Nando Sigona
University of Birmingham, School of Social Policy, Faculty Member
- University of Oxford, ESRC Centre on Migration, Policy and Society, Department MemberUniversity of Oxford, Oxford Diasporas Programme, Department MemberUniversity of Oxford, Refugee Studies Centre, Department Memberadd
- Sociology, Human Rights, Migration Studies, Qualitative methodology, Political Anthropology, Refugee Studies, and 31 moreEthnicity, Migration (Anthropology), Diaspora Studies, Anthropology of Mobility, Irregular Migration, Child migration, Minority, Anthropology, Political Sociology, Race and Ethnicity, Ethnic Studies, Social Movement, Minority Studies, Romani Studies, Romany Studies, Sociology of Human Rights, Citizenship studies, Citizenship, Immigration Status & Nationality, Sociology of Migration, Superdiversity, Deportation, Migration, Asylum seekers, Transnational migration, Undocumented Immigration, Immigration, Refugees, Borders and Borderlands, Immigration Studies, and Illegality (Anthropology)edit
What is it like to travel to Europe over land and sea in order to secure a future for yourself and your family? Why are so many people willing to risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean? What are their hopes and fears? And why is... more
What is it like to travel to Europe over land and sea in order to secure a future for yourself and your family? Why are so many people willing to risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean? What are their hopes and fears? And why is Europe, one of the richest regions of the world, unable to cope?
Drawing on compelling first-hand accounts from 500 people who arrived on the shores of Europe in 2015, this important new book unpacks their routes, experiences and decisions. It provides a framework for understanding the dynamics underpinning recent unprecedented levels of migration across, and loss of life in, the Mediterranean, casting new light on the ‘migration crisis’ and challenging politicians, policy makers and the media to rethink their understanding of why and how people move.
Drawing on compelling first-hand accounts from 500 people who arrived on the shores of Europe in 2015, this important new book unpacks their routes, experiences and decisions. It provides a framework for understanding the dynamics underpinning recent unprecedented levels of migration across, and loss of life in, the Mediterranean, casting new light on the ‘migration crisis’ and challenging politicians, policy makers and the media to rethink their understanding of why and how people move.
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Introduction to "Within and beyond citizenship: Borders, membership and belonging" (Routledge, 2017)
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Drawing on contributions from Oxford Diasporas Programme core staff and associates and covering a range of disciplinary traditions, including social anthropology, sociology, human geography, politics, international relations, development... more
Drawing on contributions from Oxford Diasporas Programme core staff and associates and covering a range of disciplinary traditions, including social anthropology, sociology, human geography, politics, international relations, development studies and history, the chapters brought together in Diasporas Reimagined evoke a world increasingly interconnected through migration, and yet layered with the sediments of previous encounters (not necessarily peaceful ones). This publication marks the end of ODP, and offers the chance to look back on the work carried out during the lifespan of the programme while also looking forward to a future research agenda in diaspora studies. While it is not intended to offer an exhaustive
overview of diaspora studies, we wanted to capture the vitality
and variety of research being carried out in this field. Different
epistemological standpoints inform the ways in which contributors use the term ‘diaspora’. They fall along a spectrum between emphasising group identity as the bounded object of institutional intervention, to understanding diasporic belonging and mobilisation in more fluid, dynamic and performative ways.
overview of diaspora studies, we wanted to capture the vitality
and variety of research being carried out in this field. Different
epistemological standpoints inform the ways in which contributors use the term ‘diaspora’. They fall along a spectrum between emphasising group identity as the bounded object of institutional intervention, to understanding diasporic belonging and mobilisation in more fluid, dynamic and performative ways.
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Undocumented migration is a huge global phenomenon, yet little is known about the reality of life for those involved. Sans Papiers combines a contemporary account of the theoretical and policy debates with an in-depth exploration of the... more
Undocumented migration is a huge global phenomenon, yet little is known about the reality of life for those involved. Sans Papiers combines a contemporary account of the theoretical and policy debates with an in-depth exploration of the lived experiences of undocumented migrants in the UK from Zimbabwe, China, Brazil, Ukraine and Turkish Kurdistan.
Built around their voices, the book provides a unique understanding of migratory processes, gendered experiences and migrant aspirations. Moving between the uniqueness of individual experience and the search for commonalities, the book explores the ambiguities and contradictions of being an undocumented migrant.
With its insights into personal experiences alongside analysis of wider policy issues, Sans Papiers will have wide appeal for students, academics, policy-makers and practitioners.
Built around their voices, the book provides a unique understanding of migratory processes, gendered experiences and migrant aspirations. Moving between the uniqueness of individual experience and the search for commonalities, the book explores the ambiguities and contradictions of being an undocumented migrant.
With its insights into personal experiences alongside analysis of wider policy issues, Sans Papiers will have wide appeal for students, academics, policy-makers and practitioners.
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"An estimated 120,000 children living in the UK without legal immigration status are at risk of destitution, exploitation and social exclusion because of contradictory and frequently changing rules and regulations which jeopardise their... more
"An estimated 120,000 children living in the UK without legal immigration status are at risk of destitution, exploitation and social exclusion because of contradictory and frequently changing rules and regulations which jeopardise their access to healthcare, education, protection by the police and other public services, a new report published today by the University of Oxford shows.
The report “No Way Out, No Way In: Irregular migrant children and families in the UK” is published by the ESRC Centre on Migration Policy and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford. It shows that irregular migrant children - more than half of whom were born in the UK and have lived here their entire lives – are being trapped between laws protecting children and the enforcement of migration control.
Dr Nando Sigona, the report’s main author, said: “Current immigration policy seems to override the concern for children’s rights. Nobody, not the public, nor the children or their families, benefits from this”.
Both international and British laws guarantee children access to education and healthcare, irrespective of their immigration status, and oblige public authorities to work in the children’s best interests. But increased demands on public authorities by the UK Border Agency – such as asking social services to report suspected irregular migrants – are pushing families and children away from essential services, leaving them more vulnerable and isolated. This can also mean that children and their families who are victims of serious crime may be afraid to report it to police because of their fears about their immigration status.
Frontline professionals like GPs and teachers are increasingly being asked to check the legal status of children in their care. Not having legal status can mean the children either don’t go to school or can’t participate fully. It also means they may not be able to register with a GP or that pregnant mothers who lack legal status may avoid antenatal and postnatal care because of for fear of being reported to UKBA.
Dr Sigona said: “The point of the report is to identify the situation that these children are in, and the difficulties that this places on the public service providers with whom they come into contact. Teachers, GPs and social workers should be allowed to do their jobs without having to act as de facto immigration control officers”.
Through a vivid portrait of children’s everyday lives, the report shows the profound extent to which the immigration system can affect the health and educational achievements of irregular migrant children from an early age, and seeks to contribute to the policy debate on how to reconcile the protection of children’s rights and migration control for the benefit of both the children and British society more broadly.
Finally, considering that children who were born or spent most of their childhood in the UK are unlikely to be deported and the potential negative impacts on British society of a long term excluded population, the report recommends policy makers to provide effective pathways for irregular migrant children to regularise their legal status."
The report “No Way Out, No Way In: Irregular migrant children and families in the UK” is published by the ESRC Centre on Migration Policy and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford. It shows that irregular migrant children - more than half of whom were born in the UK and have lived here their entire lives – are being trapped between laws protecting children and the enforcement of migration control.
Dr Nando Sigona, the report’s main author, said: “Current immigration policy seems to override the concern for children’s rights. Nobody, not the public, nor the children or their families, benefits from this”.
Both international and British laws guarantee children access to education and healthcare, irrespective of their immigration status, and oblige public authorities to work in the children’s best interests. But increased demands on public authorities by the UK Border Agency – such as asking social services to report suspected irregular migrants – are pushing families and children away from essential services, leaving them more vulnerable and isolated. This can also mean that children and their families who are victims of serious crime may be afraid to report it to police because of their fears about their immigration status.
Frontline professionals like GPs and teachers are increasingly being asked to check the legal status of children in their care. Not having legal status can mean the children either don’t go to school or can’t participate fully. It also means they may not be able to register with a GP or that pregnant mothers who lack legal status may avoid antenatal and postnatal care because of for fear of being reported to UKBA.
Dr Sigona said: “The point of the report is to identify the situation that these children are in, and the difficulties that this places on the public service providers with whom they come into contact. Teachers, GPs and social workers should be allowed to do their jobs without having to act as de facto immigration control officers”.
Through a vivid portrait of children’s everyday lives, the report shows the profound extent to which the immigration system can affect the health and educational achievements of irregular migrant children from an early age, and seeks to contribute to the policy debate on how to reconcile the protection of children’s rights and migration control for the benefit of both the children and British society more broadly.
Finally, considering that children who were born or spent most of their childhood in the UK are unlikely to be deported and the potential negative impacts on British society of a long term excluded population, the report recommends policy makers to provide effective pathways for irregular migrant children to regularise their legal status."
Research Interests: Sociology, Political Sociology, Anthropology, Social Policy, Sociology of Children and Childhood, and 12 moreRefugee Studies, Children and Families, Political Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Migration, Irregular Migration, Politics, Socio-legal studies, Undocumented Immigration, Migration Studies, Urban Sociology, and Public Policy
What does it mean to be young and undocumented in contemporary Britain? How do young migrants cope with life in Britain at a time of economic downturn and the introduction of the government’s ‘tough touch’ on undocumented migrants? Built... more
What does it mean to be young and undocumented in contemporary Britain? How do young migrants cope with life in Britain at a time of economic downturn and the introduction of the government’s ‘tough touch’ on undocumented migrants? Built around the voices of 75 migrants from five different countries (Brazil, China, Kurds from Turkey, Ukraine and Zimbabwe), this research captures a complex reality; it moves between the uniqueness of the individual experience and the search for patterns and commonalities across migrants’ accounts of their everyday lives and experiences.
This study was commissioned by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF), under its Social Justice Programme. It explores the social and economic lives, motivations and aspirations of undocumented young migrants in England. It is based on in-depth interviews and testimonies collected between August and December 2008 from 75 young people (35 women and 40 men) living in London, the North West and the West Midlands. Interviews were carried out in first languages by field researchers with the requisite language skills. Just fewer than half the interviewees are aged between 18 and 24 years old, and the remainder are between 25 and 31.
Their length of stay in Britain varies between a few months and ten years, with just under half living in Britain for less than three years.
This study was commissioned by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF), under its Social Justice Programme. It explores the social and economic lives, motivations and aspirations of undocumented young migrants in England. It is based on in-depth interviews and testimonies collected between August and December 2008 from 75 young people (35 women and 40 men) living in London, the North West and the West Midlands. Interviews were carried out in first languages by field researchers with the requisite language skills. Just fewer than half the interviewees are aged between 18 and 24 years old, and the remainder are between 25 and 31.
Their length of stay in Britain varies between a few months and ten years, with just under half living in Britain for less than three years.
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Table of contents Introduction - Anti-Gypsyism and the politics of exclusion: Roma and Sinti in contemporary Italy by Isabella Clough Marinaro & Nando Sigona The governance of Romani people in Italy: discourse, policy and practice by... more
Table of contents
Introduction - Anti-Gypsyism and the politics of exclusion: Roma and Sinti in contemporary Italy by Isabella Clough Marinaro & Nando Sigona
The governance of Romani people in Italy: discourse, policy and practice by Nando Sigona
Welcome ‘in’. Left-wing Tuscany and Romani migrants (1987–2007) by Giovanni Picker
Roma and humanitarianism in the Eternal City by Isabella Clough Marinaro & Ulderico Daniele
‘These Romanians have ruined Italy’. Xoraxané Romá, Romanian Roma and Rome by Marco Solimene
The social dangerousness of the defendant is ‘at one with her own condition of being nomadic’: Roma and Sinti in Italian Courts of Law by Sabrina Tosi Cambini
Introduction - Anti-Gypsyism and the politics of exclusion: Roma and Sinti in contemporary Italy by Isabella Clough Marinaro & Nando Sigona
The governance of Romani people in Italy: discourse, policy and practice by Nando Sigona
Welcome ‘in’. Left-wing Tuscany and Romani migrants (1987–2007) by Giovanni Picker
Roma and humanitarianism in the Eternal City by Isabella Clough Marinaro & Ulderico Daniele
‘These Romanians have ruined Italy’. Xoraxané Romá, Romanian Roma and Rome by Marco Solimene
The social dangerousness of the defendant is ‘at one with her own condition of being nomadic’: Roma and Sinti in Italian Courts of Law by Sabrina Tosi Cambini
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The main aim of Positive Contributions: Being a Refugee in Britain (Sigona and Torre 2006) is to show, through their voices, that refugees and asylum seekers contribute positively to British society, not just in economic terms but also,... more
The main aim of Positive Contributions: Being a Refugee in Britain (Sigona and Torre 2006) is to show, through their voices, that refugees and asylum seekers contribute positively to British society, not just in economic terms but also, and above all, socially and culturally. Giving refugees a voice means creating a space where this voice can be heard – a context where it is possible to retrieve details of a normality that refugees and asylum seekers endlessly build, even in the most adverse of circumstances. The project develops the idea of positive contribution in three main directions:
- refugees enrich British society through their presence by multiplying points of view and creating an attitude that is conducive to questioning assumed truths and credos;
- their knowledge, skills and resources enhance society as a whole when they become part of the common shared values and culture
- forced migration is a result of highly interrelated social and economic processes occurring at global level. As individuals living in ‘our midst’ refugees, asylum seekers and forced migrants bring direct and actual experience of these processes to society.
Photo exhibition: [vimeo http://vimeo.com/19810487]
- refugees enrich British society through their presence by multiplying points of view and creating an attitude that is conducive to questioning assumed truths and credos;
- their knowledge, skills and resources enhance society as a whole when they become part of the common shared values and culture
- forced migration is a result of highly interrelated social and economic processes occurring at global level. As individuals living in ‘our midst’ refugees, asylum seekers and forced migrants bring direct and actual experience of these processes to society.
Photo exhibition: [vimeo http://vimeo.com/19810487]
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Europe in the last two decades has gone through unprecedented political, social, and economic transformations. The restructuring of post-WWII welfare systems, the disintegration of Yugoslavia through a series of fratricidal wars, the rise... more
Europe in the last two decades has gone through unprecedented political, social, and economic transformations. The restructuring of post-WWII welfare systems, the disintegration of Yugoslavia through a series of fratricidal wars, the rise of racist and nationalist movements, and the enlargement of NATO and of the EU to include former socialist countries after the end of the Cold War characterize this period. The new geopolitical order has affirmed a neo-liberal economic doctrine throughout Europe. A by-product of this phenomenon has been increasing marginalization of groups which do not ‘fit’ the new socio-economic regime. Amongst them are millions of Roma, for whom chronic unemployment and social exclusion have become the norm. As a response to their increasing social marginalization, human and minority rights discourses and regimes have emerged, consolidating alongside an embryonic Romani political movement.
This book sheds light on experiences of political participation of Romani citizens in both Eastern and Western Europe, thus contributing to a deeper understanding of the political space that Roma occupy in states within an enlarged EU. The contributors are leading activists, politicians, and scholars involved in critical debates and policy making vis-à-vis Romani citizens. The book analyzes key political experiences and debates salient for the European Union, as well as implications for other ethnic minorities in Europe. It also offers new perspectives on core issues and paradoxes surrounding Romani political participation and mobilisation at the EU, national, and local levels, including case studies from both Eastern and Western Europe.
This book sheds light on experiences of political participation of Romani citizens in both Eastern and Western Europe, thus contributing to a deeper understanding of the political space that Roma occupy in states within an enlarged EU. The contributors are leading activists, politicians, and scholars involved in critical debates and policy making vis-à-vis Romani citizens. The book analyzes key political experiences and debates salient for the European Union, as well as implications for other ethnic minorities in Europe. It also offers new perspectives on core issues and paradoxes surrounding Romani political participation and mobilisation at the EU, national, and local levels, including case studies from both Eastern and Western Europe.
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What has Brexit meant for migration and migrants? How has the geopolitical repositioning of the UK in consequence of the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) impacted on the experiences of long-established migrant communities and newly... more
What has Brexit meant for migration and migrants? How has the geopolitical repositioning of the UK in consequence of the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) impacted on the experiences of long-established migrant communities and newly arrived migrants? In what ways are the impacts of Brexit differentially experienced across migrant communities according to, inter alia, class, gender, age, country of origin, disability, and race? How has migration scholarship addressed Brexit and its impact on migration and migration governance? And what has been the significance of migration research within this project? This critical review of migration studies scholarship literature focussed on Brexit and migration, we draw out the dominant themes and gaps in this emergent field and consider how these reconfigure the ‘spotlights’ and ‘blindspots’ in migration research from methodological nationalism to. In this way, we identify the potential for new lines of enquiry for research on Brexit and m...
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The Arab Spring has not radically transformed migration patterns in the Mediterranean, and the label ‘migration crisis’ does not do justice to the composite and stratified reality.
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In migration and refugee studies, migrant deaths have frequently been closely linked to contemporary forms of border and migration governance. Migrant deaths at sea have also played a central role in shaping policy and public responses to... more
In migration and refugee studies, migrant deaths have frequently been closely linked to contemporary forms of border and migration governance. Migrant deaths at sea have also played a central role in shaping policy and public responses to Europe’s “crisis.” Yet relatively little scholarly work has analyzed migrants’ personal experiences related to death and the impact of these experiences on their mobility. Drawing on 500 semi-structured interviews with people who crossed the Mediterranean Sea by boat in 2015–2016 and over 100 interviews with key stakeholders in the region, this article documents geographies of violence and death stretching throughout migration trajectories that start far from the Mediterranean shores. It shines light on the different ways that encountering the deaths of others and perceiving the inevitability of one’s own death drive and shape migration decisions and journeys. The article also highlights differences between European policy responses to migrant deat...
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Donald Trump vows to build a wall while Europe tries to pull up the drawbridge. A new book argues that borders violently enforce inequality, barring the global poor from prosperity.
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From 2014 to the end of 2016, over 450,000 people crossed from North Africa towards Italy via the Central Mediterranean route. The number of people recorded as dead or missing in the same stretch of water steadily increased too.... more
From 2014 to the end of 2016, over 450,000 people crossed from North Africa towards Italy via the Central Mediterranean route. The number of people recorded as dead or missing in the same stretch of water steadily increased too. Crisis-talk in the region led to renewed efforts by the European Union and its Member States to govern and control migration to and across the Central Mediterranean. Against this backdrop, this article draws upon over 200 interviews with newly arrived boat migrants and 55 stakeholders in Italy to reveal a fundamental disjuncture between the drivers and dynamics of migration and the assumptions underpinning policy development, the saliency of which becomes apparent at three crucial junctions: along migration land routes; at sea; and upon arrival in Europe. In doing so, the article questions current ways of understanding journeys in research and policy, and highlights their consequences for the governance of migration.
Research Interests: Sociology, Border Studies, Refugee Studies, Corporate Governance, Political Science, and 12 moreMigration, Governance, Irregular Migration, European Union, Mediterranean, International Migration, Migration Studies, Borders, Europe, Refugees and Forced Migration Studies, Refugee Crisis, and Mediterranean Climate
ABSTRACT How we label, categorize and, in turn, differentiate between those on the move, for example those who cross the Mediterranean on unseaworthy boats, has enormous implications on the kind of legal and moral obligations receiving... more
ABSTRACT How we label, categorize and, in turn, differentiate between those on the move, for example those who cross the Mediterranean on unseaworthy boats, has enormous implications on the kind of legal and moral obligations receiving states and societies feel towards them. This is perhaps even more salient nowadays in the context of the process of reform of the global governance of migration initiated with the 2016 New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants.
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Research Interests: Sociology, Demography, Sociology of Children and Childhood, Mobility/Mobilities, Refugee Studies, and 14 moreChildren and Families, Political Science, Governance, International Migration, Migration Studies, Sociology of Migration, Outsourcing, Child, Austerity, Ethnic and migration studies, Refugees and Forced Migration Studies, Unaccompanied Refugee Minors, Unaccompanied Children, and Children`s Rights
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Over the past few decades, immigration has become a central issue in scholarly and policy debates. While scholarship has worked to uncover underlying mechanisms, the public debate has been too often informed by questions of assimilability... more
Over the past few decades, immigration has become a central issue in scholarly and policy debates. While scholarship has worked to uncover underlying mechanisms, the public debate has been too often informed by questions of assimilability and the rule of law drawing distinctions that hold up certain subgroups within a community as deserving and others as undeserving. This introduction to the special issue briefly outlines the theoretical and public debates while describing the articles in the special issue.
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The geographical marginalization and social exclusion of Roma and Sinti in Italy is not a recent phenomenon. A number of academic and policy reports over the last decade have stressed the gravity of the situation for Roma and Sinti.... more
The geographical marginalization and social exclusion of Roma and Sinti in Italy is not a recent phenomenon. A number of academic and policy reports over the last decade have stressed the gravity of the situation for Roma and Sinti. According to the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI 2002, 2006) the spatial segregation of a large section of this population in so-called ‘nomad camps’ (campi nomadi in Italian) ‘appears to reflect a general approach of the Italian authorities which tend to consider Roma as nomads and wanting to live in camps’ (ECRI 2002). Similarly in 1999 the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD 1999; see also ERRC 2000) declared that ‘in addition to a frequent lack of basic facilities, the housing of Roma in such camps leads not only to a physical segregation of the Roma community from Italian society but a political, economic and cultural isolation as well’.
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Research Interests: Sociology, Political Sociology, Italian Studies, Refugee Studies, Giorgio Agamben, and 10 moreEthnic and Racial Studies, Romani Studies, Migration Studies, Sociology of Everyday Life, Hannah Arendt, Multidisciplinary, Refugee Camps, Statelessness, Informal settlements and refugee camps, and Public Policy
Review essay. - Producing and Negotiating Non-Citizenship: Precarious Legal Status in Canada. Edited by Luin Goldring, and Patricia Landolt. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2013. 400pp. ISBN 9781442645875. - Impossible Citizens:... more
Review essay. - Producing and Negotiating Non-Citizenship: Precarious Legal Status in Canada. Edited by Luin Goldring, and Patricia Landolt. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2013. 400pp. ISBN 9781442645875. - Impossible Citizens: Dubai's Indian Diaspora. By Neha Vora. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2013. 264pp. ISBN 978-0-8223-5378-2. - Contesting Citizenship: Irregular Migrants and New Frontiers of the Political. By Anne McNevin. New York: Columbia University Press, 2011. 240pp. ISBN: 978-0-231-15128-3. - Citizenship, Migrant Activism and the Politics of Movement. Edited by Peter Nyers, and Kim Rygiel. Abingdon: Routledge, 2012. 188pp. ISBN 978-0-415-60577-9. Citation: Barret, J. and Sigona, N. (2014) ‘The citizen and the other: New directions in research on the migration and citizenship nexus’, Migration Studies, 2(2): 286-294
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Research Interests: History, Refugee Studies, Political Science, Foreign Policy, Forced Migration, and 10 moreMigration Studies, International Refugee Law, Asylum seekers, Refugee Camps, Discipline, Refugees, Refugee, Refugees and Forced Migration Studies, Public Administration and Policy, and Asylum Seekers and Refugees
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Roma and Sinti have been continuously present in the Italian peninsula since at least the 1400s and as such must be considered an integral part of Italian history and culture. As Piasere argues (1999, 2005), Roma and Sinti's cultures... more
Roma and Sinti have been continuously present in the Italian peninsula since at least the 1400s and as such must be considered an integral part of Italian history and culture. As Piasere argues (1999, 2005), Roma and Sinti's cultures and their contemporary conditions ...
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This article introduces a set of articles that examine Romani mobilities in the context of contemporary European policies on migration and ethnic minority protection. The Roma are a unique case because their experiences of mobility are... more
This article introduces a set of articles that examine Romani mobilities in the context of contemporary European policies on migration and ethnic minority protection. The Roma are a unique case because their experiences of mobility are strongly affected by developments and debates in both these policy areas. Drawing on the expertise of a diverse and international group of social and political scientists, who consider the matter from various disciplinary and interdisciplinary backgrounds, this collection takes stock of two decades ...
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Research Interests: Sociology, Cultural Studies, Geography, Anthropology, Multiculturalism, and 15 moreSocial Anthropology, Research Methodology, Ethnography, Diversity, Transnationalism, Migration, Identities, Migration Studies, Urban Sociology, Anthropology of Policy, Integration, Superdiversity, Transnationalism and Diaspora, Migration and Diaspora Studies, and ethnographic practices
Abstract Based on data from in-depth qualitative interviews with young undocumented migrants from Brazil, China, Ukraine, Zimbabwe and Kurds from Turkey, this article explores the entry strategies used by young people in relation to the... more
Abstract Based on data from in-depth qualitative interviews with young undocumented migrants from Brazil, China, Ukraine, Zimbabwe and Kurds from Turkey, this article explores the entry strategies used by young people in relation to the UK immigration system and their undocumented status. Against a brief account of Britain's regime, the paper first examines why and how these migrants come to the UK and the ways in which they entered the country. Second, the paper explores strategies in relation to immigration status and ...
Research Interests: Sociology, Geography, Human Geography, Ethnic Studies, Immigration, and 14 morePolitical Science, Irregular Migration, Race and Ethnicity, Asylum, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Qualitative Research, Migration Studies, Sociology of Migration, Multidisciplinary, Youth, UK, Migration Anthropology, Irregular Immigration, and migration routes
ESRC Centre on Migration, Policy and Society Working Paper No. 78, University of Oxford, 2010 Being children and undocumented in the UK: A background paper Nando Sigona and Vanessa Hughes, COMPAS, University of Oxford WP-10-78 COMPAS does... more
ESRC Centre on Migration, Policy and Society Working Paper No. 78, University of Oxford, 2010 Being children and undocumented in the UK: A background paper Nando Sigona and Vanessa Hughes, COMPAS, University of Oxford WP-10-78 COMPAS does not have a centre view and does not aim to present one. The views expressed in this document are only those of its independent author Abstract This background paper offers a critical review of key terms, concepts and evidence which will inform our ongoing qualitative study on the ...
Información del artículo Los gitanos en la Europa neoliberal. Antigitanismo, pobreza y límites de la etnopolítica.
The importance of protecting children is broadly recognised in mainstream public policy. But in dealing with the protection needs of irregular migrant children and children to irregular migrant parents, governments face the challenge of... more
The importance of protecting children is broadly recognised in mainstream public policy. But in dealing with the protection needs of irregular migrant children and children to irregular migrant parents, governments face the challenge of how to comply with their international and humanitarian obligations at a time when their overall concerns have shifted towards tougher immigration policies and stricter border control to curb unauthorised immigration (UKBA 2010). ... The tension between these two policy agendas – that is ensuring the protection of children vis-à-vis controlling ...
... RIFUGIO EUROPA? Presentazione della rivista. Studi Emigrazione n. 162, giugno 2006. a cura di Nando Sigona. Intervengono: Nando Sigona, Oxford Brookes University. Territori blindati: l'asilo politico... more
... RIFUGIO EUROPA? Presentazione della rivista. Studi Emigrazione n. 162, giugno 2006. a cura di Nando Sigona. Intervengono: Nando Sigona, Oxford Brookes University. Territori blindati: l'asilo politico nell'Unione Europea. Enrica Rigo, Università di Roma Tre. ...
The research argues that the analysis of RCOs and the role of social capital in their formation can only be conducted within the broader framework and context of government refugee, asylum and immigration policy, and the ambiguous... more
The research argues that the analysis of RCOs and the role of social capital in their formation can only be conducted within the broader framework and context of government refugee, asylum and immigration policy, and the ambiguous characteristics of race relations policy and rhetoric. Transformed from a marginal recipient of refugees and asylum seekers to one of the most significant in the EU in the last decade, the UK has introduced largely restrictive policy and legislation which reinforces pre-entry controls and, as a deterrent to ...
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OUP is very pleased to announce the launch of this new, refereed journal. Migration Studies will publish work that significantly advances our understanding of the determinants, processes and outcomes of human migration in all its... more
OUP is very pleased to announce the launch of this new, refereed journal. Migration Studies will publish work that significantly advances our understanding of the determinants, processes and outcomes of human migration in all its manifestations. It will present new ...
Brexit presents a similar policy dilemma to that of the ending of Commonwealth immigration in the 1960s and 1970s. The determination to end free movement of people creates a need to distinguish between EU citizens currently resident in... more
Brexit presents a similar policy dilemma to that of the ending of Commonwealth immigration in the 1960s and 1970s. The determination to end free movement of people creates a need to distinguish between EU citizens currently resident in the UK and EU citizens who might wish to come to the UK at a later date.
In the 1960s and 1970s the UK government decided to follow a declaratory route and simply continue the lawful residence of existing residents by operation of primary legislation. There was no need for existing residents to apply for a new immigration status. Today, the UK government has decided to force currently resident EU citizens who want to remain lawfully in the UK to apply for immigration status.
Failure to apply for Settled Status will lead to a lawful EU resident becoming an unlawful resident as soon as the application deadline expires. This would impact negatively also on dependent children whose status relies on the parents applying on their behalf.
The problem faced by the Windrush generation was surviving in the modern hostile environment when lawfully resident but without documentary proof. The problem faced by resident EU citizens who do not apply for immigration status is arguably worse: unlawful residence and therefore the accidental commission of ancillary criminal offences such as illegal working, renting accommodation without possession of the right to rent and driving without immigration status.
The system of forcing EU residents to apply for Settled Status by a deadline ameliorates one potential problem — lots of lawful residents lacking proof of their lawful status — but creates arguably a worse problem: a significantly sized population of residents who are literally unlawful as well as undocumented.
In the 1960s and 1970s the UK government decided to follow a declaratory route and simply continue the lawful residence of existing residents by operation of primary legislation. There was no need for existing residents to apply for a new immigration status. Today, the UK government has decided to force currently resident EU citizens who want to remain lawfully in the UK to apply for immigration status.
Failure to apply for Settled Status will lead to a lawful EU resident becoming an unlawful resident as soon as the application deadline expires. This would impact negatively also on dependent children whose status relies on the parents applying on their behalf.
The problem faced by the Windrush generation was surviving in the modern hostile environment when lawfully resident but without documentary proof. The problem faced by resident EU citizens who do not apply for immigration status is arguably worse: unlawful residence and therefore the accidental commission of ancillary criminal offences such as illegal working, renting accommodation without possession of the right to rent and driving without immigration status.
The system of forcing EU residents to apply for Settled Status by a deadline ameliorates one potential problem — lots of lawful residents lacking proof of their lawful status — but creates arguably a worse problem: a significantly sized population of residents who are literally unlawful as well as undocumented.
Research Interests:
What has Brexit meant for migration and migrants? How has the geopolitical repositioning of the UK in consequence of the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) impacted on the experiences of long-established migrant communities and newly... more
What has Brexit meant for migration and migrants? How has the geopolitical repositioning of the UK in consequence of the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) impacted on the experiences of long-established migrant communities and newly arrived migrants? In what ways are the impacts of Brexit differentially experienced across migrant communities according to, inter alia, class, gender, age, country of origin, disability, and race? How has migration scholarship addressed Brexit and its impact on migration and migration governance? And what has been the significance of migration research within this project?
This critical review of migration studies scholarship literature focussed on Brexit and migration, we draw out the dominant themes and gaps in this emergent field and consider how these reconfigure the ‘spotlights’ and ‘blindspots’ in migration research from methodological nationalism to. In this way, we identify the potential for new lines of enquiry for research on Brexit and migration.
This critical review of migration studies scholarship literature focussed on Brexit and migration, we draw out the dominant themes and gaps in this emergent field and consider how these reconfigure the ‘spotlights’ and ‘blindspots’ in migration research from methodological nationalism to. In this way, we identify the potential for new lines of enquiry for research on Brexit and migration.
Research Interests:
Taking place on 14 to 16 September 2022, IRiS 10th anniversary international conference aims to bring together scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds, and engage conversations about mechanisms, meanings and experiences of... more
Taking place on 14 to 16 September 2022, IRiS 10th anniversary international conference aims to bring together scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds, and engage conversations about mechanisms, meanings and experiences of various forms of migration, mobility, displacement and diversity.
"Looking back to look forward" is the theme of the 2022 IRIS international conference. The in-person conference will address key dimensions and changes in contemporary migration studies research, both in the past decade and for the decade ahead.
Confirmed Keynote Speakers:
Professor Cecilia Menjívar, University of California Los Angeles and President of the American Sociological Association
Professor Steve Vertovec, Director of Max-Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Germany
"Looking back to look forward" is the theme of the 2022 IRIS international conference. The in-person conference will address key dimensions and changes in contemporary migration studies research, both in the past decade and for the decade ahead.
Confirmed Keynote Speakers:
Professor Cecilia Menjívar, University of California Los Angeles and President of the American Sociological Association
Professor Steve Vertovec, Director of Max-Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Germany
Research Interests:
The article examines the migration infrastructures and pathways through which migrants move into, through and out of irregular status in Japan and the UK and how these infrastructures uniquely shape their migrant experiences of... more
The article examines the migration infrastructures and pathways through which migrants move into, through and out of irregular status in Japan and the UK and how these infrastructures uniquely shape their migrant experiences of irregularity at key stages of their migration projects. Our analysis brings together two bodies of migration scholarship, namely critical work on the social and legal production of illegality and the impact of legal violence on the lives of immigrants with precarious legal status, and on the role of migration infrastructures in shaping mobility pathways. Drawing upon in-depth qualitative interviews with irregular and precarious migrants in Japan and the UK collected over a ten-year period, this article develops a threepronged analysis of the infrastructures of irregularity, focusing on infrastructures of entry, settlement and exit, casting a comparative light on the mechanisms that produce precarious and expendable migrant lives in relation to access to labour and labour conditions, access and quality of housing and law enforcement, and how migrants adapt, cope, resist or eventually are overpowered by them.
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Research Interests:
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Link to the talk I gave at TEDxEastEnd (Society Without Borders) last October. I start with a critical analysis of current deportation policy and practice, using as an example the UKBA’s Operation Mayapple. I then point to the gap that... more
Link to the talk I gave at TEDxEastEnd (Society Without Borders) last October. I start with a critical analysis of current deportation policy and practice, using as an example the UKBA’s Operation Mayapple. I then point to the gap that exists between those who are deported and those who are deportable, a significant gap despite the increasing use of deportation by Western governments. A closer look at the deportation gap shows that undocumented migrants are not all equally deportable and that children in particular are less likely to be forcibly removed. Nonetheless, in the UK these very children are not offered concrete pathways to regularisation and are stranded in legal limbo. The Obama administration‘s executive decision that has recently granted a route to regularisation to up to 800,000 young undocumented migrants offers an example of a pragmatic and long term solution beneficial to both the children and society more broadly.
Research Interests:
Refugee and Forced Migration Studies has grown from being a concern of a relatively small number of scholars and policy researchers in the 1980s to a global field of interest with thousands of students worldwide studying displacement... more
Refugee and Forced Migration Studies has grown from being a concern of a relatively small number of scholars and policy researchers in the 1980s to a global field of interest with thousands of students worldwide studying displacement either from traditional disciplinary perspectives or as a core component of newer programmes across the Humanities and Social and Political Sciences. Today the field encompasses both rigorous academic research which may or may not ultimately inform policy and practice, as well as action-research focused on advocating in favour of refugees' needs and rights.
This authoritative Handbook critically evaluates the birth and development of Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, and analyses the key contemporary and future challenges faced by academics and practitioners working with and for forcibly displaced populations around the world. The 52 state-of-the-art chapters, written by leading academics, practitioners, and policymakers working in universities, research centres, think tanks, NGOs and international organizations, provide a comprehensive and cutting-edge overview of the key intellectual, political, social and institutional challenges arising from mass displacement in the world today. The chapters vividly illustrate the vibrant and engaging debates that characterize this rapidly expanding field of research and practice.
This authoritative Handbook critically evaluates the birth and development of Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, and analyses the key contemporary and future challenges faced by academics and practitioners working with and for forcibly displaced populations around the world. The 52 state-of-the-art chapters, written by leading academics, practitioners, and policymakers working in universities, research centres, think tanks, NGOs and international organizations, provide a comprehensive and cutting-edge overview of the key intellectual, political, social and institutional challenges arising from mass displacement in the world today. The chapters vividly illustrate the vibrant and engaging debates that characterize this rapidly expanding field of research and practice.
Research Interests:
Aim and rationale This is a new monograph series showcasing groundbreaking research that looks at the nexus between migration, citizenship and social change. The EU's struggle to offer an answer to the arrival of a million forced migrants... more
Aim and rationale This is a new monograph series showcasing groundbreaking research that looks at the nexus between migration, citizenship and social change. The EU's struggle to offer an answer to the arrival of a million forced migrants over a relatively short period of time has ignited the interests of researchers from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds. But the focus on Europe has obscured the global nature of refugee crises and the extent to which multiple forms of cross-border mobility, both within Europe and internationally, persists on a far larger scale. The series aims to offer a platform for new and innovative research on international migration and forced displacement. The series will include research-based monographs and occasionally edited collections, informed by a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods. It will be open to in-depth ethnographic/qualitative case studies, international comparative analyses, and everything in between. We welcome contributions that address drivers and dynamics of migration, exile, transnationalism and social change at different scales, and which pay attention to different intersections of race, ethnicity, class, gender and age, and other key identity markers. The series aims to open up new interdisciplinary terrain and to develop new scholarship in migration and refugee studies that is theoretically innovative, empirically robust, methodologically rigorous and policy relevant. Readership This series is aimed at an international readership of academics, researchers and postgraduate students interested in migration and refugee studies. It is interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary in nature but will be of particular interest to scholars from sociology, political science, international relations, public policy, anthropology, human geography, and history. It will also be of interest to policy-makers and practitioners in the field of migration and forced migration. Topics may include but are not limited to the following The migration and citizenship nexus Internal and external construction of borders and practices of bordering New processes of migration governance at different scales Emerging forms of migrant diversity Politics and practices of belonging The changing legal statuses of migration and migrants New manifestations of transnationalism and diaspora
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This forum is around Violent Borders: Refugees and the Right to Move by Reece Jones, the winning volume of the first edition of the biennial book award of the Political Geography Research Group of the Royal Geographic Society with IBG... more
This forum is around Violent Borders: Refugees and the Right to Move by Reece Jones, the winning volume of the first edition of the biennial book award of the Political Geography Research Group of the Royal Geographic Society with IBG (PolGRG) in conjunction with Political Geography Journal. The book award was established in 2016 to give recognition to new academic volumes that engage with the thematic remit of PolGRG and contribute to develop the diverse field of political geography more widely. In line with the diversity of PolGRG interests and membership, the PolGRG Book Award is aimed at published volumes advancing the debate around themes spanning territoriality and sovereignty; states, cities, and citizenship; geopolitics, political economy and political ecology; migration, globalization and (post)colonialism; social movements and governance; peace, conflict and security. All this appreciating the implications of these phenomena with gender, race, class, sexuality
and religion.
and religion.
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Book review of 'Violent Borders: Refugees and the Right to Move' by Reece Jones, 2016. Current History, January 2017