Inaugural Lecture: Professor Laura Jeffery

Anthropology, advocacy and action: reclaiming Chagos after displacement

Professor Laura Jeffery, Chair of Anthropology of Migration, from the School of Social and Political Science, presents her inaugural lecture

Political and legal disputes about the Chagos Archipelago have been widely reported in international media, particularly since a high-profile High Court case in 2000. The forcibly displaced Chagos islanders’ struggles for compensation, citizenship, and the right of return to Chagos have dominated my academic career over the same period, and I am often asked to contribute to the challenging and rewarding processes of helping to explain and resolve complex and contentious issues.

But in this highly charged context of protracted displacement and chronic marginalisation, what might a distinctively anthropological contribution look like? In this lecture I explore the classic anthropological tension between academic research and engaged action. Alert to the potential risks of strategic essentialism, I also recognise the tangible benefits of deploying those same problematic categories as means to specific ends.

This lecture articulates my response, which has been to direct research findings towards social, cultural, political, and legal objectives: facilitating intergenerational transmission of cultural knowledge, safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, promoting self-determination, and advocating for community participation in decision-making about the future of Chagos. More broadly, however – a recent win on citizenship notwithstanding – progress towards compensation and the right of return remains elusive.

With introduction and closing remarks by Professor John Devaney, Head of School.

Recorded on campus on 26 April 2023.

Media credits

The following audio clips are available open access from http://filoumoris.com and featured with the permission of the artists and the website owner:

Ferlevenn (Novena) by Rita Elysé, performed by Mimose Furcy and the Chagos Tambur Group (2004)

La Perle II vinn ambulans (The Pearl II became an ambulance) by Lisette Talate performed with the Chagos Tambour Group (2004)

Peros Vert (Green Peros) by Ton Vié (2002)

Film clip of the song Péi natal by Charlesia Alexis, with permission, from John Pilger's Stealing a Nation (2004).

Music video clip of the song Mo ti ena 13 an by Mimose Furcy, performed by Mary Joyce Mercida, from the Chagos Tambour Group (2018) album. Learn more about the album here: https://chagos.online/exhibits/show/ctgexhibit/ctgalbumintro

Image credits