The Migration Podcast

The Migration Podcast

The field of migration and mobility studies is vast and has grown exponentially over the past decades. To make sense of the movement of people, this podcast explores migration and mobility research globally. Providing a platform for migration scholars to speak about their projects, ideas and insights, The IMISCOE Migration Podcast aims to publicize what happens inside universities around the world. This is a podcast by the research community for everyone interested in knowing more about academic research on migration. Download or subscribe to hear about new books, or listen to one of our episodes in which we speak to scholars about ideas that changed how we think about migration. Team for season 5: Production: Kate Dearden Team & Programming Coordinators: Milena Belloni, Roos Derrix, Mark Marvin Kadigo Financial Administration & Engagement: Asya Pisarevskaya Interviews: Amanda Paz Alencar, Liberty Chee, Silindile Mlilo, Itzel Eguiluz, Samanwita Paul

  1. Oct 8

    Ep6(S6) Who Syria was Never Safe For: Displacement, Return and Queer Syrian Futures Beyond Assad

    The answer to whether somewhere is “safe” for refugees to return to is not the same for everyone. In this episode, you’ll hear Jasmin Lilian Diab clarify, that when people consider, “is it safe?”, they are actually asking, “can I really live there?”. She is talking specifically about the case of Syria, where, since the Assad regime fell and the “transitional government” came to power in 2025, there has been much talk about the return of those who fled the country. You’ll hear Jasmin speak with Lena Richter about what return means specifically for LGBT QI+ Syrian refugees, when for many, Syria was never a safe home, even before the war. Jasmin talks about the constant calculation that many queer Syrians must make in their everyday lives, even out of the country, where “hyper visibility” can risk violence. She also gives examples from her research about how queer refugees build community, and imagine futures of dignity and belonging. Jasmin Lilian Diab is the Director of the Institute for Migration Studies at the Lebanese American University and an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Migration Studies in the Department of Communication, Mobility and Identity at the same university. She is also the winner of the 2026 Best Paper Award” from IMISCOE’s Standing Committee on Gender and Sexuality in Migration Studies (“GenSeM”). You can find the link to the paper in the show notes. Show notes: Dr. Jasmin Lilian Diab won the 2025 “Best Paper Award” from IMISCOE’s Standing Committee on Gender and Sexuality in Migration Studies (“GenSeM”). Her paper is called “Who Syria was Never Safe For: Displacement, Return and Queer Syrian Futures Beyond Assad”: https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2025.2585318 She would like to acknowledge the fifty queer Syrian refugees who generously shared their experiences, trust, and time. Their voices and lived realities made this research possible. She would also like to acknowledge the Lebanese LGBTQI+ organizations and community advocates whose work continues to provide critical support to queer refugees.

    Ep6(S6) Who Syria was Never Safe For: Displacement, Return and Queer Syrian Futures Beyond Assad

  2. Sep 7

    Ep5(S6) Defining “the migrant” - Interrogating assumptions, dichotomies and their implications

    What happens when we all have different ideas and assumptions about who is “a migrant”? In this wide-ranging conversation with Asya Pisarevskaya, Bridget Anderson talks about the powerful implications of imaginaries when it comes to who is considered an insider or an outsider – a “migrant” or a “national”. Bridget gives examples of how these figures are misleadingly constructed as opposites, and how race, class and others ways of experiencing the world, are ways of finding commonalities. Bridget Anderson is the Director of the new Migrant Futures Institute (MFI) at Goldsmiths University in the UK. Before that, she was the Director of the Migration Mobility Bristol Research Center at University of Bristol. In the episode, some of the research she mentions was done with the Horizon Europe Project “PRIME” (Protecting Irregular Migrants in Europe): https://migrationpolicycentre.eu/protecting-irregular-migrants/ Further reading: 1. 2025 Rethinking Migration: Mobility, race and citizenship, (editor) Bristol: Bristol University Press. Open Access 2. 2013 Us and Them? The dangerous politics of immigration control Oxford: Oxford University Press (OUP) 3. 2024 ‘Blurred Boundaries: Fantasy citizenship, the worker citizen and mobility controls’ Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 50 (11): 2767-2781 4. 2019 New Directions in Migration Studies: towards methodological denationalism’ Comparative Migration Studies 7 (36) https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-019-0140-8 Professor Bridget Anderson would like to thank Emma Newcombe, Emily Walmsley and Jo Crow for being such a fantastic team at Migration Mobility Bristol. If you enjoy the Migration Podcast, please consider “liking” and “following” us. Thank you for listening!

    Ep5(S6) Defining “the migrant” - Interrogating assumptions, dichotomies and their implications

  3. Jul 20

    Ep4(S6) Migrant social media “micro-Influencers” in Canada’s Immigration Ecosystem

    Have you ever learned about how to adjust to cultural differences, immigration laws or bureaucratic systems and then wanted to share your advice with others? Perhaps even on social media? Then you wouldn’t be alone – more and more people are creating content on social media about their migration experiences. In this episode, Silindile Mlilo speaks with Masoud Kianpour about his research on who he calls, “migrant micro-influencers”, whose content on YouTube, TikTok and other social media platforms targets new or perspective immigrants to Canada. Masoud speaks with Silindile about how “migrant micro-influences” can start to become “life coaches” for their diasporic communities, and the difficult position that they can find themselves in, when it comes to commenting on politics. They also discuss the relevance of social media influencers for policymakers and other more “traditional” players in migration systems. Masoud Kianpour is a Senior Research Fellow at the Global Migration Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University. He is a cultural sociologist and qualitative researcher, and he studies popular culture, the sociology of emotions, intercultural communication, mental health, and the impact of digital technologies on cultural narratives. During the episode, you will also hear a few clips from social media influencer Max Medyk. He grew up in Ukraine and lives in Canada, and he regularly posts content relevant to immigrants in Canada on his social media platforms. Masoud would like to thank Morteza Shams (research assistant and collaborator) and Anna Triandafyllidou (Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration, at Toronto Metropolitan University). His study is part of the Migrant Integration in the Mid-21st Century: Bridging Divides research program, which is funded by the Government of Canada through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. https://www.torontomu.ca/bridging-divides/research/research-projects/citizenship-and-participation/learning-in-the-wild-behaviours/ Further reading: Kianpour, M., Shams, M. (2026) “From Newcomers to Life Coaches: The Emergence of Micro-Influencers in Canada’s Immigration Ecosystem.” Int. Migration & Integration. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-026-01385-y If you enjoy the Migration Podcast, please consider “liking” and “following” us. Thank you for listening!

    Ep4(S6) Migrant social media “micro-Influencers” in Canada’s Immigration Ecosystem

  4. Jun 16

    Ep3(S6) Migration and development – Has research and policy lost its way?

    Today, just as throughout history, people move to reach better education and work opportunities – this could mean moving across states’ borders, but it could also mean crossing a city every day to attend in a better school. Thus, in many ways it is obvious that human development is hugely related to migration and mobility. My guest in this episode argues that how development and migration are linked in policy today is narrow and starts from the premise that migration is problematic. He says that development programming (and funding and research) is driven by reaching “certain migration outcomes”, rather than working to alleviate poverty. You’ll hear me (Kate Dearden) speaking with Oliver Bakewell, who, in his recent essay, “Reshaping the Intersection Between Development and Migration Studies”, in the Journal International Migration, argues that we need to explore the relationship between human development and mobility without focusing on migration policy. Also – let’s look at the role of all forms of mobility (including that might be labelled “irregular”) in development rather than restricting our focus on “safe, orderly and regular migration”. Oliver Bakewell is a Reader in Migration Studies, at the Global Development Institute, at the University of Manchester in the UK. The discussion in this episode is focused on Oliver Bakewell’s essay: Bakewell, O.2026. “Reshaping the Intersection Between Development and Migration Studies.” International Migration. 64, no. 2: e70149. https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.70149. Dr. Bakewell is grateful to the huge number of people with whom he has had discussions over the years. These have helped him develop his ideas. Further reading: Bakewell, O. (2008). "Keeping Them in Their Place: The ambivalent relationship between development and migration in Africa." Third World Quarterly 29(7): 1341-1358. Kihato, C. W. and O. Bakewell (2023). Contested migration and development agendas: Contrasting views from Africa and Europe. Routledge Handbook of Immigration and Refugee Studies. A. Triandafyllidou. Abingdon and New York, Routledge: 329-338. Bakewell, O. (2008). "Research beyond the categories: the importance of policy irrelevant research into forced migration." Journal of Refugee Studies 21(4): 432-453. Bakewell, O. and C. Talleraas (forthcoming). "The Evolution of African Migration Governance Amidst Global Agendas and Foreign Interventions." Progress in Development Studies.

    Ep3(S6) Migration and development – Has research and policy lost its way?

  5. May 6

    Ep2(S6) Brexit Couples – UK-EU couples and the British immigration system

    Falling in love and wanting to build a life with another person is a common human experience, but when you have different passports, states’ immigration systems can impose real challenges to love, romance and families. This is something that UK-EU couples are experiencing now after Brexit. In many cases, it was the freedom of movement in the EU that allowed these people to meet in the first place or at least it was central to keeping up their relationships. However, now these couples face partner migration rules that are among the most restrictive, difficult, complex and expensive in the world. What are the rules that UK-EU couples now face if they want to live in the UK? And what are their experiences of this so far? You’ll learn in this episode, in which guest producer Kevin Caners interviews Helena Wray about the project she co-led, called “Brexit Couples: UK-EU couples in the British immigration system”. Over three years, the project’s researchers interviewed couples who were newly navigating the UK’s immigration system. Near the end of the episode, Helena talks about how the system should be improved, to relieve the financial hardship, prolonged stress and separation - all commonly experienced by the UK-EU couples that they spoke to. Throughout the episode, you’ll also hear some personal stories from “Brexit couples”. These are clips from the project’s own podcast, called “Love, Borders, Brexit” – check it out here: https://brexitcouples.ac.uk/podcast/. Helena Wray is a Professor of Migration Law at the University of Exeter in the UK. For further reading: Charsley, K., & Wray, H. (2023). Kept apart: Routine family separation in the UK family immigration system as times of crises. Migration Studies, 11(3), 380-407. Wray, H. (2011). Regulating marriage migration into the UK: A stranger in the home. Ashgate/Routledge. Wray, H., Kofman, E., & Simic, A. (2023). Subversive citizens: using EU free movement law to bypass the UK's rules on marriage migration. In Cross-Border Marriages (pp. 123-139). Routledge. Wray, H. (2023). Article 8 ECHR, Family Reunification and the UK's Supreme Court.

    Ep2(S6) Brexit Couples – UK-EU couples and the British immigration system

  6. Mar 17

    Ep1(S6) Beyond borders: Understanding the world through transnationalism

    In this episode, Asya Pisarevskaya speaks with two experts on migrant transnationalism: Özge Bilgili and Marta Bivand Erdal. They just published a book on transnationalism together in IMISCOE’s Short Reader Series. After listening to their conversation, transnationalism is no longer just an abstract concept. They give examples of what it really looks like in people’s everyday lives (including their own) and talk about how transnationalism is a way to understand the realities of our complex and interconnected world, outside normative discussions. Marta Bivand Erdal is a Research Professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo, in Norway and Özge Bilgili is an Associate Professor, at the European Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic Relations (ERCOMER) in the Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. The interviewees wish to thank the IMISCOE editorial committee for the invitation to write a short reader on migrant transnationalism as part of the network’s short book series. For further Reading: Bilgili, Ö., & Erdal, M. B. (2025). Migrant Transnationalism: IMISCOE Short Reader. Springer Nature. Erdal, M. B. (2021). Migrants’ multifocal sedentarism: Ambivalent belonging and desired recognition in transnational social fields connecting Pakistan and Norway. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 42(5), 643-659. Erdal, M. B. (2020). Theorizing interactions of migrant transnationalism and integration through a multiscalar approach. Comparative Migration Studies, 8(1), 31. Bilgili, Ö. (2014). Migrants’ multi-sited social lives: Interactions between sociocultural integration and homeland engagement. Comparative Migration Studies, 2(3), 283-304. Erdal, M. B., & Oeppen, C. (2013). Migrant balancing acts: Understanding the interactions between integration and transnationalism. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 39(6), 867-884.

  7. Feb 7

    Ep10(S5) Position and Power in Research: A Conversation with the 2025 GenSeM Best Paper Award Winners

    In this episode, you’ll hear Kate Dearden speaking with Asuncion Fresnoza-Flot and Herbary Cheung. At IMISOCE’s annual conference in summer 2025, they won the “Best Paper Award” from IMISCOE’s Standing Committee on Gender and Sexuality in Migration Studies (“GenSeM”). Their paper is called: "Temporal contextuality of agentic intersectional positionalities: nuancing power relations in the ethnography of minority migrant women". Kate speaks with them about what their paper is about and gets an update on her understanding of reflexivity and positionality in the research process. In their paper, they argue that researchers’ power and positionality shift across research phases, relationships, and institutions. We also discuss their collaboration – and how they overcome the fact that it can be hard to collaborate on comparative work as ethnographers. Asuncion Fresnoza-Flot is a tenured research associate of the Fund for Scientific Research and Senior Lecturer at the Université libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. Her recent research focuses on Belgian-Asian couples and the decision-making process of people called “Asians” aspiring to migrate towards or remigrate within the European Union. and Herbary Cheung is a Lecturer in Gender Studies, Monash University Malaysia. His work critically examines the intersections of gender and migration; family, marriage and health; social development and social policy, with a focus on their wider social impacts in Southeast Asia. The paper for which our guests won a prize is “Temporal contextuality of agentic intersectional positionalities: Nuancing power relations in the ethnography of minority migrant women” https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14687941231179153 In the episode, Dr. Asuncion Fresnoza-Flot mentions work related to these two projects: BelMix (2017-2027: https://belmix.hypotheses.org/) and AspirE (Jan. 2023-Feb. 2026: https://aspire.ulb.be/). Dr. Fresnoza-Flot is grateful to the study participants who entrusted her their personal stories. She also thanks the two anonymous reviewers for the journal Qualitative Research, whose constructive comments and useful suggestions helped her co-author Herbary Cheung and her improve their article "Temporal contextuality of agentic intersectional positionalities: nuancing power relations in the ethnography of minority migrant women". She is also thankful to the members of the evaluation jury of the IMISCOE's Standing Committee "Gender and Sexuality in Migration Research" for the GenSeM Best Article Award 2024 and would also like to acknowledge the Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.-FNRS) in Belgium for a three-year postdoctoral fellowship (2012–2015). Further reading from Dr. Herbary Cheung: -Cheung, H. (2024). Single Mothers in Thailand: Women, Motherhood, and Going It All Alone. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. -Cheung, H. (2022). Engendering Migration Journey: Identity, Ethnicity and Gender of Thai Migrant Women in Hong Kong. Palgrave Macmillan Migration, Diasporas and Citizenship Book Series. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. -Ng, I., & Cheung, H. (2022). Navigating the ethnic boundary: From “in-between” to plural ethnicities among Thai middle-class migrant women in Hong Kong. Journal of Sociology, 58(1), 59–75. Dr. Herbary Cheung would like to acknowledge Asuncion Fresnoza-Flot for her collaboration and intellectual partnership in developing the concept of agentic intersectionality, as well as the Thai migrant women who generously shared their time and experiences, without whom this research would not have been possible. He would also like to thank the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong and the Institut de Recherche sur l'Asie du Sud-Est Contemporaine (IRASEC).

    Ep10(S5) Position and Power in Research: A Conversation with the 2025 GenSeM Best Paper Award Winners

  8. 12/08/2025

    Ep9(S5) Schools as sites of migrant integration

    When it comes to what influences “migrant integration”, you might think of national-level laws and policies, and maybe look at statistics on how well immigrants are doing in relation to other groups with employment rates, their health, or language acquisition. You might also look at to what extent people have “accepting attitudes” to newcomers or neighbours with different backgrounds than them. Our interviewees in this episode have compelling research on how schools are sites of “integration” to be taken seriously. After all, schools are the primary public institution where people interact with wider societies. They talk about how people in schools adapt in different ways to intercultural and multi-lingual realities and how they can be key places of civic engagement for not only for students, but also for parents. You’ll hear Samanwita Paul interview Dr. Irene Landini and Dr. Jacob Garrett. Dr. Irene Landini is a Postdoc in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. Her research is in political science and sociology and focuses on the policies and practices of inclusion and exclusion of migrants and cultural and linguistic minorities from welfare services and formal educational contexts in European countries. She is the principal investigator of the Project “Digitalization and social inclusion of migrant parents in secondary schools: a challenge or an opportunity?”. Dr. Jacob Garrett is a Research Professor at the University of Genoa in Italy. He is the Principle investigator of the Project: The Democratic Integration of Migrants. Political theory of council democracy. He also headed the Project: 'Parent Citizens,' Schools of Citizenship: Parent Councils at Public Schools in Italy, Spain, and France. He says that he “draws inspiration from [his] ethnographic encounters with immigrants, parents, and students who practice democracy every day at schools and cities in Italy, France, Spain, and the United States.” Further reading from Dr. Irene Landini: 1) Landini I. Intercultural education and linguistic and cultural diversity: navigating the tension between policy and grassroots implementation in schools. Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy. Published online 2025:1-19. doi:10.1017/ics.2025.10055 2) Landini, I. (2025). Old And New Diversities In Schools: Exploring Teachers’ Experiences with Migrant Students In South Tyrol's Rigidly Divided School System. Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism, 25(2), 250-272. 3) Landini, I., (2022) ‘Beyond Welfare Chauvinism? Populist Radical Right Parties’ Social Policies and The Exclusion of Migrants from National Welfare in Italy’, Italian Political Science, 16(2). 4) Landini, I. (2024). ‘Encountering Migrant-Driven Diversity in South Tyrolean’ Rigid System of Linguistically Divided Schools: a Bottom-Up Perspective’. In: Elisabeth Alber, Alice Engl and Günther Pallaver (eds) POLITIKA 2021-Südtiroler Jahrbuch für Politik/Annuario di politica dell’Alto Adige. Dr. Landini would like to acknowledge funding for her work from a YUFE4POSTDOC/MSCA Grant: https://www.yufe.eu/early-career-researchers/yufe4postdocs/ From Dr. Garrett: 1) Garrett, Jacob. 2025. "When Parents Govern: Participatory Decision Making and the Engineered Public Spirit." Polity 57 (4): 694-723. Garrett, Jacob and Valeria Ottonelli. 2025. “Democratic Prudence: The Philosophical and Empirical Grounding of Citizen Competence.” The Journal of Politics 87 (2): 424-436. 2) Projects: 'Parent Citizens,' Schools of Citizenship: Parent Councils at Public Schools in Italy, Spain, and France. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 101024883 3) The Democratic Integration of Migrants. This project has received funding from the Italian PNRR program, "Finanziamento di Progetti Presentati Da Giovani Ricercatori" grant agreement NO. D3325000510001

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The field of migration and mobility studies is vast and has grown exponentially over the past decades. To make sense of the movement of people, this podcast explores migration and mobility research globally. Providing a platform for migration scholars to speak about their projects, ideas and insights, The IMISCOE Migration Podcast aims to publicize what happens inside universities around the world. This is a podcast by the research community for everyone interested in knowing more about academic research on migration. Download or subscribe to hear about new books, or listen to one of our episodes in which we speak to scholars about ideas that changed how we think about migration. Team for season 5: Production: Kate Dearden Team & Programming Coordinators: Milena Belloni, Roos Derrix, Mark Marvin Kadigo Financial Administration & Engagement: Asya Pisarevskaya Interviews: Amanda Paz Alencar, Liberty Chee, Silindile Mlilo, Itzel Eguiluz, Samanwita Paul

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    The Migration Podcast
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