Workshop announcement: Framing Migration, Authoritarianism and Climate Change in Human Rights Struggles in Europe

We are pleased to announce that the programme has now been finalised for the workshop Framing Migration, Authoritarianism and Climate Change in Human Rights Struggles in Europe, taking place on 17–18 June 2026 at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford.

The workshop is organised by Dr Agnieszka Kubal (HuRiEE PI) and Professor Başak Çali (Professor of International Law and Head of Research at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights), in collaboration with the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights and the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies at the University of Oxford.

This one-and-a-half day research workshop brings together scholars to explore how major contemporary challenges – authoritarianism, migration, and climate change – are framed within human rights struggles across Europe.

At a time when human rights protections face increasing pressure globally, the ways in which these issues are framed – and counter-framed – play a crucial role in shaping responses by governments, courts, and supranational institutions. Those bearing the consequences of authoritarianism and climate change, including through forced and voluntary migration, demand recognition and justice by framing their struggles as human rights struggles; yet, such frames are often met with indifference or resistance.

The workshop will examine:

• how authoritarianism, migration and climate change are framed in human rights struggles in Europe
• how such frames are received by governments, courts and supranational institutions
• the broader discursive, material, and legal consequences of these dynamics

We look forward to welcoming participants for what promises to be a timely and engaging set of discussions!