The Power of Storytelling by Queer Refugees in a Time of Polarization

Right-wing and xenophobic rhetoric actively manufactures fear and legitimizes structural intolerance toward refugees. Upon arriving in the Netherlands, refugees face the profound rupture of displacement, losing a home while being compelled to rebuild a new one within a hostile political climate. For those who identify as LGBTQIA+, these pressures multiply, forcing them to navigate their identities in environments shaped by both anti-migrant sentiment and queerphobic structures.

This panel discussion explores storytelling, performance, and visual expression to open space for self-reflection, empathy, and connection. We’ll talk about how creative practices can help queer refugees share their experiences in ways that invite understanding rather than fear, and how the arts can push back against the dominant narratives that try to divide. That is why we have invited Timo Korstenbroek, whose research explores societal polarization and understandings of power inequalities within these communities, with the aim of addressing issues of social justice. We will also be joined by Fabian Holle, who seeks community engaged scholarship with Queer refugees in the Netherlands to co-create knowledge in creative ways.

The event will also feature a poetry performance by Naya Aljoudi (@theydontexist_), whose work brings a powerful personal voice to the conversation. They will join the discussion as well.

Cover art by Anne Mei Poppe (@annemeipoppe).

About the speakers

Fabian Holle (they/he) is a PhD candidate in the department of Sociology at VU Amsterdam and part of the research project: Engaged Scholarship and Narratives of Change. They graduated in theater making at the University of the Arts Utrecht in 2004. They worked with directors and choreographers, co-founded theater collective Ponies (2005–2015) and performed in drag. In 2020, they completed a Master in Sociology (cum laude) at VU Amsterdam. The creative co-creation project LIMBO is part of Fabian’s PhD research. Fabian is interested in how the university can be more engaged with (queer refugee) communities and collaborate in inclusive ways while aiming to be mutually beneficial in terms of knowledge and resources. LIMBO is co-created by everyone involved with the goal of providing a safer space for stories and art by LGBTQIA+ people with refugee experiences.

Instagram: fabianholle81

Timo Korstenbroek (he/him) works as a sociologist at VU University Amsterdam. In his PhD research he has examined modern-day polarization through a critical lens, arguing for the need to address power inequalities when studying conflicts to move beyond framings of polarization as merely an issue of social cohesion, but rather viewing it also as an issue of social justice. This particularly means to think about and work towards creating space for the experiences and stories of those marginalized groups often less represented within dominant public discourse. His work furthermore focuses on creating deep(er) understandings across ‘empathy walls’ that impede different (groups of) people from understanding each other by combining more traditional qualitative research methods (e.g., interviews, focus groups) with creative and arts-based methodologies in collaboration with artistic partners.

Instagram: @timokorstenbroek.

Naya Aljoudi is a poet, action-researcher, and community organizer whose work moves at the intersections of migration, memory, and resistance. Their most important identity is poet: from a young age, they understood that language can be used to combat against the systemic erasures that write many intersectional identities out of their own biographies. In their works, Naya attempts to restore their own biography undergoing the Syrian war, migration, colonial technologies and trauma to understand the world around them. Drawing on their lived experience in SWANA regions and their years working with migration communities in the Netherlands, they explore how language can reclaim dignity in contexts shaped by displacement and grief. Naya uses their love letters to resist and make trials for collective liberation, side by side.

Instagram: theydontexist_

Else Lanjouw (moderator) is an editorial member of SPUI25 in Spe. “I have always been fascinated by the versatility of human beings. We can show so much love and compassion, and at the same time so much cruelty and neglect. For this reason, I studied Political Science at the University of Amsterdam, after which I completed a master’s degree in Global Conflict in the Modern Era in Leiden. My interest continues to lie in humanizing political science issues. How can we maintain empathy in dehumanizing situations, such as conflict and forced displacement? At SPUI25 in Spe, I hope to explore the different sides of human behavior and thus discover ways to combat dehumanization and violence.”

TengTeng Ho (moderator) is an editorial member of SPUI25 in Spe. Driven by the intersection of culture, fashion, design, and identity, I am committed to challenge and reshape these fields through a decolonial and holistic lens. As I pursue my Master’s in Design Cultures, my focus is on dismantling the Eurocentric, cis-male paradigms that have long dominated both creative and academic spaces. I am passionate in connecting with diaspora communities through storytelling and art, believing deeply in the power of creative expression to break echo chambers and nurture shared understanding. At SPUI25 in Spe, I envision a dynamic platform that celebrates culture and identity in all their complexity, reflecting the rich diversity of the world we live in.