The Qualitative Open Mic Qualitative Open Mic: Anti-racist Qualitative Health Research - Bee Damara on theory
Aug 28, 2025
Bee Damara, a researcher at King's College London focusing on modern slavery and anti-racist theories, dives deep into critical race theory's role in human trafficking research. She discusses how historical context shapes contemporary exploitation, emphasizing survivors' voices in guiding research. Bee explores insider ethnography and photo voice methods, portraying the complex socio-economic realities in South Africa. The conversation advocates for inclusive research methodologies that amplify marginalized perspectives, challenging existing frameworks and addressing systemic inequalities.
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Researcher With Lived Experience
- Bee Damara participates in the Modern Slavery Core Outcome Set as a researcher with lived experience.
- She consulted, interviewed survivors, transcribed, analysed data, and facilitated the advisory board.
Two Competing Theories Of Modern Slavery
- Modern slavery debates split between continuity with transatlantic slavery and critical difference views.
- Structural causes and colonial afterlives can better explain global inequalities driving trafficking.
Colonial Afterlife Shapes Trafficking
- The colonial afterlife explains trapped poverty and restricted movement across the global South and North.
- This systemic view reframes trafficking as tied to global apartheid-like inequalities rather than solely individual crimes.
