Dr. Jennifer Riggan, professor and director of International Studies in the department of Historical and Political Studies at Arcadia University, presents “Hosting States and Restless Guests: Eritrean Refugees in Ethiopia” at Indiana University Bloomington on Wednesday, Nov. 30. The lecture will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and is available via Zoom. Those interested can register here. 

Dr. Riggan’s talk will look at how Ethiopia—one of the largest refugee-hosting states in the global south—has been at the forefront of initiatives to promote the local integration of refugees into the host country. She raises the question of whether these initiatives make refugees hosted in the global south want to stay?

Dr. Riggan also participated in a panel hosted by American University, “Crisis of Migration In and Out of the Horn of Africa” on Tuesday, Nov. 15, which can be viewed on YouTube. This discussion was moderated by American University professor of anthropology Lauren Carruth and organized by Dr. Carruth and Dr. Lahra Smith, director of African studies at Georgetown University. The panel featured experts on African studies and migration. 

Dr. Riggan is a political anthropologist with a focus on political identity, citizenship, and the Horn of Africa. She has taught at Arcadia since 2007 and teaches the Spring 2022 Preview course, “African Belgium: A Decolonial View of the Heart of Europe.” In addition, she teaches “Global Citizenship: Who in the World Are We?” and the senior seminar for International Studies. 

Dr. Riggan is the current Steinbrucker Endowed Chair. She has held fellowships from the Wolf Humanities Center, the Georg Arnhold Program, Fulbright, the Spencer Foundation, the National Academy of Education, and the Social Science Research Council. She has published several articles focused on Eritrea in journals such as Africa Today, and authored the book The Struggling State: Nationalism, Mass Militarization and the Education of Eritrea.