Nando Sigona, University of Birmingham The refugee crisis and how to handle it has occupied the agenda of Jean-Claude Juncker’s European Commission presidency. It has been less than a year since he took office, during which time Europe has been plunged into the largest refugee crisis since World War II. It is no surprise therefore... Continue Reading →
The refugee crisis and the UK’s PR politics
by Nando Sigona The refugee crisis is now – in Budapest, Kos, Lesvos, Calais, Pozzallo, Zuwarah, but the UK government pledges to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees over five years (i.e. 4000 a year). Are Cameron & co. expecting the civil war to last that long or are they playing a game of cynical math wizardry? What... Continue Reading →
Calais migrants are not invading: they are just a small part of a global refugee crisis
Calais is not a local issue. It is one manifestation of the global refugee crisis, but not one of the acutest.
Refugia: the limits and possibilities of Buzi’s Refugee Nation
By Robin Cohen, emeritus professor of development studies and former director of the International Migration Institute, University of Oxford Jason Buzi, an Israeli-born entrepreneur living in the USA, has proposed that a ‘Refugee Nation’ should be created to solve the world’s refugee problem. Let us call this country ‘Refugia’. His solution has generated a mixed... Continue Reading →
Servicing super-diversity
Excellent piece by Ben Gidley originally published in COMPAS blog on a pilot research project exploring patterns and layering of diversity in Elephant & Castle
Please, no more white people writing smug articles about leaving London
"You can call that diversity, or even super-diversity, or just life", Aisha Mirza writes in The Guardian
The EU migration agenda as a cloud
By Nando Sigona Not sure what to make of this, interesting to see the prominence of ‘member states’, as they are certainly crucial in determining the success or failure of the strategy. Given the responses in the last few weeks (including France’s pushback at Ventimiglia), the latter seems a much more likely outcome. Assuming that... Continue Reading →
Asylum crisis? What crisis?
by Jenny Phillimore @japhillimore With the monthly asylum application figures published today and these demonstrating a 527 reduction in the number of asylum seekers making their claims on British soil from 2751 in January 2015 and from 2370 the equivalent period last year, I find myself wondering why have the numbers decreased? Indeed the general... Continue Reading →
Who are you? Grayson Perry’s identity journeys
By Nando Sigona (originally published in Postcard from...) Channel 4 ‘Who are you?‘ series* by/with Turner-Prize winner Grayson Perry is a fascinating exploration into contemporary portraiture and society, as one alone was not already a big enough challenge! the series follows Perry’s creative journey to the production of portraits that capture individuals (not the usual portrait... Continue Reading →


