When travelling across the world, people are being subjected to multiple forms of tracking and profiling by unaccountable state agencies. Local and international travel is changing radically as concerns about terrorism and migration increase. Security agencies require access to travellers’ information before they leave their homes, compulsory identification of travellers now includes the collection of... Continue Reading →
Reflections on Refugee Backlash and Gendered Harms
by Sandra Pertek (@sandrapertek), IRiS, University of Birmingham Within a window of 15 hours, I virtually travelled in time zones from GMT -5 to GMT +5. These journeys reminded me yet again about some of the most haunting downfalls of humanity. First, I participated in the Bold New Voices in Migration Research Conference organised by the Immigration Initiative... Continue Reading →
Brexit, viral borders and vaccine nationalism
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 →