A (research) year-in-review from IRIS

We asked our researchers to pick one of their publications from 2025 and share why it stands out for them. Here's what they replied!1) Let's start with the introduction to a Special Issue on "#RefugeeSponsorship & Complementary Pathways" edited by our refugee sponsorship research team (Jenny Phillimore, Marisol Reyes, Gabriella D'Avino, Natasha Nicholls). It's the... Continue Reading →

Irregular migration as an assemblage: New IRIS Working paper unpacks how “irregularity” is made in Europe

Written by Nando Sigona (University of Birmingham) and Ilse van Liempt (Utrecht University), The irregularisation of migration and migrants’ irregular condition: an assemblage perspective draws on research across six European countries — Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom — carried out as part of the I-CLAIM project, to propose a new way of thinking... Continue Reading →

European migration governance of, for, and against crisis: Andrew Geddes in conversation with Michaela Benson and Nando Sigona

We are delighted to host Professor Andrew Geddes, director of Migration Policy Centre at the European University Institute, at IRiS. He has contributed seminal work on migration governance and the politics of immigration in Europe and globally and is uniquely positioned to reflect on the nexus between migration policy and governance in the age of... Continue Reading →

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 →

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 →

Nationalism & new comers: Migration Matters video series featuring Nando Sigona

#rethinkingnationalism is a twelve bite-sized (1-9 min) video series that offers academic insight and public perspectives on nationalism, belonging, and diversity in Europe today. The series produced by Migration Matters is part of Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange, a ground-breaking project that enables youth in Europe and the Southern Mediterranean to engage in meaningful intercultural experiences online.... Continue Reading →

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