Dr Zibiah Loakthar

Biography

Dr Zibiah Alfred Loakthar is a Senior Lecturer in Refugee Care in the Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies (PPS) and Co-Director of the Centre for Trauma Asylum and Refugees (CTAR) at the University of Essex. Zibiah is the PPS Inclusivity Lead and chairs the PPS Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee. Within PPS, Zibiah is Co-Director of Graduate Studies and sits on various committees including the 30th anniversary of PPS heritage committee. Zibiah is a member of the university's Human Rights Centre and of the Centre for Global South Studies and an affiliate of the Centre for Migration Studies. Zibiah has over twenty five years of practical experience working in social justice and equality sectors with diverse minoritised and refugee communities, leading advocacy, arts, community development, education, health, heritage, memory. oral history and women's projects for charities including the Evelyn Oldfield Unit (www.evelynoldfield.co.uk), Relate London North West (www.relatelondonnw.org.uk), the Sheila McKechnie Foundation (www.smk.org.uk) and Irish in Britain (www.irishinbritain.org). She is also a guest lecturer to undergraduate and postgraduate Social Work students at Goldsmiths College, London. Zibiah sits on several charity boards, chairing Community Language Support Services, a refugee front-line support charity and acts as secretary for North London Deaf Children’s Society (http://www.nldcs.org.uk/). Zibiah is a trustee of the British Schools Museum (https://britishschoolsmuseum.org.uk), has taught in schools in the UK and in Ghana and is currently a governor of a London primary school. In addition to volunteering with refugee sector charities, Zibiah has volunteered for charities such as the British Heart Foundation, Crisis and Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). Zibiah has a PhD in Refugee Oral History, is a member of the Oral History Society and edited the Oral History Journal for a number of years (https://www.ohs.org.uk/journal/). She has been involved in a range of oral history life story projects in partnership with museums and libraries, including the Refugee Communities History Project with the Museum of London and an Oral History of Talking Therapists for the British Library's National Life Story Collection ((http://www.bl.uk/projects/national-life-stories) and is experienced in delivering training to community groups about practical, ethical and methodological issues in oral history. She sits on the Special Interest Group (SIG) for Migration within the Oral History Society. Zibiah has an interest in disability rights and is learning British Sign Language. Publications include: Loakthar, Z.A (2023). Good Practice Around Inclusion of People From Refugee Backgrounds in Universities in the UK. In: Global Perspectives on the Difficulties and Opportunities Faced by Migrant and Refugee Students in Higher Education edited by Sameerah Tawfeeq Saeed, Min Zhang. IGI Global. Loakthar, Z. A. (2021). Refugee Organisations in London Remembered. Displaced Voices: A Journal of Archives, Migration and Cultural Heritage. 2 (1), pp. 19-26. https://doi.org/10.15123/uel.898x6 Alfred, Z. (2013) ‘Why Oral History?’ in Persian Food a Cultural Treasure, London: Iranian Association Alfred, Z. (2009) ‘Sharing oral history with the wider public’ in Kurkowska-Budzan, M. & Zamorski, K. (eds.) Oral History: The Challenges of Dialogue Studies in Narrative 10, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Alfred, Z. & Buchuck., S (2008) ‘The Concealing of Life Story Material and the Refugee Communities History Project’ in 15th International Oral History Conference on Oral History Dialogue with our Times, Guadalajara, Mexico: Centro Universitario de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, September 2008. Alfred, Z. & Buchuck, S. (2008) ‘Latin American refugee oral histories’, in International Conference on Literature, Memory and Imagination: Latin America and the Caribbean, Toluca, Mexico: Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, September 2008. Alfred, Z. & Yohannes, S. (2008) ‘Partnership, Innovation and the Refugee Communities History Project’ in International Conference Museums and Refugees – Keeping Cultures, London: Museum of Docklands, 2008. Alfred, Z. (2007) ‘The Relationship between oral history collections and Community Life’ in A. Hammel & A. Grenville (eds.) Refugee Archives: Theory and Practice The Yearbook of the Research Centre for German and Austrian Exile Studies 9, Amsterdam: Rodopi. Alfred, Z. & Tun, T.T. (2007) ‘Childhood Landscapes: An Educational Resource Celebrating Cultural Heritage and Diversity of Refugee Communities in London’, International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations, 7 (5) 57-62. Alfred, Z. (ed) (2007) Connecting Communities, London: West London Refugee Women’s Forum Alfred, Z. & Tun, T. (2005) ‘Childhood landscapes’ [CD Rom], London: Evelyn Oldfield Unit Tomic, V. (2004) (editing and design Alfred, Z & Wilding, X) Bakine Kuhinje, Recipes from the former Yugoslavia, London: BRICKS Alfred, Z, (2003) ‘Culture Shock’ in Grant, H. and Bailur, S (eds) Volunteer Tales, Lutterworth Press

Qualifications

• MA Philosophy and Theology University of Oxford,

Appointments

University of Essex

• Lecturer in Refugee Care, Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, Universiy of Essex (1/8/2017 - 1/8/2023)

• Senior Lecturer in Refugee Care, Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, University of Essex (1/8/2023 - present)

• Director of Graduate Studies, Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, University of Essex (1/8/2023 - present)

Other academic

• Guest Lecturer, Social Work, Goldsmiths College, University of London (1/1/2013 - present)