Lena Knappert - Crossing narratives. Working through borders: Refugee employment from intersectional and contextual perspectives

This “Crossing Narratives” dialogue in the frame of the “Queer, Life, Freedom” exhibition invites Dr. Lena Knappert to hold a conversation touching upon topics like refugeehood at the intersection of gender, class, and queerness, the influence of context and other actors in host societies, and inclusion at work.

In a room named Germany, Ashkan Shabani’s art exposes the contradictions encountered on the German landscapes, and its promises of acceptance. Therefore, the artist raises questions such as how to build environments of true acceptance and safety? Thus, this event proposes some follow-up questions: how to create safe work spaces that will provide safety  for people in need of fleeing? What are the adversities that these communities face? Bringing in her scientific view on these questions, Lena Knappert will share insights based on her research. Covering topics such as refugee employment and LGBTQI+ issues at work, Lena will reflect on the meaning of intersectionality for refugees’ inclusion experiences at work. The session will encourage the audience to engage in a dialogue with the researcher.

Lena Knappert is a Visiting Professor for Gender and Diversity in Organizations at Leuphana University. She lives in The Netherlands, where she works as Assistant Professor at the Department of Management and Organization at VU Amsterdam. Her research examines refugee employment, migrant and ethnic minority workers’ agency, as well as gender and its intersections in organisations from critical, multiactor, and context-sensitive perspectives.