Biography
John Marnell is a postdoctoral researcher at the African Centre for Migration Society. He is the author of Seeking Sanctuary: Stories of Sexuality, Faith and Migration (Wits University Press, 2021) and the co-editor of East Africa Queer and Trans Displacements (Bloomsbury Academic, 2026) and Queer and Trans African Mobilities: Migration, Asylum and Diaspora (Zed Books, 2021), which won the 2023 ASR Best Africa-focused Anthology or Edited Collection Prize. John is the co-convenor of the African LGBTQI+ Migration Research Network (ALMN).
Research themes
Publications
8 publications
2026
Book
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East African Queer and Trans Displacements
Marnell, J., Camminga, B., Bompani, B., & Wairuri, K. (Eds.). (2026). East African Queer and Trans Displacements. Bloomsbury.
2023
Journal Article
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City Streets and Disco Beats: Recentring the Urban in Queer and Trans Migration Studies
Marnell, J. (2023). City Streets and Disco Beats: Recentring the Urban in Queer and Trans Migration Studies. Urban Forum 34, 201–211.
2022
Chapter
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Telling a Different Story: On the Politics of Representing African LGBTQ Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers ↗
Marnell, J. (2022). Telling a Different Story: On the Politics of Representing African LGBTQ Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers. Queer and Trans African Mobilities: Migration, Asylum and Diaspora.
2022
Book
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Queer and Trans Africa Mobilities: Migration, Asylum and Diaspora ↗
Camminga, B. & Marnell, J. (2022). Queer and Trans Africa Mobilities: Migration, Asylum and Diaspora.
2022
Journal Article
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Framing Queer and Trans African Mobilities: Absences, Presences and Challenges ↗
Camminga, B. & Marnell, J. (2022). Framing Queer and Trans African Mobilities: Absences, Presences and Challenges. Queer and Trans African Mobilities: Migration, Asylum and Diaspora.
2022
Journal Article
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Reimagining wellbeing: Using arts-based methods to address sexual, gender and health inequalities ↗
Khan, G. & Marnell, J. (2022). Reimagining wellbeing: Using arts-based methods to address sexual, gender and health inequalities. Global Public Health.
2020
Journal Article
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‘It's about being safe and free to be who you are’: Exploring the lived experiences of queer migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa ↗
Marnell, J., Oliveira, E. & Khan, G. (2020). ‘It's about being safe and free to be who you are’: Exploring the lived experiences of queer migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa. Sexualities.
Book
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Queer and Trans African Mobilities: Migration, Asylum and Diaspora
Camminga, B. & Marnell, J. (Eds.). Queer and Trans African Mobilities: Migration, Asylum and Diaspora. Bloomsbury.