Research Centre for Migration, Diaspora and Exile (MIDEX)

The UCLan Research Centre for Migration, Diaspora and Exile (MIDEX) develops in-depth, state-of-the-art and impactful analysis of cultural, political, social, socio-legal and historical topics within migration, diaspora and exile.

With more than 60 members across all faculties of the university, including established and young scholars, teaching staff and PhD students, MIDEX has emerged as an interdisciplinary centre of research and community engagement. Our projects include contemporary migration in Britain and Europe and beyond including the Windrush scandal, deportations and detentions and the racialisation of migrants as a result of the rise in xenophobia and far-right political parties, migration as a consequence of climate change.

We also research ways that refugees, migrants and the rest of civil society are challenging these inequities. We do this through links to community groups that work with refugees and migrants such as Preston Black History Group, Sewing Café, Lancaster, Lancashire County Council (Syrian Resettlement Programme) and Preston City of Sanctuary.

Objectives

MIDEX has three main objectives:

  • to establish a network of academics and research students from across the University and enable them to engage with international communities in research
  • to enable its members to produce high quality outputs and develop impact case studies by offering them access to research grants, support for publication and impact cases and visiting fellowship opportunities
  • to organise seminar programmes, conferences and other activities in collaboration with community groups, media outlets and other third parties, developing materials that allow us to share our research through books, broadcasts, webpages etc.

MIDEX research strands

TOES by Jade Montserrat
TOES by Jade Montserrat

Projects

Videos from our events

Seminar series

If you would like to keep updated with our most recent news and events follow us on Facebook & Twitter: @MIDEXCentre

June 2021

23 June, Teams, 4-5pm
“Migration, Memory and Masculinity: The Subculture of the Stowaway in Dar es Salaam”
Dr David Kerr (University of Johannesburg).

May 2021

12 May, Teams, 4-5pm
“You Are not Alone! Experiences of LGBTQ+ Migrants in the UK during Covid-19 Lockdown. A Minority Stress Perspective”
Kisley Di Giuseppe (Independent Researcher)

The post-migration issues of exclusion and isolation are not new to sexual minority migrants, resulting from the intersecting stigma associated with their non-conforming sexuality, racial and migration status. The present study explored how LGBTQ+ forced-migrants navigated the structural discrimination presented within the system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, it explored how the Zoom online social support provided by Say It Loud Club helped to address the aforementioned intersecting stigmas, assessing the impact this had on their mental wellbeing. Twenty-seven participants took part in qualitative focus-groups. Findings revealed that, like other vulnerable populations in the UK, LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and refugees faced similar general stressors during lockdown (e.g., Isolation, financial constraints and mental health issues). As expected, participants’ sexual minority identity led to additional stressors related to homophobia and the perception of the self as stigmatised and devalued minorities (e.g., double-marginalisation and discrimination from both their own diaspora communities and local government). Further empirical evidence shows that having social support tailored to their unique condition addressed social isolation, enhanced sense of belonging, acceptance and resilience, while providing skills and knowledge building in terms of sexuality and in accessing healthcare and local resources.

26 May, Teams, 4-5pm
“The emergence, representation and shifting identities through hip hop culture in the provincial South-West and North-West of England during the 1980s”
Dr Adam de Paor-Evans (UCLan).

Hip hop culture made its transatlantic journey to Britain at the dawn of the 1980s, and ever since British hip hop has been in constant dialogue across the Atlantic with American hip hop. Hip hop arrived in a Britain governed by a nationalistic and neo-liberal Thatcherite conservative party during a period of industrial unrest and decline, and offered a space in which young people were able to contest the official narrative and develop new forms of identity.

There is a marked difference though, between British hip hop that evolved in the dense urban metropoles and that which grew from the regional-rural areas. The emergence of hip hop in the provincial South-West and North-West of England was shaped by the social, political, and economic realities of the late 1980s and early 1990s, yet there remained distinctions between the cultural practices and rituals in these regions. The vernacular, geography, economics, society, and politics of local areas also impacted hip hop’s growth and development.

Through these distinctions. provincial British hip hop also began to establish a regional-rural music economy which could speak to local issues in local dialects. This seminar discusses how provincial hip hop practitioners engaged with the legacies of American hip hop, and sought to navigate their own path remaining true to hip hop’s aesthetic practices and values. The seminar also explores the hidden histories and stories of hip hop’s emergence in these regions, where fans and practitioners created distinct forms of regional, national, and racial identity whilst concurrently raising questions and commentary about the differences and similarities of regional socio-political contexts.

Catalogue of other events

November 2021

Community UCLan Peace and Justice Studies Network, MIDEX, John’s BAME Centre
“Race, Space, Place: and Justice”

This conference will question and explore the concepts and perceptions of identity, cohesion and conflict in various contexts. Participants will discuss how different meanings, interpretations and responses may variously impact upon cohesion and integration.

The event will bring together the ideas and perspectives of leading academics, policymakers, practitioners and community workers, offering a cutting-edge interdisciplinary approach to the key debates.

Other key features include:

  • strong links between theory, practice and policy
  • up-to-date analysis of contemporary policy issues
  • 'reflections' on key themes, and case studies that illustrate the relevance of research to 'real life'

This conference is an opportunity to contribute to debates about identity, diversity, community cohesion and conflict. It is of interest to those studying social policy, race, community studies, politics, Law, Hate Crime and Sociology, mental health, as well as being relevant for policymakers, researchers and those working in the public sector.

Networks

Team members

Contact us

The Centre holds a series of Seminars, Conferences and Events throughout the year. To find out more please contact Centre Director Professor Alan Rice or Centre Deputy Directors Dr Eduardo Tasis and Dr Lara Momesso.

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