
DATE
20th November 2019
TIME
10.00am – 5.00pm
Cross-Faculty postgraduate and early career researcher workshop
The impacts of migration and mobility are some of contemporary society’s most pressing topics. This cutting edge workshop will bring together researchers from different disciplines to explore how we can better understand the current historical moment in which discussions and debates surrounding migration appear so important. The event will explore the following themes in-depth: the lived experiences of migrants in different parts of the globe and at different moments in history; the complex links between migration and empire; and contemporary experiences of migration.
We are pleased to announce that Professor Louise Ryan of the University of Sheffield will be joining us. Professor Ryan has extensive research expertise in the area of migration, social networks, gender and religion which she will draw on in her session ‘A funny feeling of deja vu: learning lessons from migration
history’:
In the current context of Brexit, changing migration regimes, and uncertainty about migrants’ rights to remain in the UK, it is tempting to think that we are in completely unprecedented times.
Indeed, we are facing particular challenges today, but nonetheless we can still learn from the past. The history of migration to and from the UK has been long and varied. The construction of migrants as ‘aliens’ threatening the British way of life is nothing new. In this presentation, Professor Louise Ryan will consider what social scientists can learn by adopting an historical lens to analyse migration. Focusing on key moments in the twentieth century, she will examine how the problematisation of migrants as ‘aliens’ was
underpinned by particular economic, political and social processes within British society. Far from being isolated historical events, we can observe repeated patterns over time – though the leading characters may change.
The workshop will be interactive and enable attendees to engage with important discussions surrounding migration across disciplinary boundaries. We invite postgraduates, early career researchers and academics at any stage of their career with an interest in migration and mobility to register.
Provisional Schedule
10.00am – 10.15am
Arrival and registration
10:15am – 10:30am
Welcome – Professor Martial Straub
10:30am – 11:45am
Paper session 1: Lived experiences of migration
11:45am – 12:00pm
Tea and coffee break
12:00pm – 1:15pm
Paper session 2: Empire and migration
1.15pm – 2.00pm
Lunch
2:00pm – 3:00pm
Professor Louise Ryan Session
3:00pm – 3:15pm
Tea and Coffee Break
3:15pm – 4:30pm
Paper session 3: Contemporary migration