Event overview
A one-day symposium on Digital ID in Global South, refugee and UK contexts, including exhibition launch of drawings by Karen refugees
The symposium marks the end of the British Academy project 'Reimagining Digital Identity among Karen refugees in Thailand' (REDID https://www.redid.net/). REDID team members (Charlotte Hill, Mirca Madianou and Hayso Thako) will share key findings in conversation with researchers studying Digital ID in Global South contexts where such systems have long been piloted. The UK government's recent announcement about the introduction of Digital ID is a call to learn from research in Global Majority contexts and consider the implications of such systems for migrants and refugees. The event will include roundtable discussions bringing together designers, academics and representatives from digital human rights groups, migrant advocacy groups and think tanks to discuss the implications of digital ID systems in the UK.
The event will also include the launch of the exhibition of drawings and poems by Karen refugees from the Thai-Myanmar border. Through this artwork, Karen people reimagine what a fair identity system would look like from their point of view. The exhibition runs from November 1-27 - for more information see here: https://www.gold.ac.uk/calendar/?id=15599
Symposium programme
10:15-10:45 coffee and registration
10:45-11:00 Welcome - Introduction
11:00-12:30 Panel: Infrastructuring Digital ID
Speakers: Silvia Masiero (University of Oslo), Keren Weitzberg (Queen Mary University of London), Margie Cheesman (Kings College London) and Andreas Hackl (University of Edinburgh), Mirca Madianou (Goldsmiths, University of London) and Charlotte Hill (Chiang Mai University)
12:30 - 12:45 Exhibition Launch
12:45-13:45 Lunch
13:45-15:00 Roundtable 1: Digital ID - migrant and refugee perspectives
Speakers: Mallika Balakrishnan (Migrants Organise), Julia Tinsley Kent (Migrant Rights Network), Sara Alsheriff (Open Rights Group), Derya Ozkul (University of Warwick) and Hayso Thako (Chiang Mai University)
15:00-15:30 Coffee break
15:30-17:00 Roundtable 2: Reimagining Digital ID
Speakers: Sanjay Sharma (University of Warwick), Kim Snooks (University of Sheffield), Rachel Coldicutt (Careful Industries), Sana Farrukh (Privacy International), and Mirca Madianou (Goldsmiths, University of London)
The event is supported by the British Academy through the ODA Challenge-Oriented Research Grants 2024: Societal Challenges and Approaches to Responsible Technologies, supported under the UK Government's International Science Partnerships Fund, with additional funding from the Migrant Futures Institute: https://www.gold.ac.uk/research/centres-units/migrant-futures-institute/
The event is free but registration is necessary. Please book via the link below.
'Reimagining Digital ID among Karen refugees in Thailand' British Academy Project
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Nov 2025 | 10:15am - 5:00pm |
Accessibility
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