New project supported by IRiS
Messaging in the Midlands
Rethinking integration: New perspectives on adaptation and settlement in an era of superdiversity
IRiS and SAST Conference, Birmingham 2 July 2015 The Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS) at the University of Birmingham, together with the project Social Anchoring in Superdiverse Transnational Social Spaces (SAST) is organising a one-day interdisciplinary conference which will focus upon theories on and research into adaptation and integration in an era of superdiversity.... 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 →
Migration, social networks and integration: new IRiS Working Papers out
Two new IRiS Working Papers (no. 6 and 7) exploring issues related migration, social networks and integration policy and practice are out today. Using a wide range of literature, Dr Marta Kindler and colleagues (IRiS WP no. 6) focus upon the ways in which social networks and social capital have been found to promote or... Continue Reading →
Join UPWEB, new NORFACE project on changing welfare landscapes in the EU
Please find below details of 3 Research Fellow vacancies to work on the project ‘Understanding the Practice and Developing the Concept of Welfare-Bricolage (UPWEB)’ which is part of the NORFACE-Research-Network ‘The Future of Welfare States’ and connects researchers in Great Britain, Sweden, Portugal and Germany. The project will reconceptualise welfare theory by mapping how residents... Continue Reading →
Migrant children and the politics of irregular migration in Malmö and Birmingham: project and seminar
Public Seminar: 20 January, 12.30-2.30pm in Room 710, Muirhead Tower, University of Birmingham. This winter Jacob Lind, a PhD student from Malmö University, is visiting IRiS to conduct ethnographic fieldwork for six months among migrant children and families in an irregular situation. His work is part of a research project led by Dr Anna Lundberg,... Continue Reading →
My (Roma) neighbours and I, the President
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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In an era of superdiversity we need to radically rethink integration, says Nando Sigona at Bright Blue’s Immigration Commission
In September 2014, the Conservative think-tank Bright Blue hosted an oral evidence session on immigration. A team of high-profile commissioners interviewed experts from academia, government, journalism, the third sector and business. There were eight main sessions: business and growth; work and poverty; education, research, innovation and skills; local communities and public services; refugees, border control, visas and detention... Continue Reading →
How can the law be expected to cope with superdiversity?
All are welcome at this seminar by Professor Ralph Grillo (University of Sussex), to be held on 19 November 2014 from 1.00 to 2.30 pm, Room 429: 4th Floor (West), Muirhead Tower, University of Birmingham Synopsis Contemporary European societies are all in varying degree multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, and 'superdiversity' (or rather, 'super-diversification') in its various... Continue Reading →
New Issue of Migration Studies with symposium on the impacts of irregular status
Migration Studies, OUP
The new issue 2(3) of Migration Studies is out. It contains a short symposium on the impacts of irregular status with contributions by Elzbieta Gozdziak, Janina Sohn, Daniela Borodak and Ariene Tichit. Using ethnographic methods, Gozdziak examines how irregular immigration status affects the educational opportunities of children in the US, concluding that “the kind of assistance and support Latino students need will not come solely from immigration reform and policy changes, but rather paradigm shifts in our attitudes toward and programs for Latino children and their families as well as policies aimed at alleviating poverty of immigrant families” (Gozdziak, 2014, pp. 392–414). The nexus immigration status and educational attainments is the focus also of Söhn’s article (2014). Borodak and Tichit explore the impact of status on migration projects and conclude that, while “the total duration of migration to a foreign country is the…
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The Age of Superdiversity 