Hobart and William Smith Colleges

12 March 2025 Exploring Displacement and Belonging

Renowned Scholar Wendy Pearlman to discuss forced migration and the concept of home during this year’s Anderton Forum for Global Engagement.

Hobart and William Smith is pleased to announce that political scientist of the Middle East and author Wendy Pearlman will deliver the keynote address for this year’s Anderton Forum for Global Engagement. The talk will take place on Wednesday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Froelich Hall of the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts. This event is free and open to the public; the discussion will also be livestreamed.

Pearlman’s keynote address will explore the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers as they navigate the challenges of displacement, striving to rebuild their lives and cultivate a sense of belonging in the wake of forced migration. Her talk draws from The Home I Worked to Make, the second of two books Pearlman has authored based on extensive oral history interviews with displaced Syrians across the globe.

This year’s Anderton Forum for Global Engagement challenges us to think critically about forced migration—not only as a subject of study but also ethical and political concerns in national and global discourse," says Professor of International Relations Stacey Philbrick Yadav.

HWS extended the invitation for Pearlman’s visit last summer, prior to the unexpected fall of Syria’s Assad regime in December. Her lecture will examine these developments and their implications for the millions of Syrians now confronted with the uncertainty of returning to their country after years of exile. While The Home I Worked to Make focuses on the stories of Syrians, it fundamentally addresses broader questions of home, belonging, and the human resilience that sustains these concepts.

"In the questions that Pearlman poses and the way she has conducted her research, this year’s Anderton Forum for Global Engagement challenges us to think critically about forced migration—not only as a subject of study but also ethical and political concerns in national and global discourse," says Professor and Chair of International Relations, Stacey Philbrick Yadav, who serves as chair of the forum.

Leading up to Pearlman’s visit, a range of curricular and co-curricular initiatives will provide opportunities for the HWS community to engage deeply with her work. The Home I Worked to Make has been incorporated into courses in the Department of International Relations, while faculty in the Departments of Religious Studies and Educational Studies have received faculty development grants from the Anderton Forum to develop curricula around the book’s themes. Additionally, the Institute for Global Studies, with support from the Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs, sponsored a faculty and staff reading group focused on the book. The International Relations Department also organized a film screening and discussion examining the drivers of migration and the impact of U.S. border policies.

The author of five books, Pearlman is Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, where she holds the Crown Professorship of Middle East Studies and serves as the Interim Director of the Middle East and North Africa Studies Program. She earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University, an MA from Georgetown University and a BA from Brown University. Her research focuses on the comparative politics of the Middle East, social movements, political violence, refugees and migration, emotions and mobilization, and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Established in 2022 by former Trustee James F. Anderton IV ’65, the Anderton Forum for Global Engagement brings leading experts to campus to share their insights and experiences on pressing global issues. The forum works to foster meaningful dialogue and intellectual exchange, inspiring the HWS community to broaden their perspectives on international relations.  Past keynote speakers have included former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch and international peacebuilding practitioner Séverine Autesserre.

Anderton served on the HWS Board of Trustees from 1994 to 2000 and is the founder and executive chairman of property management and real estate investment and development company Krimson, LLC. He holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University and an M.B.A. from Cornell University, as well as his B.A. in economics from Hobart. A longtime supporter of HWS, Anderton was awarded the Hobart Medal of Excellence, the Hobart Alumni Association’s highest honor, in 1997. In 2015, he received the Lifetime Service Award, presented to alumni who have made exceptional contributions to HWS throughout their lives.

For more information about Pearlman’s talk or the Anderton Forum for Global Engagement, please contact Professor Stacey Philbrick Yadav at philbrickyadav@hws.edu