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 →
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 →
by Nando Sigona
Enrico Rossi, president of Tuscany, and his neighbours, 2014
In the last weeks, Italy has witnessed a spiralling resurgence of xenophobia, with migrants being violently attacked by gangs of far right activists and marches against immigrants organised in highly diverse, and often deprived, neighbourhoods by alleged ‘ordinary’ citizens. The long list of episodes which are contributing to create a toxic climate and a widespread sentiment of moral panic, includes a visit by the media-savvy new leader of the Northern League, Matteo Salvini, to a Roma encampment just before the regional election in Emilia Romagna that provoked a violent response from anti-fascist and anti-racist activists and hours of media coverage for Salvini; and a 500 people-strong sit-in organised by the right wing student organisation Blocco Studentesco in front of a Roma camp in via Cesare Lombroso in Rome to protest against the alleged misbehaving of some Roma against…
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Conversations with Iris: Podcast on migration, diversity and displacement
The Age of Superdiversity 