Pinar Aksu
Pinar Aksu is UNESCO RIELA PhD candidate and started her research in October 2021.
Pinar’s research looks at ‘Art and Law in Migration: Art practices for social change and access to justice’. Her research focuses on how art practices are and can be used for creating social change in migration. A particular interest in deeper understanding of access to justice, law, rights, dignity, social change and arts in migration. Pinar is interested to understand how different organisations, immigration law practitioners and community-engaged artists, use, impacted and want to change the law.
Biography
Pinar is a graduate in Community Development (BA) and Human Rights and International Politics (MSc) at the University of Glasgow.
She is a theatre maker with years of experience using theatre as a tool for social change with a particular focus on Theatre of the Oppressed. She believes in the power of creative approaches in creating dialogue and connection amongst communities. She has performed across the country in theatre spaces and community venues with plays about migration, homelessness, mental health and domestic abuse.
With years of experience working across diverse communities, Pinar continues to work as a Human Rights and Advocacy Coordinator at Maryhill Integration Network. With a particular focus in creating participatory, cultural and educational projects. Pinar has been using creative methods to engage with decision-makers on various campaigns including the Right to Vote, and Right to Work for people seeking asylum. She has worked and created educational projects with the young people exploring themes of migration, welcoming and home using creative tools. She is one of the creative collaborators of The Sea of Paperwork, a book about migration following the journey of the Wee One.
Pinar was included in the Young Women's Movement 30 under 30, Local Hero Award- Glasgow 2022, and Amnesty International Brave Award- Scotland 2020. She is also involved with Right to Remain, a member at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, actively participates in Glasgow Refugee Asylum and Migration Network (GRAMNet) and guest lecturer for the Community Development course at the University of Glasgow.
She participated in international platforms, such as The Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, speaking on ‘European alternative solutions to immigration detention of children’. As well as contributing to discussions to feed into the Initiative for Child Rights in the Global Compacts, adopted by UN General Assembly for the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants.
You can contact Pinar at p.aksu.1@research.gla.ac.uk