BIRMM

📢 Call for applications is open! 10th GERN Summer School on Policing “the other”: vulnerable communities’ experiences with the police ➡️ Find the call here https://lnkd.in/ewPRUwM7 Co-organized by VUB's Crime & Society Research Group (CRiS) 👇  

 🌍 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀’ 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰: 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 This 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀’ 𝗗𝗮𝘆, 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟴 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, we reflect on 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, both as an academic field of study and as a lived experience.  As an interdisciplinary research network  of over 100 academics based in different departments of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 𝗕𝗜𝗥𝗠𝗠 is dedicated to advancing and critically engaging with 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲. Migration is an increasingly salient topic in politics and it is often co-opted to serve political agendas. In this context, 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝘆, 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆. Yet, knowledge itself is not inherently neutral, and can also be manipulated to advance particular narratives and reinforce power structures or perpetuate biases. This highlights the importance of critically examining 𝗵𝗼𝘄, 𝗯𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱. 🔍 𝗕𝗜𝗥𝗠𝗠’𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 for International Migrants’ Day highlights three research papers that showcase the importance of knowledge production and illustrate how diverse approaches contribute to a more nuanced and equitable knowledge landscape in migration studies. See links below to read more about these papers! 📢 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼-𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆  Together, these three studies illustrate the 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: from addressing data gaps to critically interrogating policy-driven research agendas, and encouraging participatory, qualitative methods. On International Migrants’ Day, we would like to acknowledge not only the 𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 but also the 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 of migrants themselves. 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗼-𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗶𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. 📊 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝟭 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/ezdyRX5G 📝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝟮 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/ehpm_YeZ 📄 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝟯 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/eapuWUFJ

𝗕𝗜𝗥𝗠𝗠 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗧𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧: 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗜𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗦’ 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰: 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿-𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀’ 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀. “…𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦.” With this 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵, Kevin Smets and Lisa Ahenkona explore how  𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿-𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 can be a useful framework for thinking about ontology, epistemology, and power relations, and a new way of seeing and sharing migrants’ stories. It reports on one year of participatory action research with six undocumented migrants living in Brussels, Belgium, which included participatory video-making and a combination of walking interviews and visual artefact production. The findings revolve around three counter-documentation tactics developed during the study to oppose hegemonic ways of representing (undocumented) migrants. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 at https://lnkd.in/eHr2EBnj  #InternationalMigrantsDay2024 #BIRMMResearchSpotlight #Counterdocumentation #ParticipatoryMigrationResearch #MigrationPolicy #ChangeTheNarrative #Empathy

𝗕𝗜𝗥𝗠𝗠 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗧𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧: 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗜𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗦’ 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 In her research, Iva Dodevska 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 '𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲' 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗨 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀. While evidence-based policies are meant to guide decision-making, Dodevska’s research questions whether this 'evidence' always serves the public—or whether it sometimes 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀. Her work dives into how the rising demand for migration data has led to a hyper-production of ‘evidence’ that shapes the way migration is visualized and controlled. While proponents of evidence-based policy argue for the importance of data to ensure proposals are grounded in facts rather than influenced by political agendas, Dodevska’s research challenges this view. It highlights that examining the sources and networks of research production reveals that scientific facts and political values are not always easily distinguished. Dodevska suggests that the pursuit of “evidence” may do more to legitimize the coercive implications of civic integrationism, than to improve the lives of migranticized and racialized populations. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 at https://lnkd.in/enVcDTBm #InternationalMigrantsDay2024 #BIRMMResearchSpotlight #Evidence #MigrationResearch #MigrationPolicy #EU #ThinkTanks

The seminar with Alana Helberg-Proctor will be postponed, due to unforeseen circumstances. It will take place on April 3rd, 2025! Stay tuned! Inclusion and diversity are currently 'hot' topics in health research, care, and policy in Europe. In recent years there have been calls at national and EU levels for healthcare professionals, health researchers, and policymakers in Europe to attend to diversity and inclusion. Bias and inequality in health and healthcare are produced by the exclusion of diversity, but bias is also produced by the inclusion of racist and stereotypical thinking in medicine and healthcare. While inclusion and diversity are indeed crucial topics in healthcare and medical education, operationalizing diversity around ethnicity and population differences is a difficult task with many pitfalls and complications. During this lecture I discuss how scientific knowledge and facts about ethnicity and race related to health are utilized and produced in the Netherlands, and beyond, and how these modes of scientific knowledge production are deeply and problematically intertwined with society and politics. Dr. Alana Helberg-Proctor is an Assistant Professor in the Health, Care and the Body programme group at the UvA Department of Anthropology. In her work, she focuses on diversity and inequality in healthcare and medical science. She investigates how 'race' and 'ethnicity' appear in biomedical research, health policy, and healthcare in the Netherlands and Europe. More specifically, she explores how scientific and technological practices in care and medicine are intertwined with society, politics, cultural values, and context. In 2021 she was awarded the Marie Curie Sklodowska research grant (2021-2022).

Call for papers voor een special Issue over migratiecontrole voor het tijdschrift Panopticon 👇

Huge congratulations to BIRMM researcher Pieter-Paul Verhaeghe on receiving the prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant! 🎉 Over the next five years, Pieter-Paul will investigate how racism and intergenerational social immobility evolve across time and differ between countries. His project addresses a foundational sociological question: How are life opportunities shaped by ethno-racial and socio-economic backgrounds? The project will also identify strategies to address these enduring inequalities. If you’re interested in understanding and combating systemic inequalities, follow Pieter-Paul Verhaeghe and BIRMM to stay tuned with this vital topic! #ERC #SocialResearch #ClassRaceNexus #Inequality

𝗕𝗜𝗥𝗠𝗠 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗧𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧: 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗜𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗦’ 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 In '𝗔𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗶𝘁: 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀,' Ahmad Wali Ahmad Yar and Tuba Bircan identify 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗽𝘀 that hinder the ability to understand and respond to migration trends. With migration considered as one of the key aspects for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the demand for more precise data has grown drastically. Yet, data gaps persist; from 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 to 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀, these gaps pose 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 that can effectively support migrant communities. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 to find out what’s missing in international migration data, and why it matters: https://lnkd.in/e53CGxXH #InternationalMigrantsDay2024 #BIRMMResearchSpotlight #InternationalDataGaps #MigrationResearch #MigrationInFocus

📚 Reflecting on the 4th Joint Research Day: A Day of Inspiring Dialogue On October 18th, we gathered in Ghent for the 4th edition of the Joint Research Day, where researchers explored the theme: "Words that matter: critical reflections on categorisation from migration and diversity research." 🌍 The day featured insightful keynote speeches from Robin Vandevoordt (UGent), Sorana Toma (UGent), Mieke V. (UAntwerpen) and Omar N. Cham (VUB) In the afternoon, participants delved deeper into the topic through hands-on workshops led by experts from various universities, fostering practical applications and interdisciplinary connections. This event was co-organized with CESSMIR (UGent) and MIGLOBA (UAntwerpen), creating a platform for meaningful conversations on migration and diversity. Missed it? Check out the event highlights on our Instagram stories👇 https://lnkd.in/dJECBjKi

Geïnteresseerd in de impact van raciale #discriminatie binnen de #gezondheidszorg? Sluit aan bij dit panelgesprek, deze zaterdag 16 november, georganiseerd door De Maakbare Mens vzw, waar oa BIRMM-onderzoekers Saloua Berdai Chaouni en Hakki Demirkapu inzichten delen over de uitdagingen en kansen voor een meer inclusieve zorg 👇