The first article from my Rubicon research project is now published in the Journal of Refugee Studies and can be accessed here. The migration policy, securitization and governance of the asylum landscape has greatly changed in Italy over the past five years. The implementation of the hotspot approach and the European Union relocation programme has characterized two of these significant changes. This article examines how recent (2016–17) Eritrean arrivals in Italy experienced and responded to … [Read more...]
World Universities Network Annual Conference: Cultures in Flux
In May I was fortunate to attend the World Universities Network (WUN) annual conference in Perth as a delegate of Maastricht University for the Understanding Culture Global Challenge group. Reposted from the WUN website is an overview of the event, which discusses my presentation on the results of my NWO Rubicon research project on Eritrean and Nigerian migrants journeys to Europe. Cultures in flux: Migration and cultural dynamics in the past and present WUN’s three-day … [Read more...]
Libya is not Turkey: why the EU plan to stop Mediterranean migration is a human rights concern
EU leaders have agreed to a plan that will provide Libya’s UN-backed government €200 million for dealing with migration. This includes an increase in funding for the Libyan coastguard, with an overall aim to stop migrant boats crossing the Mediterranean to Italy. Based on the perceived policy success of the 2016 EU-Turkey deal on stopping migrant boats reaching Greece from the west coast of Turkey, known as the eastern Mediterranean route, this deal is intended to have a similar effect on the … [Read more...]