The Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS)

PREVIOUS EVENTS

For details on forthcoming events click here

For details on previous Seminar Series click here

For details on events held in 2008 click here

For details on events held in 2007 click here

For details on events held in 2006 click here

For details on events held in 2005 click here

For details on events held in 2004 click here

Care and Immigration: Migrant Care Workers in Private Households

Care and Immigration: Kalayaan Launch Event

Monday 12th October

A study conducted on migrant workers who care for the elderly in private households by Kalayaan, in collaboration with COMPAS.

This study explores the living and working conditions of migrant elder care workers working in private households and covers themes such as employment rights and relations, care regulation, race and racialised labour, integration and skills. 

To download the executive summary, please click here.

To download the complete report, please click here. 

Kalayaan launched the findings of their two-year research project on migrant care workers on Monday 12^th October at 6.30pm in the Brunei Suite, School of Oriental and African Studies. 

 

COMPAS Annual Conference 2009

New Times? Economic Crisis, Geo-Political Transformation and the Emergent Migration Order

21st and 22nd September 2009

For more details about the conference please click here.  

Belonging, Britishness and Alienation

18th and 19th June 2009, St Anne's College, Oxford

Organised by COMPAS, Bristol University and Leverhulme this workshop will look at the rising concern within Europe about ethnic and religious difference. There appears to be a pervasive fear that western democratic values will be destroyed by too many immigrants, whose values are thought to be too different or inferior. For some, such values may threaten national identity and damage social cohesion.  The main claim made in policy and public discourses is that immigrants are not integrating and that this is largely their own fault. These fears have opened debate about Britishness, about what is needed in modern western democracies to achieve shared national identities based on a common culture and common values. This workshop will question minimum commitments expected from all citizens in order to hold the country together; explore how a society can be made inclusive so that people can readily identify with it; and what can be done to facilitate participation in civil society. This workshop is by invitation only.

Expulsion, Membership and Political Community

19th May 2009

Over the last decade there has been a prodigious rise in the use of deportation--the enforced and authorised removal of non-citizens from state territory--by Western countries as a way of dealing with failed asylum-seekers, unlawful migrants, criminals, and suspected terrorists. This workshop, financed by the John Fell/OUP Fund is intended to open up a more general and wide-ranging discussion amongst our Oxford colleagues about the uses, meaning and significance of expulsion from different disciplinary and historical perspectives. Click here for a more detailed event description.

Migration Research for a New Era: Excellence, Relevance and Innovation

30th April 2009, House of Lords

In order to mark the launch of a new £5 million research programme at the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) we will be holding an event in House of Lords on 30th April 2009, 3.30-5.00pm.  The event will launch COMPAS’ next phase of core funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), profile our new research portfolio, in addition to providing an opportunity the launch of the centre’s updated website and a number of other prestigious future events and publications. The work of COMPAS during its second term, 2008-2013, will continue to tackle the issue of migration on different scales, from different disciplinary perspectives and using a variety of methodological approaches. This event is by invitation only.

Understanding Irregular Migration in Northern Europe

27th March 2009, Amnesty International Human Rights Action Centre, London

Organised by COMPAS, Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) and Migrants Rights Network (MRN) this workshop will present the main findings regarding irregular migration in selected EU countries, namely: Netherlands, UK, Germany, France and Austria. The workshop will be organized within the framework of the EU “CLANDESTINO” project entitled “Undocumented Migration: Counting the Uncountable, Data and Trends Across Europe”  and financed by the European Commission, DG Research. The event will enable participants to compare approaches on similar issues and exchange opinions on possible policy alternatives concerning some Northern European countries that share common features as regards undocumented migration. It will address various themes such as the presence of undocumented migrants in the labour market, regularisation policies concerning undocumented migrants, access to public services (e.g. health care, housing, education), and role of the media in social policies and political discourse. More information on the workshop is available on PICUM’s website: www.picum.org

At Each Other’s Throats? Recession and competition intensification in low waged labour markets

18th March 2009, Public and Commercial Services Union, London

At times of economic recession, competition in low waged labour markets, and more generally, nationalism and racism can flourish. The slogan “British Jobs for British Workers” has started appearing on picket lines and in newspapers. At the same time as the developing economic crisis, benefit claimants are experiencing significant changes to the structure of the benefits system, (with more in the pipeline) while the legislation on immigration and citizenship is undergoing massive upheaval. All these changes are impacting on low waged labour markets and the outcomes for wages, working conditions and unemployment are uncertain. But do low waged workers have to be “at each other’s throats”? Where are the points of division between them, and what do they have in common? The dispute about “foreign workers” indicates, if proof were needed, that it is now more important than ever to develop and disseminate an analysis of the positions of migrants in low waged labour markets that relates their experiences to those of people who are out of work and other vulnerable workers. COMPAS and the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) hosted a round table discussion with a view to developing such an analysis. It brought together practitioners, policy makers and academics who are active and knowledgeable about issues that affect low waged workers and those marginalized from labour markets, in particular migrants, and unemployed and inactive people.

The Illegals, An Ice and Fire Theatre Production

12th March 2009, 7pm, Ruskin College, Walton St, Oxford

This production gives first-hand testimonies from undocumented migrants, living and working in the UK. Who are the so-called ‘illegals’? Why are they here? What do they do? By presenting diverse and illuminating experiences, 'The Illegals' gives a platform to the individuals behind the stereotypes. The performance was sponsored by the Clandestino project at COMPAS and Ruskin College and introduced by Franck Duvell.

Events held in 2008

Sixth-Formers Workshop on UK and European Migration Patterns and Issues

17th September 2008, The Thomas Hardye School, Dorchester

Students on studying Geography at A'level consider issues related to population change and migration patterns. Dr Ali Rogers, COMPAS Research Associate, led an interactive workshop with 70 students around key migration issues and COMPAS research findings. This forms the basis of a more indepth consideration of the centre's outreach activities and contributions that could potentially be made to A'level courses. Click here for further details on the presentation.

Workshop on Marriage and Migration to the UK,

16th September 2008, University of Oxford

This workshop, led by Dr Katharine Charsley, explored new perspectives and research on marriage and migration, particularly in the context of migration to the UK. The workshop gathered together scholarship and information on statistical trends, the regulation of marriage migration, key political and theoretical debates, and the diversity of populations and practices involved. It is hoped that the workshop will lay the foundation for future research collaboration and publication. One early result of the worksClcihop has been the formation of a new network for researchers interested in this field. To apply to join the email group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marriageandmigration/

Return Migration in Asia : Experiences, Ideologies and Politics,

31st July 2008 - 1st August 2008,National University of Singapore, Bukit Timah Campus

Organisers: Dr XIANG Biao, Prof YEOH Brenda and Dr TOYOTA MikaDespite the burgeoning literature on a wide range of transnational migratory flows in Asia , research on “return” remains scarce. Return migration is not just a form of reverse flow; “return” is a highly emotive and contested notion. Why, for example, is the Nikkeijins' journey from Latin America to Japan called “return” although for most of them Japan is but a foreign country? Why are the governments of China , India , the Philippines and Singapore , to name a few, actively encouraging “return” which supposedly becomes less relevant due to globalization and circular migration? How should we understand the recent proliferation of bilateral “readmission agreements” between migrant-sending and migrant-receiving countries aimed at enforcing return? “Return” is both emotional and political because it is regarded as at once an unquestionable right and an uncontestable duty, and is by definition bound to such primordial notions as “home,” “roots,” and “belonging.” In this workshop, we attempted to problematize these conventional understandings and open up the concept of “return” as a strategic moment of redefining economic, social and political relations in contemporary Asia.

IMISCOE/IMI/COMPAS Event - 'Theories of Migration and Social Change'

Wednesday 2nd July and Thursday 3rd July 2008, Oxford.

The Conference was organised in response to an IMISCOE call for proposals for conferences on: ‘fundamental and strategic issues in theories, concepts and methodologies for the study of migration and integration’. It took the form of a fairly small ‘expert symposium’ and opened with a keynote address by Professor Alejandro Portes of Princeton University on `Migration and Social Change’. Themes included `theories of global mobility’, `gender in the migratory process’, and `transnationalism and the migratory process’. Click here to download full paper

COMPAS Annual Conference 2008 - 'Theorising Key Migration Debates'

Monday 30th June and Tuesday 1st July at St Anne's College, Oxford.

This conference focussed on the implications, as well as applications of theory in relation to contemporary issues of debate.  By bringing together theorists from different disciplines, including those not traditionally linked with migration studies, it aimed to evaluate what theory has to offer public discourse.  We will take as our starting point three key themes consistently appearing in public debate: illegal migration, integration and migrant workers. Click here for a full conference report and selected papers.

Discussion panel - Practices of Citizenship: Migration, Europe and Political Subjectivities

International Conference in Critical Psychology, Cultural Studies and Social Theory Cardiff School of Social Sciences 27th - 29th June 2008

This panel invited a discussion on migration as pivotal for the analysis of contemporary social realities and political subjectivities. To this end, the papers examined the link between migration, governmentality and sovereignty; migration and the transformation of labour relations and labour markets (in particular its gendered and racialized arrangements, and the genealogies of workers’ struggles); and, between migration and production of political subjectivities as played out in the production of the labour power on the one hand and the process of subjectivation on the other. Finally, the panel addressed the importance of the above outlined lines of inquiry for a re- conceptualization of citizenship in terms of ‘practices of citizenship’ and hence for a more nuanced understanding of the present configuration of power and its contestations in today’s Europe. Panel Coordinator: Rutvica Andrijasevic, University of Oxford Speakers: Bridget Anderson, University of Oxford, Nicholas de Genova, Columbia University, Rutvica Andrijasevic, University of Oxford. Discussant: Sandro Mezzadra, University of Bologna

Book Launch: A New Politics of Identity: Political Principles for an Interdependent World, by Bhikhu Parekh,

Thursday 29th May 2008, 2-5pm, Fellows' Dining Room, St Antony’s College, 62 Woodstock Road, Oxford

Professor Lord Bhikhu Parekh introduced his new book  A New Politics of Identity: Political Principles for an Interdependent World (Palgrave McMillan). The book was discussed by Professor Sir Adam Roberts (Politics and International Relations), and Dr Ellie Vasta (COMPAS ). Chair: Dr Nicholas Van Hear (COMPAS). Link to publisher’s abstract [external site]

Editorial seminar on ‘Labour Migration in Europe’

14 April 2008, Oxford Review of Economic Policy and COMPAS, Margaret Thatcher Conference Centre, Somerville College, Oxford.

A special issue from this workshop has now been published - Ken Mayhew and Martin Ruhs (editors), 2008, Labour Migration in Europe, Special Issue of Oxford Review of Economic Policy 24(3). Link to journal.

(Irregular) Transit Migration in Europe: Theory, Politics, Research Methodology and Ethics

18-20 April 2008, Koc University, Istanbul (Sariyer)

The issue of irregular transit migration is often at the centre of political discussion around the externalisation and internationalisation of EU migration control. However, there is neither a definition in international law nor a commonly agreed scientific definition of transit migration. This conference therefore addressed empirical gaps, problematic methodologies, blurred concepts and missing definitions. By bringing together experts from various disciplines studying this phenomenon from both the sending, transit and receiving countries' perspectives, it aimed to contribute a more appropriate typology, a theory of transit migration, as well as considering ways of improving the reliability of data and methodologies.

Click here for the conference abstract
Click here for the conference outline
Click here for the conference presentations