshops and meet a wide range of speakers, from professional human rights advocates to fellow youth activists. Whether you are a student or educator, we welcome you to participate.

At this time, the Youth Action Summit is open to Connecticut high school students only.
If you are an educator and are in need of transportation assistance, please contact Dr. Ian McGregor at ian.mcgregor@uconn.edu

Interested in attending the HRCH Youth Action Summit? Please register here by May 1, 2022.

Students who would like to present should visit the Call for Presentation Proposals form and view the  Youth Summit Presentation Proposal Guide.

Kevin Maysonet, Manchester High School
Emily Aubrey, Conard High School
Trisha Chennuru, Brookfield High School
Casey Pratt, Brookfield High School
Skylar Mattice, Brookfield High School
Shirin Unvala, Center for Global Studies, Brien McMahon High School
Aureliana Brown, Manchester High School
Lydia Griffin, Conard High School
Kyra Cummins, Brookfield High School
Bella De Souza, University of Connecticut
Henry Avery, Center for Global Studies, Brien McMahon High School
Parisa Arastu, Center for Global Studies, Brien McMahon High School
Hayat Yussuf, Brookfield High School
Katie McCluney, University of Connecticut
Samantha Gove, University of Connecticut

Previous years of the CT Human Rights and Youth Action Summit can be viewed here.

Human Rights Close to Home (HRCH) engages educators and youth in the development and implementation of human rights education for civic action. We empower teachers with the knowledge, skills, values, and relationships to become expert human rights and civics educators. We foster youth leadership through experiential learning opportunities that have a direct impact on our youth and their communities. 

Human Rights Close to Home is a program of Dodd Impact, a part of the Human Rights Institute at UConn.

Monday, April 25, 2022
2:00pm – 3:15pm
Hybrid Event
Dodd Center for Human Rights – Room 162 & Zoom

Register Now

About This Workshop:

The Business and Human Rights Workshop is dedicated to the development and discussion of works-in-progress and other non-published academic research. Below find the abstract for a preview of the paper. Please register for a link to read Prof. Ryan Cole’s paper, the focus of this workshop. 

Prior research on immigrant entrepreneurship has largely overlooked the difficulties faced by stigmatized immigrant groups and the strategies that such immigrant groups can undertake to improve new venture performance. To address this issue, we examine immigrant entrepreneurship in Jordan. We find that stigmatized immigrant entrepreneurs in Jordan are more negatively affected by government practices than native and non-stigmatized immigrant entrepreneurs. Moreover, we find that stigmatized entrepreneurs can partially mitigate these effects by founding their ventures in established ethnic enclaves where entrepreneurs can access brokers with social ties that can help overcome discrimination. Empirically, we examine this phenomenon using data on new venture performance of 8756 entrepreneurs in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan from 2003 to 2013 and supplemented with 60 qualitative interviews.

Presenter:

Prof. Ryan Coles,
UConn School of Business

Discussant:

Prof. Michael Rubin,
UConn Human Rights Institute,
Schools of Engineering & Business

This workshop will be hosted both in-person and on Zoom. Please register regardless of the modality you wish to join. The workshop will not be recorded.

This event is sponsored by the Business and Human Rights Initiative, a partnership by Dodd Human Rights Impact, the UConn School of Business, & Human Rights Institute.