IRIS
@irisbirmingham.bsky.social
The Institute for Research into International Migration and Superdiversity at the University of Birmingham, UK. Director: Prof @nandosigona.bsky.social web: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/iris blog: https://superdiversity.net
The 2026 #WorldCup tells a different story from the one national teams suggest. Nearly 1 in 4 players were born in a different country from the one they represent. And when you map where players come from, cities matter more than nations. 👇 superdiversity.net/2026/06/19/p... #fifaworldcup
Paris, not nations: What the 2026 World Cup tells us about migration and global cities
Nando Sigona As the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway, one statistic stands out: 289 of the tournament’s 1,248 players were born in a country different from the one they represent. Nearly one…
superdiversity.net
🧵Technosolutionism turns moral panic into moral failure. It is the case - and it's been for a very long time - for the UK Home Office, now about to roll out AI age checks for migrant children, despite knowing they are flawed and they will damage the most vulnerable. www.wired.com/story/facial...
The UK Will Scan Asylum-Seekers’ Faces for Age Checks—Despite Knowing the Tech Is Flawed
Internal Home Office tests of age-verification technology show the risks of life-altering errors. It’s moving forward anyway.
wired.com
🚨The Brexit referendum was supposed to save the Conservative Party. Instead, it might have just killed it, argues @timbale.bsky.social. blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
Brexit might just have killed the Conservative Party | LSE British Politics
The Brexit referendum was supposed to save the Conservative Party and stop Farage. Instead, it emboldened Farage, and might have killed the Conservative Party.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
The politics of #immigration is not a response to public anxiety, but one of the mechanisms through which anxiety is continuously reproduced and politically organised. Why public attitudes to immigration don’t respond to falling migration @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social share.google/Miyiujubucu7...
Why public attitudes to immigration don’t respond to falling migration | LSE British Politics
Migration numbers are falling, but attitudes towards immigration are hardening. That's because immigration concerns are a symbol for other anxieties.
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Net migration is falling, yet many Britons believe the opposite. Why? @nandosigona.bsky.social unpacks this paradox for @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social #MustRead #Immigration #Migration #Asylum
LSE British Politics and Policy@lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social · 2mo agoMigration numbers to the UK are falling, yet at the same time attitudes towards immigration are hardening. That’s because immigration concerns are a symbol for other anxieties, argues @nandosigona.bsky.social. blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
The Home Office's latest measures on international student recruitment raise questions that go beyond immigration policy, write @nandosigona.bsky.social Under new rules, universities will be judged against stricter visa refusal, enrollment and course completion targets. #mustread #immigration
Nando Sigona@nandosigona.bsky.social · 2mo agoNew #HomeOffice rules measure universities through immigration compliance metrics while ignoring how surveillance and immigration control shape international students’ lives and chances of success. nandosigona.info/2026/06/05/w... #hostileenvironment #migration #internationalstudents
I enjoyed reading this interesting piece by @myriamcherti.bsky.social @compasoxford.bsky.social about the Morocco's world cup squad www.compas.ox.ac.uk/article/prid...
Pride of Place: The story behind Morocco’s World Cup squad | COMPAS
compas.ox.ac.uk
In the latest @irisbirmingham.bsky.social Working Paper Robin Cohen traces the concept of #creolization through the arc of his own intellectual and personal journey. The result is both a contribution to migration studies and a compelling intellectual memoir. zenodo.org/records/1989...
Creolization: an autobiographical journey around a concept
Stumbling across the concept of creolization was a matter of chance discovery and, for most of my academic life, intermittent engagement. I noticed it first as a student at the University of the Witwa...
zenodo.org
New net migration figures covering 2025 will be published on Thursday. Here's what our team will be watching out for – from the trajectory of net migration to the use of asylum hotels and a surge in citizenship applications. www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-05...
#Labour doubled #immigrationraids in Birmingham, but what did they achieve? i-claim.eu/the-home-off...
“The Home Office is everyone”: Immigration Raids in Birmingham under Labour - I-CLAIM
i-claim.eu
Bite-size clip from my conversation with sociologist Nandita Sharma on the figure of the migrant, full episode available here: youtu.be/CI6LI0fSNoI?... #publicsociology #migrationstudies #podcast #conversationswithiris
We are delighted to launch a new #IRISWorkingPaper by Robin Cohen: #Creolization: an autobiographical journey around a concept, in which Cohen traces the concept of creolization through the arc of his own intellectual and personal journey. superdiversity.net/2026/04/30/c...
Creolization as Lived Experience: New IRIS Working Paper by Robin Cohen
We are delighted to launch a new IRIS Working Paper by Robin Cohen: Creolization: an autobiographical journey around a concept. In this rich and reflective piece, Cohen traces the concept of creoli…
superdiversity.net
The episode is also available on Spotify open.spotify.com/episode/3fnf... and all major podcast platforms. Subscribe to Conversation with Iris and catch up with our previous episodes!
Spotify – Web Player
open.spotify.com
Really enjoyed recording this episode of Conversation with Iris with Nandita Sharma (@nsharma101.bsky.social). Nandita examines the historical and political production of migration, borders, and national belonging, with a particular focus on the figure of the migrant www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI6L...
Boundaries of membership and the figure of the migrant: Conversation with Nandita Sharma
YouTube video by IRiS - Institute for Research into Superdiversity
youtube.com
IRiS Director @nandosigona.bsky.social quoted in this important Reuters piece on the risks faced by Syrian minorities denied asylum in Europe. www.reuters.com/world/europe...
Syrian minorities refused asylum in Europe as rejections surge
European governments are toughening their stance on applications from Syria, now dictator Bashar al-Assad has gone and the country's 14-year civil war is over.
reuters.com
I was interviewed for this piece on Spain's regularisation scheme in @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/13/s...
Spanish Immigration Is Different
Madrid is preparing for one of the most ambitious regularization schemes in European history.
foreignpolicy.com
Not an easy task: capturing three years of @iclaimeu.bsky.social research on the living and working conditions of migrant workers with insecure legal status in Europe in just 100 seconds. Suffice to say, there is much more to read, watch and lister on our website www.i-claim.eu
Migration regime produces oven-read disposable workers i-claim.eu/project/immi...
Immigration Status and Labour Conditions: Migrant workers in Agriculture, Delivery and Logistics, and Domestic and Care Work in Europe - I-CLAIM
This report compares the living and working conditions of migrants with insecure residence status across agriculture, domestic work, and delivery sectors in six European countries. Based on 244 interv...
i-claim.eu
Very effective video by @iclaimeu.bsky.social summarising three years of research on the living and working conditions of migrant workers with insecure legal status in Europe in 100 seconds. www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1r7...
Irregularised migrant workers in Europe
YouTube video by I-CLAIM
youtube.com
The final event of the 3-year research project on irregularised migration @iclaimeu.bsky.social in Brussels at the Committee of the Regions. Panels chaired by @ilsevanliempt.bsky.social @nandosigona.bsky.social present research and policy recommendations can also be found on the website i-claim.eu
The Call for Papers, Panels and Workshops for IRIS 2026 Conference "Unsettling communities: Diversity, Mobility and Displacement in the Age of Authoritarianism" (7-9 September University of Birmingham) closes on Monday 16 March. Apply online here: superdiversity.net/iris-2026-co...
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
Launching the UK policy brief on immigration policy and precarious migrant labour in Birmingham. Immigration Policy and Precarious Migrant Labour in the UK - I-CLAIM share.google/StKx04hPl8fr...
“Years of effort suddenly collapsed because of a decision completely beyond my control. We are not seeking asylum or permanent settlement. Most of us go to gain knowledge, skills, & connections that will help us rebuild & strengthen Sudan." shorturl.at/2EQ4Y
Sudanese students say UK visa ban has dashed hopes of studying at top universities
More than 200 applicants fear they will lose places after home secretary suspends study visas from four countries
shorturl.at
One week left to apply for #IRIS2026Conference "Unsettling communities: Diversity, Mobility and Displacement in the Age of Authoritarianism" - Call for Papers, Panels and Workshops ends on 16 March. Apply online here: superdiversity.net/iris-2026-co... #sociology #socialscience #migrationstudies
IRIS 2026 Conference | Unsettling Communities
7-9 September, University of Birmingham CALL FOR PAPERS, PANELS AND WORKSHOPS Deadline: 16 March 2026 All submissions via the online submission page. We are living in times where profou…
superdiversity.net
Does anyone think that this - effectively describing people who came here at *our* invitation to work in care homes as would-be parasites on the welfare state - is what she meant?
PoliticsHome@politicshome.bsky.social · 5mo agoLabour chair Anna Turley has privately warned her party it must tackle immigration – but only “in a way that stays true to our values” In remarks to campaigners following the Gorton & Denton by-election, obtained by PolHome, she said her party must find "the right language" to combat the Greens
Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar & Sudan will find their citizens all losing the ability to come here legally on study visas, while Afghanistan is also losing skilled visas. This is a form of collective punishment and is deeply discriminatory. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Mahmood to stop study visas from four countries due to 'abuse'
The government will end study visas from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, due to what she says is abuse.
bbc.co.uk
4 updates from IRIS. ➜Racial Logics of hashtag#IrregularMigration: new @iclaimeu.bsky.social report on how race and #racism shape the production, governance, and lived experience of migrants’ irregularity across Europe: in collaboration with @enareurope.bsky.social i-claim.eu/project/raci...
Racial Logics of Irregular Migration in Europe. Policy, Perception, and Precarity - I-CLAIM
This report examines how race and racism shape the production, governance, and lived experience of migrants’ irregularity across Europe. Drawing on comparative research in Finland, Germany, Italy, the...
i-claim.eu