Next week, the University of Birmingham will welcome researchers, practitioners, activists and policy professionals for the IRiS International Conference 2026, Unsettling Communities: Diversity, Mobility and Displacement in an Age of Growing Authoritarianism. Taking place from 7 to 9 September, the conference comes at a moment when migration and diversity have become central terrains of political... Continue Reading →
Guest blog by Leo Wang, PhD researcher, University of Birmingham Shuttles is an independent photography collection dedicated to migrant creators, founded and run by early-career researchers. Shuttles began with something almost accidental. On a whim, we once organised a small photography exhibition – selecting shared themes and placing our works in dialogue with one another around... Continue Reading →
We are delighted to launch a new IRIS Working Paper by Robin Cohen: Creolization: an autobiographical journey around a concept. In this rich and reflective piece, Cohen traces the concept of creolization through the arc of his own intellectual and personal journey. The result is both a contribution to migration studies and a compelling intellectual... Continue Reading →
After fourteen years of Conservative governments defined by the infamous hostile environment launched by Home Secretary Theresa May, a new Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, seems eager to build her political profile by weaponising the migration issue once again. The search for a new catchphrase may still be on, but the underlying message feels all too... Continue Reading →
Conversations with Iris: Podcast on migration, diversity and displacement
The Age of Superdiversity 