Dr Mengia Tschalaer

My work examines how Westernized conceptions of human rights affect the access to justice of minority groups at the intersection of race, gender, sexuality and religion. My research is geared towards rendering visible those voices located at the margins that remain silenced – often very deliberately so – in conversations about justice and ideals about the truth. I am currently working on a EU funded project which examines the experiences of LGBTQI+ asylum seekers with Muslim background within Germany’s asylum system. I am the author of "Muslim Women's Quest for Justice: Gender, Law, and Activism in India" (Cambridge University Press, 2017) and of various articles and chapters on socio-legal resistance, gender, and Islam. 

​I am the co-founder and coordinator of the Queer European Asylum Network, consisting of LGBTQI+ activists and/or refugees, NGOs, and academics. The network has a focus on public engagement and policy.