ESRC seminar series summary - Swansea University

Understanding the migrant experience
An ESRC Research Seminar Series, organised by the Centre for Migration
Policy Research (CMPR) at Swansea University, April 2009 – October 2010
Researchers at Swansea University’s Centre for Migration Policy Research (CMPR)
have been awarded an ESRC grant to host a series of one-day seminars which aim to
increase understanding of the migrant experience. The idea for the series has arisen
from a concern to ensure that the evidence on which policy making in the areas of
asylum and migration is based includes evidence about the experiences of the principle
actors in the migratory process; namely asylum seekers, refugees and migrants
themselves, and the families and communities of which they are a part.
Seminar aims
The aim of this seminar series is to increase the current level of academic, policy and
political interest in the experiences and voices of migrants and migrant communities. It
aims to do so in a way that engages with - and is reflexive to - the complexity and
variety of migrant experiences and engages directly with the political construction and
reconstruction of migrant identities and voices (by academic, policy makers, public
bodies, voluntary sector organisations and refugee and migrant groups themselves).
Policy responses towards international migration can only be progressive and internally
consistent if they reflect the drivers of migration flows and the needs, motivations,
aspirations and voices of migrants themselves. While governments remain the primary
actors in the production of migration policy, many other stakeholders including local
authorities, the private sector, NGOs, civil society institutions and migrant associations
are well placed to contribute to the formulation and implementation of migration policy.
The engagement of these actors is especially needed to ensure the approach to
migration is genuinely progressive, culturally sensitive, takes account of local
specificities and recognises the importance of gender and other aspects of social
difference.
Although there is a growing (if still limited) interest among policy makers and other nonacademic
users of research in the experiences of migrants (for example, in their
motivations for coming to the UK or in their experiences of accessing public services), it
is important that this interest does not translate into simplistic understandings of ‘the
migrant experience’ or in forms of consultation or engagement with migrants which are
regarded as superficial or tokenistic but are used to justify particular policy responses or
approaches. Many migrants and their representative organisations do not feel that their
views and experiences are genuinely taken into account in policy making and are
concerned that the engagement that currently exists is limited to certain issues or areas
of policy (for example, the integration of refugees). It is also important to recognise that
the migrant voices presented in, or made available to, political and policy debates on
immigration policy and practice reflect not only differences in methodological
approaches to ‘capturing’ those voices - and in the extent to which certain voices are
heard whilst others remain absent, but also the ways in which ‘the migrant experience’
is politically and socially constructed to reflect and reinforce dominant paradigms and
assumptions (for example, the migrant or refugee as oppressed and marginalised
versus the migrant or refugee with rights).

Seminar themes
The first theme running through the series is the theorisation of what might be termed
‘the migrant experience’ and the questions of migrant agency and hybridity. Despite
growing interest in the social dynamics of migration, the migrant experience remains
relatively under-theorised. Reflecting this, a growing number of academics have begun
to engage with the ways in which migrants' experiences are socially constructed and
situated in particular political-economic and cultural contexts in meaningful ways. This
literature suggests not only that the experiences of migrants will vary according to the
citizenship policies and national ideologies of the receiving state and the strategies that
immigrants formulate in response to their economic, cultural, and political position in the
receiving society, but also according to the gender, age, ethnicity, religion and economic
class (among other factors) of migrants themselves.
A second theme running through the seminar series addresses the methodological
approaches that are utilised to collect information about experiences of migration.
Recent academic papers and conference reports have identified a number of
problematic areas. These include: power relations in research, particularly where the
migrants are in insecure legal situations or living in conditions of poverty; informing and
gaining consent; issues of harm and safety for both researchers and research
participants; the use and dissemination of research data; and ethical implications of
research methodologies. These issues directly affect the ways in which experiences of
migration are understood by academic and non-academic users of research and the
wider communities of which migrants are a part.
Finally the series will address the relationship between research intended to better
understand ‘the migrant experience’ and the types and sources of ‘evidence’ that might
be drawn upon in policy-making processes. Whilst there have been some efforts on the
part of UK policy makers to engage with empirical evidence about the experiences of
migrants, many of the immigration policies developed in the UK context continue to be
based on assumptions about the motivations and aspirations of migrants and their
families, or on economic and other empirical evidence about their ‘impacts’ on public
services, community cohesion and race relations. The establishment of the Migrant
Rights Network (MRN) in 2006 reflects a desire among migrants living in the UK to
overcome their isolation from the policy making process, to share information and to
increase their capacity and strategic abilities to effectively influence national policy on
issues affecting them. But whether or not this possible will depend not only on the ability
of migrant communities to articulate their interests, but also the relationship between
those communities and the policy makers and practitioners whose decisions they seek
to influence.

Seminar programme
The proposed seminar series addresses some of these current debates through a
programme of six one day events, each engaging with a different aspect of the migrant
experience, and each consciously designed to bring together the users of research both
within and beyond the academic community.
Seminar 1 Is there a ‘migrant experience? (April 2009)
This seminar will explore the concept of ‘the migrant experience’ from a theoretical
perspective. The aim of this seminar is to explore the links between micro-level
understanding of ‘the migrant experience’ and macro-level theories and trends. Interdisciplinary
approaches will also be explored.
Seminar 2 Understanding difference; the role of gender, age, class and race in
shaping ‘the migrant experience’ (July 2009)
This seminar will explore the ways in which different identities and roles shape the
experience of migration including in relation to the decision to migrate and experiences
of immigration control, service provision and the process of social integration.
Seminar 3 Methodological issues in capturing and understanding experiences of
migration (October 2009)
This seminar will explore the advantages and disadvantages of different methodological
approaches in unpicking and unpacking the migrant experience, including through the
use of in-depth questionnaire surveys, longitudinal surveys, oral histories and
participatory research methods. There will also be a panel discussion specifically
addressing the ethical and political issues involved in migration research.
Seminar 4 The role of the arts in understanding experiences of migration (February
2010)
The seminar will begin with a panel focusing on concepts and ideas about the existence
or otherwise of ‘immigrant art’ or ‘refugee art’ before exploring visual and literary
representations of the migrant experience.
Seminar 5 Who tells the story? The politics of ‘the migrant voice (July 2010)
This seminar will move the focus onto political issues involved in understanding the
migrant experience. It will explore the ways in which migrants and migrant organisations
are able (or unable) to tell the stories of their experiences and which stories and
narratives are more easily articulated in the current political and policy context, for
example, the story of the migrant as ‘victim’ or ‘dispossessed’ versus the story of the
migrant as political activist of individual with rights.
Seminar 6 Who hears the story? Translating the migrant experience into policy and
practice October 2010
The final seminar in the series will explore the extent to which different narratives and
representations of the migrant experience are heard by those tasked with the design
and delivery of policies and processes relating to immigration, including immigration
controls, the delivery of services and the process of social integration. It will also explore
whether the ‘partnership model’ between migrant community organisations and local
and national government departments with responsibility for immigration policy and
practice help or hinder the ‘migrant story’ from being heard.

Intended participants
The seminar series will bring together policy-makers, practitioners and researchers from
the UK and Europe to explore theoretical, methodological, empirical, advocacy and
policy-orientated understandings - and representations of - the migrant experience.
Without being overly prescriptive, it is our intention that the composition of seminar
participants will be selected to ensure that non-academic research users and migrants
themselves are able to participate. Each seminar will be open to 45 people. Of these,
approximately 15 will be academic researchers at various stages of their careers and
working in different disciplinary areas, ten will be postgraduate research students, ten
will be migrants, refugees or asylum seekers or members of organisations representing
these groups, and ten will be non-academic users of research including a mixture of
public bodies, charities, voluntary sector organisations, local authorities, government
departments and independent policy bodies.
A number of bursaries of up to £50 towards travel costs are available for postgraduate
researchers who wish to participate in the seminars. There are also a number of
bursaries of up to £50 to cover the travel expenses of those migrants and community
representatives living outside Swansea who wish to contribute / participate. Please
contact the seminar organisers (details below) for details of how to apply.
Outputs
There will be a number of different outputs from the seminar series. These will include:
• Briefing notes produced after each seminar summarising the discussion and
providing an easily accessible account of the key points made by the speakers
and discussants. These briefing notes will be circulated to academic and nonacademic
user communities through our own and other networks. They will also
be made available on our website;
• An edited collection consisting of a selection of papers produced by speakers
which draws out the key themes and issues arising during the seminar series.
It is our intention that the outputs of the research will be disseminated as widely as
possible, both through our own networks and contacts and through the networks and
contacts of others. We also intend to use our significant media and policy contacts to
disseminate the outputs of the research through the media, and ‘behind-the-scenes’ to
advocates, lobbyists, politicians and opinion-formers.
For more information (including details of places and bursaries) please contact
Dr Heaven Crawley on +44 (0)1792 602409 or email h.crawley@swansea.ac.uk
Further information about the Centre for Migration Policy Research (CMPR) can
be found at www.swansea.ac.uk/cmpr