Category: Opinions

Is a new international convention to protect refugees needed? Nando Sigona speaks to Aljazeera’s Inside Story

Belarus-EU refugee standoff is the latest example of the UN refugee convention under strain. Belarus and the European Union are raising their stakes in a standoff over refugees and migrants at the Belarusian-Polish border. The EU is imposing more sanctions on entities in Belarus, while Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is threatening to cut gas supplies to Europe.... Continue Reading →

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The many voices of Iris: now a polyphonic podcast

After a year and almost thirty episodes of Conversations with Iris as zoomcast, Stefano Piemontese and Nando Sigona explain why it was time to launch also a podcast version. The podcast is available on Google, Apple Podcast, and Spotify.  Before the pandemic, IRiS hosted monthly seminars on campus, inviting scholars, writers, and activists to present their work and discuss it with... Continue Reading →

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Young Refugees Respond to the Taliban’s Return

Birmingham Fellow and IRiS researcher Dr Jenny Allsopp shares the perspectives of British Afghan refugees on the Taliban's recent return to power. Originally published in Social Policy Matters. The WhatsApp messages and emails started pinging on my phone the evening of August 15th, soon after the Taliban arrived in Kabul.  “Do you know anyone who can help... Continue Reading →

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A story of resilience and adaptability: Community Sponsorship during the COVID-19 pandemic

Author: Marisol Reyes, IRiS Research Associate The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our daily lives in many ways, with global and local inequalities evident in terms of infection and mortality rates and socio-economic impacts.  Refugees are recognised to be a vulnerable population with a recent study by the World Health Organisation finding significant impact of COVID-19... Continue Reading →

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Brexit, viral borders and vaccine nationalism

Rome’s Termini train station on 23 March 2020

By Michaela Benson (@michaelacbenson) and Nando Sigona (@nandosigona) (Originally published in The Sociological Review) Three weeks into 2021 and the end of the Brexit transition period, and not a day has passed where the borders haven’t made their presence felt in the news cycle. The coincidence of COVID and Brexit has produced a perfect storm,... Continue Reading →

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When people who haven’t moved are called ‘migrants’: Considerations for implementing Objective 4 of the Global Compact for Migration

Tendayi Bloom (@TendayiB) In December 2018, the Global Compact for Migration was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. The headline of the fourth of its 23 objectives is as follows: ‘Ensure that all migrants have proof of legal identity and adequate documentation’. Considering this objective in detail indicates that it is often documents (or... Continue Reading →

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Black Lives Matter — Is This A Turning Point?

By Nicholas Bailey (@imnickbailey) and Nando Sigona (@nandosigona), University of Birmingham https://www.facebook.com/unibirmingham/videos/310858256686260/ BLM became something very different from its previous incarnation on the day George Floyd died. It transitioned from social organisation to symbolising a societal ideal. By any definition, 2020 has been a dramatic year. It was already the year of Australian bushfires, the... Continue Reading →

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The banality (and lethality) of racism

Black lives matter and we stand united against racism. We understand that racism is systemic and structural in our society and works because so many are complicit with it. And we all have a part to play in ending it. We understand that undoing that complicity means listening, respecting, learning, mobilising and making space. And... Continue Reading →

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