We are delighted to share the new website of the NODE network. The network is led by us at the University of Birmingham and the Institute for Asian Migrations at Waseda University and was initially funded by the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council and the Japan Foundation. Together with the information of the network... Continue Reading →
The experience of LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum in the UK at the time of Covid-19: Dawn River in conversation with Laurie Hartley of Rainbow Migration
Earlier this year Laurie Hartley, Asylum Seeker Support Worker at Rainbow Migration (previously known as UKLGIG), spoke with Dawn River, academic with IRiS, about the experiences of LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum in the UK. This recording has been published during Pride month to highlight the specific challenges facing LGBTQI+ asylum seekers. Pride month takes place... 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 →
Vulnerable migrants and Covid-19 in the UK and Japan: NODE UK|Japan webinar
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vulnerable-migrants-covid19-in-japan-and-the-uk-900-gmt1800-jst-tickets-138755584689 This jointly organised webinar explores the impact of Covid-19 on migrants with precarious legal status in the UK and Japan. It examines how migration governance in the context of a public health crisis can exacerbate existing vulnerabilities and produce new ones, affecting disproportionally migrant communities already at the margin of our societies. Speakers:... Continue Reading →
Community sponsorship Photo Exhibition 2020
In early 2020 the University of Birmingham ran a photo competition for all volunteers and refugees involved in Community Sponsorship in the UK. A number of entries were received, with a winner announced for each group. This online exhibition is a showcase of all of the photos that were entered into the competition. Volunteer group... Continue Reading →
A Brexit in the mind is a Brexit in its consequences: the depressing reality of the Thomas and Thomas theorem
Guest blog by professor Robin Cohen, Senior Research Fellow, Kellogg College, University of Oxford It used to be commonplace – I cannot attest that this remains the case – that sociology students were taught the 1928 Thomas theorem, ‘If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences’. This statement needs updating... Continue Reading →
New refugee integration indicators for the UK
Prof. Jenny Phillimore has a made significant contribution to the development of new Indicators on Integration Framework. They are the most comprehensive materials to date and have the potential to reframe thinking on a National and Global scale.
Becoming adult – the song
Great example of participatory project from Nando Sigona, Rachel Humphris and colleagues at the UCL Institute of Education and University of Oxford. Check out Becoming Adult blog for finding out more about research outputs and other project related initiatives.
Three years of conversations, encounters, laughs and sharing in many different places, ignoring borders every time it was possible to do so. The photos, words, and short clips that make this video all came together through the musical magic of the Piccola Orchestra di Tor Pignattara and the video editing eagerness of our colleague Jenny Allsopp. Check our resources to find out more about our project and findings.
A voice you haven’t heard. The political participation of UK-based EU citizens in the EU referendum
By Monika Bozhinoska Last year, right before the EU referendum I conducted research aiming to explore how EU long-term residents in the UK construct their identities as political members of the UK. The findings of the research are briefly presented here. For a full discussion see IRiS Working Paper 20 European denizens: The political participation... Continue Reading →
Can the fabric of a diverse society be undone?
By Nando Sigona @nandosigona If you woke up this morning in a British city, you can see this happening right in front to your eyes. From the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham – one of the most diverse cities in the UK - the Tories are feeding the press with anti-immigration soundbites relentlessly, competing among... Continue Reading →