Centre for Migration and Forced Displacement

Forced displacement is on the rise, and reasons for displacement are complex: war, violence, human rights abuses, poverty, humanitarian emergencies, food scarcities and environmental degradation to name a few. The effects of such displacement - social, political, legal - are just as complex, and continue to be the subject of political debate in the UK, the EU and globally.

We are an agenda-setting research centre, building links with stakeholders in the West Midlands, but also leading national and international discussions on migration research, with a specific focus on critical approaches, ethics, representation and innovative research methods.

Our focus is to bring together cultural and policy impact, through use of alternative forms of presentation of research results (such as exhibitions), briefing reports, evidence submitted to the government enquiries, and development of training programmes for various stakeholders.

Centre co-directors: Dr Jelena Obradovic-Wochnik and Dr Amanda Russell Beattie

Upcoming launch events

Exhibit: REFUGEE JOURNEYS THROUGH THE BALKAN ROUTE

Details: This exhibit is part of the Aston Centre for Migration and Forced Displacement (CMFD) launch event. This 3-weeks event raises questions about the lived experiences of migrants and refugees and will present a series of activities that will encourage you to think more deeply about what it means to be a refugee fleeing persecution.
Throughout the 3-weeks period, the Centre hopes to introduce wider public to its research themes, work that we do, and to open up discussions and debates about the refugee experience on the route, but also in the urban centres and West Midlands.
There will be crafting activities, spoken word evening, various workshops, within which we ask visitors to share their views on refugee and migration movements. For details see below.
Date/ Time:
12:00 - 18:00 Wednesday 2nd March 2022
12:00 - 18:00 Thursday 3rd March 2022
12:00 - 18:00 Friday 4th March 2022
12:00 - 18:00 Saturday 5th March 2022
12:00 - 18:00 Wednesday 9th March 2022
12:00 - 18:00 Thursday 10th March 2022
12:00 - 18:00 Friday 11th March 2022
12:00 - 18:00 Saturday 12th March 2022
Venue: Centrala Gallery, 158 Fazeley Street, Unit 4 Minerva Works, Birmingham, B5 5RT

Using visual tools to investigate violence against displaced people

Details: This talk is part of the Aston Centre for Migration and Forced Displacement (CMFD) launch event.
Globally, displaced people and asylum seekers are often subjected to multiple forms of violence – at borders, in cities, and often by police and border agents. In this talk, we consider how we can use visual tools to monitor, investigate and publicise violence against displaced people. Our focus is on borders between Turkey and Iran, as well as Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. We pre-sent three projects: short documentaries, animation and the Border Violence Toolkit as some of the potential ways we could bring together academic research, volunteer-led violence monitoring, art and design to address human rights violations at the border. 
Speakers: 
Karolina Augustova, Aston University
Jelena Obradovic-Wochnik, Aston University
Arshad Isakjee, University of Liverpool 
Avishkar Chetri (joining via video), animation artist at AviArts
Dominic Latham, Minute Works
Jimmy Edmondson, Minute Works 
Date: Saturday 5th March 2022
Time: 12:00 - 14:00
Venue: Centrala Gallery, 158 Fazeley Street, Unit 4 Minerva Works, Birmingham, B5 5RT
To register your attendance at this event please click here. 

The Clamour of Nationalism: In Conversation with Sivamohan Valluvan

Details: This talk is part of the Aston Centre for Migration and Forced Displacement (CMFD) Launch Event.
We warmly invite you to join us for an evening of conversation with Sivamohan Valluvan, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick. The discussion will focus on his recent book The Clamour of Nationalism: Race and Nation in 21st Century Britain.
Speakers: Katie Tonkiss, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Aston University, and Sivamohan Valluvan, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick. 
Date: Wednesday 9th March 2022
Time: 18:00- 20:00
Venue: Centrala Gallery, 158 Fazeley Street, Unit 4 Minerva Works, Birmingham, B5 5RT
To register your attendance at this event please click here. 

Activism, Solidarity and Borders by Dr Gemma Bird

Details: This talk is part of the Aston Centre for Migration and Forced Displacement (CMFD) Launch Event.
This panel discussion will bring together people with experience working or volunteering for groups, organisations, or movements supporting people that have been forcibly displaced and are seeking asylum in Europe. The panel will ask questions about borders and bordering, solidarity and activism, and will provide plenty of space for conversations with the audience. At the heart of this panel will be a desire to share stories, learn from one another and build solidarity and support.
Speakers: The panel will be chaired by Dr Gemma Bird (University of Liverpool) who will be joined by a number of special guests.
Date: Thursday 10th March 2022
Time: 18:00 - 20:00
Venue: Centrala Gallery, 158 Fazeley Street, Unit 4 Minerva Works, Birmingham, B5 5RT
To register your attendance at this event please click here. 

Through the Lens: poetry with Amerah Saleh and Anthony Anaxagorou

Details: This talk is part of the Aston Centre for Migration and Forced Displacement (CMFD) Launch Event.
An evening of poetry and conversation on race and identity with Amerah Saleh and Anthony Anaxagorou.
Speakers: Amerah Saleh and Anthony Anaxagorou
Date: Friday 11th March 2022
Time: 18:00 - 20:00
Venue: Centrala Gallery, 158 Fazeley Street, Unit 4 Minerva Works, Birmingham, B5 5RT
To register your attendance at this event please click here. 

Centre vision

The name of our centre reflects the global dynamic of an upward rise in forced displacement specifically -  the involuntary or coerced movement of people from their place of residence due to war, violence, human rights abuses, poverty, humanitarian disaster and environmental degradation (UNHCR 2019). The term is used by agencies such as the UN, EU (EU 2020) and UKRI  (UKRI, n.d.) to create a distinction from the broader term, 'migration', which is often used to refer to voluntary migration, especially at the level of national politics and policy making. Although ‘migration’ as a term is itself a lot more fluid (and includes a range of voluntary and involuntary movements), it does not capture the complexity of all involuntary migration. The category of forced displacement therefore goes beyond the official labels displaced people are given (refugee, asylum seeker), and covers a range of involuntary migration types including also internally displaced people, the stateless and exiles. The effects of such displacement - social, political, legal - are just as complex, and continue to be the subject of political debate in the UK, the EU and globally.

The primary purpose of the Centre is to create an institutional platform to support and promote Aston academics’ work on migration and forced displacement, in order to foster high-quality research, impact and income generation. Thus, the centre is an agenda-setting research centre, building links with stakeholders in the West Midlands, but also leading national and international discussions on migration research, with a specific focus on critical approaches, ethics, representation and innovative research methods. The focus of the Centre is bringing together cultural and policy impact, through use of alternative forms of presentation of research results (such as exhibitions), briefing reports, evidence submitted to the government enquiries, and development of training programmes for various stakeholders. The Centre is a platform promoting innovative and high-impact research on migration, and as such, is at the forefront of debates rethinking how we engage with migration research, and how we support scholars working in these areas. It does therefore also have, as one of its main purposes, the support of PGR students and early career fellows working on migration research.

The unique focus of the Centre aims at contributing to the development of a new research agenda that explores uncharted, difficult to access research topics, and provides new data for previously unexplored areas (including also focus on Aston’s students, through supervision of PhD researchers).

• Increased visibility of migration research
• Active role for Aston in contributing to migration debates
• Platform for PhD student recruitment
• A platform for building impact
• Adding value through female research leadership

Research themes

The Centre’s work is organised around four research themes which reflect the interests and work of our members, and which are also major research areas in the study of migration and forced displacement more broadly. The themes cut across disciplines (politics, international relations, sociology, law and business and management) and across different geographies, applying to local, as well as global concerns:

• Violence and human rights abuses
• Humanitarian and environmental emergencies
• Ethics of migration research
• Politics of migration, refugee rights and asylum

Strategic aims and objectives

The Centre focuses on the following key strategic aims:

• Create an institutional environment for supporting, conducting and promoting high-quality research and impact case studies on migration and forced displacement.
• Support and build a postgraduate research student and early-career scholar community focused around research on migration.
• Contribute to public and policy debates on migration, in the West Midlands, UK, Europe and globally.
• Provide a space for debate, interdisciplinary dialogue and cross-University research on migration. 

The Centre’s objectives are to:

• Operate a sustained programme of PGR recruitment through annual applications to ESRC DTP scholarships; as well as an ongoing programme of mentoring PGR students through their active involvement in the running and activities of the Centre.
• Run an annual programme of public outreach events, co-organised with partners and associates, to promote the Centre’s work and use its findings to contribute to policy and public dialogue on migration and forced displacement.
• Organise annual events (including a seminar programme) inviting contributions from across the College and University.
• Author and submit research grant applications to support the financial viability and long-term future of the Centre.

Our relationship with postgraduate research students (PGRs)

PGRs have a central role to play in the ongoing development of Aston’s international reputation and will be integral to the running of the centre. They will take part as student representatives (self-nominated) in all directors’ meetings and meetings with key stakeholders. They will not be able to vote nor make decisions about the financial arrangements of the Centre but will be able to contribute to meetings with PGR concerns, priorities and input.

Mentoring PGRs, from the outset, to engage in impact-oriented research will enable the possibility of both income generating applications, and high-end publications.

Mentoring will extend beyond 1:1 mentoring opportunities with, and beyond, the PhD supervisory relationship, and provide experiences with peer-review, Academic Writing Support, and employability skills specifically related to the field of migration research.  PGR students are both the academics, and industry leaders, of the future.  Supporting their goals, at the earliest of stages, increases the visibility and community of the centre in the years to come thereby guaranteeing its long-term viability and institutionalisation within the school, college, and university.

Interdisciplinary working

The Centre’s four research themes cut across different disciplines within which current centre members work (politics, international relations, sociology, law, business and management). The all-member centre events such as the kick-off agenda setting meeting, annual Centre meetings and Centre research seminars, will ensure that members of the Centre learn about the work of colleagues in different parts of the University. These initiatives are there in place to support organic growth of interdisciplinary working between the Centre members, to create a platform for sharing ideas and initiating and supporting interdisciplinary collaboration and grant applications.