WELCOME!
This is the first issue of our MIGZEN Newsletter, and we have much news to share with you about our past and ongoing activities.
Whether you have participated in our research activities, are interested in doing so in the future, or are just curious about what it is that we are doing, we want to start by extending a big THANK YOU for subscribing to this newsletter.
While it has taken us a year to produce our first issue, we promise it won’t take as long for the next one. We hope to release two issues per year, so we expect the next one to reach your inbox in January/February 2023.
Scroll down to learn more about us and to get a quick tour of our activities to date.
WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO
We undertook an online survey of the impact of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic on perceptions, plans and decisions on whether to stay put, migrate, or repatriate; attitudes towards the EU, country of residence and origin; understandings of citizenship; identity and belonging. The survey was directed at: (a) British citizens or nationals who are currently living/have lived in an EU/EEA country (excluding UK); (b) EU/EEA citizens or nationals who are currently living/have lived in the UK, and (c) Foreign-born, non-British and non-EU/EEA citizens or nationals who are currently living / have lived in the UK. It was open for five weeks (13 December 2021 - 16 January 2022). Thank you all for your participation!
We have so far produced three reports based on the survey responses:
The first one on British citizens living in the EU, which was featured in the Guardian in May.
The second one on EU citizens in the UK, featured in the Guardian in June.
And a third one on British-European Families, which was featured in Euronews in July.
A fourth report is currently underway, so please stay tuned!
We have written a review of academic articles on Brexit and migration that were published in English-language migration journals between 2015 and 2021. A second review article focusing on sociology, anthropology and geography journals is underway.
We have created a searchable database of research on Brexit and Migration based on the entire corpus of the sources we consulted in writing these reviews.
We have begun to share our work with a range of audiences:
We presented our review paper at the event ‘Research Insights: Bordering, citizenship and migration after Brexit’ organised by UK in a Changing Europe.
And we presented three different papers at the 19th IMISCOE Annual Conference, entitled ‘Migration and Time: Temporalities of Mobility, Governance, and Resistance’ and a fourth at the 28th International Conference of Europeanists.
ONGOING RESEARCH
People's Panel: In May 2022 we launched our online MIGZEN People's Panel, which seeks to understand how immigration rules and regulations shape our everyday lives, migration plans, sense of belonging and ideas of citizenship. Panel participants are British, EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA foreign nationals who migrated to the EU or the UK before the end of the Brexit transition period (31 December 2021), and their participation consists of a series of small monthly tasks.
Two tasks have been launched so far – one on the Platinum Jubilee and another on summer travel plans – and we are now preparing data for qualitative analysis. Thanks to all those of you who have already taken the time to participate!
The third task, on the Commonwealth Games, is currently underway. If you haven't already, you are always welcome to join if you fit the bill. A fourth task will follow after the end of the summer, so stay tuned!
Returnee Interviews: We have also started interviewing British citizens who lived in the EU/EEA before the Brexit referendum (23 June 2016) and have since returned to live in the UK. We are interested in understanding experiences regarding the practicalities of the journey and settlement back in the UK, as well as the feelings attached to the decision to return. We are still looking out for participants, so if you would like more information or arrange an interview, please leave your contact details here.
And feel free to share this information with anyone who you think might fit the bill!
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The project ‘Rebordering Britain and Britons after Brexit (MIGZEN)’ examines the impact of Brexit and COVID on migration to and from the United Kingdom from the perspective of global and national governance/policymaking to people’s everyday perceptions and experiences. It runs between March 2021 and June 2023.
The study is funded by the Economic and Research Council through the Governance After Brexit Scheme (part of the UK in a Changing Europe initiative) (Grant Number ES/V004530/1).
Further information is available at RCUK’s Gateway to Research and the project website.