News
NEWS: The project final report was launched in May 2017 – please click on the image to the right to view the report
ONLINE INTERACTIVE MAP: Click on the image to the right to view some of the journeys and experiences shared by our research participants
2020 Refugees exhibition at the Imperial War Museum
IWM London, Refugees: Forced to Flee will be on display from 24 September 2020. It includes an animation based on our research, and a neon sculpture that was inspired by the routes on our story map (by artist Indre Šerpytyte).
- Refugees: Forced to Flee is an exhibition in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council, which will explore how and why conflict has forced people to leave their homes and seek to build new lives elsewhere
- Objects, film and photography from IWM’s rich historical collections will be presented alongside contemporary material, cutting-edge research and newly commissioned artworks to reveal the personal stories of refugees and displaced people throughout history
02/11/2019
Join us for an exhibition and workshop at the Royal Leamington Spa Pump Rooms on 2 November 2019.
The workshop will allow you to reflect on the stories you have heard through an interactive art activity with Bern O'Donoghue and write a postcard to your MP based on your response to the research.
The exhibition will be open from 11.30 pm, and there will be an interactive workshop from 1.30 pm-3.30 pm. Please register here https://crossingthemed.eventbrite.co.uk.
23/08/2019
Professor Vicki Squire of the University of Warwick’s Department of Politics and International Studies has inspired a new artwork by international artist and activist Salma Zulfiqar.
In Crossing the Mediterranean Sea by Boat, Professor Squire and her team collected the stories of people from the Middle East and Africa making the dangerous journey to safety in Europe through in-depth interviews. The research team wanted to challenge the assumptions that are often made about people migrating, and give those arriving to Europe the opportunity to tell their own stories in order to highlight the effects of EU migration policies on the journeys, experiences, understandings, expectations, concerns and demands of people on the move.
Salma Zulfiqar has chosen ten of those stories to highlight in Routes to Peace? The artwork represents each woman as a “peace dove” carrying her story with her. The artwork is currently displayed in the Social Sciences atrium at the University.
Please download the accompanying audio file with the original interviews here.
16/11/2018
Dr Vicki Squire has joined a conversation about "Refugee Journeys through the Balkan Route: A Crisis No More" on 16 November at the Tate Exchange Liverpool. For more information on the week-long event, follow this link.
18/10/2018
Dr Vicki Squire has given a talk titled "Reclaiming Migration: Testimonies Beyond Crisis" on 18 October at Södertörn University in Sweden. For more information on the event, follow this link.
25/09/2018
Dr Maria Pisani and Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams have given interviews, highlighting that #crossingthemed "study has found serious shortcomings in migrants centrers" to The Sunday Times of Malta. To access their interviews on the research outcome, follow this link.
11/09/2018
Dr Vicki Squire has a new column titled "EU’s Efforts To Prevent Migration From Libya Does Not Respect or Value Lives" in The Globe Post. To access the full article, follow this link.
21/08/2018
Dr Dallal Stevens and Dr Angeliki Dimitriadi have a new article titled "Crossing the Eastern Mediterranean Sea in Search of 'Protection'" in the Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies. To access the full article, follow this link.
20/08/2018
Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams and Dr Maria Pisani have a new article titled "Migrating borders, bordering lives: everyday geographies of ontological security and insecurity in Malta" in Social & Cultural Geography. To access the full article, follow this link.
17/07/2018
Dr Vicki Squire has a new article titled "Mobile Solidarities and Precariousness at City Plaza: Beyond Vulnerable and Disposable Lives" in Studies in Social Justice. To access the full article, follow this link.
05/07/2018
Dr Nina Perkowski and Dr Vicki Squire have a new article titled "The anti-policy of European anti-smuggling as a site of contestation in the Mediterranean migration ‘crisis’" in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. To access the full article, follow this link.
03/11/2017
Dr Vicki Squire will give a talk on the Crossing the Mediterranean Sea by Boat project at the Balsillie School of International Affairs on 8th November. For more information and to reserve a place, follow this link.
23/08/2017
UNHCR has published a new report on desperate journeys to the European Union, citing research by the Crossing the Mediterranean Sea by Boat project. To read the full report, follow this link.
05/08/2017
The August 2017 issue of the journal Politics is now available. This Special Issue on Irregular Migration and the Politics of Agency includes contributions by Dr Vicki Squire. To access the table of contents and read the articles, follow this link.
04/08/2017
The ESRC Mediterranean Migration Research Programme has published a series of policy briefs that include findings from the Crossing the Mediterranean Sea by Boat project and cover various aspects of the migratory journey and experience. Follow the links below to read the briefs.
Civil society responses to the 'migration crisis'
Dynamics of migration across the Mediterranean
Improving policy for search and rescue of migrants in the Mediterranean and identifying the dead
Refugee reception and integration
Mapping refugee reception in the Mediterranean
14/06/2017
Dr Vicki Squire was interviewed for an article in Safe Stadi detailing some of the key findings of Crossing the Mediterranean Sea by Boat. To read the article, follow this link.
05/06/2017
Dr Vicki Squire took part in a discussion of contemporary migration to the EU for the Human Rights in Transit podcast at The Ohio State University. To listen to the podcast, follow this link.
03/06/2017
Crossing the Mediterranean Sea by Boat findings were cited in The Guardian. To read the article, follow this link.
31/05/2017
The transcript of the 'Dead Reckoning / Crossing the Med: Thinking and Feeling Migration Differently' symposium, held at the Tate Exchange on 15 March 2017, is now available. The event brought together a panel of artists, academics and practitioners to engage with each other and the public on questions of how we understand and respond to migration. To read the full transcript and view photos from the event, follow this link.
25/05/2017
The Times of Malta has published an article outlining the Crossing the Mediterranean Sea by Boat project findings and policy recommendations and interviewing Dr Maria Pisani and Dr Vicki Squire. To read the article, follow this link.
04/04/2017
The Crossing the Mediterranean Sea by Boat project has the pleasure of announcing the launch event of the project's final report and online story map, to take place in Brussels on 4 May 2017. You can find the invitation and further information here.
28/03/2017
Dr. Vicki Squire is an invited roundtable speaker at the "Migrating out of Poverty: From Evidence to Policy conference" organised jointly by the DFID and the University of Sussex.
18/03/2017
Dr. Vicki Squire will deliver a Keynote entitled "Governing Migration through Death in Europe and the US: Identification, Burial and the Crisis of Modern Humanism", for the Kent Critical Law Society Annual Conference.
08/03/2017
Dr. Vicki Squire will deliver a Departmental Lecture entitled "Governing Migration through Death in Europe and the US: Identification, Burial and the Crisis of Modern Humanism" at the University of Leicester.
13-15/03/2017
Bern O'Donoghue and Dr. Vicki Squire have collaborated to produce the "Dead Reckoning / Crossing the Med" art and digital media installation as part of the Counterpoint Arts ‘Who are we?’ programme at Tate Exchange, Tate Modern, UK.
15/03/2017
The Symposium "Dead Reckoning / Crossing the Med: Thinking and Feeling Migration Differently" will be held as part of 'Who are We' Programme at Tate Exchange, and is based on a collaboration between the Dead Reckoning art project by Bern O'Donoghue and the Crossing the Med research project led by Dr Vicki Squire, University of Warwick. It will take place on the on 15 March 2017, 12-2pm at Southwark Room, 5th Floor of the Switch House, Tate Modern. You are warmly invited to register for this event via the link here.
03/03/2017
Dr Nina Perkowski presents Crossing the Med research and findings at the workshop "Mediterranean Migration in Interdisciplinary Perspective." You can find the workshop programme here.
13/02/2017
Dr Vicki Squire discusses Crossing the Med project findings on the Voice of Islam Radio. A recording of the show is available here. Dr Squire's interview starts at 29:31.
02/2017
The book chapter "Unpacking the European migration crisis" by Dr Vicki Squire has been published in E.C. Del Re and R.R. Laremont (Eds.) Pursuing Stability and a Global Development: Euro-Mediterranean Migrations.
This chapter unpacks different dimensions of the so-called ‘European migration crisis’ to show how the nature of this ‘crisis’ is contested and contestable. Reversing the question of crisis, Squire considers if it is more appropriate to deem the crisis a European crisis facing people on the move in precarious conditions, rather than a crisis for a Europe facing increasing numbers of new arrivals. For further information about this publication please contact Dr Vicki Squire at V.J.Squire@warwick.ac.uk.
19/12/2016
The research article "Unauthorised migration beyond structure/agency? Acts, interventions, effects" by Dr Vicki Squire has been published online by Politics.
01/12/2016
The Crossing the Mediterranean by Boat project launches a new evidence brief, presenting findings of the second research phase. In May/June 2016, 121 in-depth, qualitative interviews were conducted in Athens, Berlin, Istanbul, and Rome. You can find the key findings and policy suggestions of this research phase in the evidence brief here.
24/11/2016
A podcast of Dr Vicki Squire's presentation at the International Migration Institute, University of Oxford is now available online. You can listen to her talk here.
21/11/2016
Dr Vicki Squire gives the keynote lecture “Governing migration through death: Security, humanitarianism and crisis” at the LSE Symposium "The Mediation of Migration." See more details here.
11/11/2016
The Crossing the Mediterranean by Boat project is pleased to announce a project workshop taking place in Athens (Electra Palace Hotel, 18 Nikodimou Street) on November 11th, 2016 from 9.30 to 12.30. The project team will present findings from the second research phase and launch a new policy brief. You can find more information here.
02/11/2016
Dr Vicki Squire presents a seminar on "Governing migration through death in Europe and the US: Identification, burial and the crisis of modern humanism" at the International Migration Institute, University of Oxford. Find more details here.
07/11/2016
Dr Maria Pisani presents on "The invasion of dark illegalized youth armed with a smart phone: critical reflections on youth forced migration in the EU and implications for Youth Research" during the Annual Conference of Youth Studies in Helsinki. You can find more information here.
28/10/2016
Dr Dallal Stevens presents on "How the Middle East is changing the meaning of “protection”" during the Migration Week hosted by the International Migration and Ethnic Relations Research Unit in Bergen. You can find more information here.
17/05/2016
A longer version of Dr Vicki Squire's piece on humanitarian corridors is published by openDemocracy: "Humanitarian Corridors: beyond political gesture." Please find the article here.
05/10/2016
A new piece by Dr Vicki Squire on humanitarian corridors to Italy is published by the Conversation: "Flights to Italy for refugees offer a humanitarian way forward for Europe". Please find the article here.
16/08/2016
The Conversation publishes the article "Welcome to City Plaza, Athens: a new approach to housing refugees" by Dr Vicki Squire. You can find it here.
03/08/2016
A new piece by Dr Vicki Squire and Vasiliki Touhouliotis on the adverse effects of the EU's deterrence agenda is published by openDemocracy. Please find their article here.
22/06/2016
Hannah-Sophie Wahle of the Refugee Rights Data Project (RRDP) presents at the University of Warwick some of the key findings of the report entitled The Long wait: Filling the data gaps relating to refugees and displaced people in the Calais camp. Please find the event details here.
14/06/2016
A reflection piece by Dr Vicki Squire on a new accommodation project for refugees in Athens is published by openDemocracy. Please find the article here.
07/06/2016
openDemocracy publishes an unaccompanied minor's story of his journey from the Gambia to Europe, as well as Dr Vicki Squire's response to the author's testimony. Since they met in September 2015, both have worked together to write Gabriel's story. Please find the account of his journey here, and Dr Squire's commentary here.
10/05/2016
The CrossingTheMed investigator team, together with all other teams of the ESRC's Mediterranean Migration Research Programme, have released a public statement today welcoming the UN Secretary General's Report In Safety and Dignity: Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants. Their open letter has been published by openDemocracy here.
20/04/2016
A blog post by Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams on "Europe's border crisis as an autoimmune disorder" is published by the European Green Journal. Read it here.
20/04/2016
Dr Vicki Squire gives a lecture on "Human dignity and Biophysical Violence: Migrant deaths across deserts and seas"
at Swansea University, Geography Department / Centre for Migration Policy Research. Find more details here.
19/04/2016
Written evidence submitted by Dr Vicki Squire and Nina Perkowski to the House of Lords' inquiry into unaccompanied minors in the EU has been published online. Read the submitted evidence here, or see the full inquiry here.
16-19/03/2016
Dr Vicki Squire, Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams, and Nina Perkowski present their work at the Annual Convention of the International Studies Association in Atlanta, Georgia. Find the conference programme here.
14/03/2016
Dr Vicki Squire gives a lecture titled "The Violence of Border Security: Migrant Deaths Across Deserts and Seas" at the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility of the New School for Social Research, New York. Find more details here.
14/03/2016
Nina Perkowski participates in an expert roundtable on "The Deadliest Frontier: Taking Stock of Mediterranean Crossings in 2015" at Queen Mary University in London. Find more details here.
08/03/2016
Dr Vicki Squire presents research findings as part of a debate on "Women and the Global Refugee Crisis". See more details here.
07/03/2016
A new commentary by Dr Vicki Squire and Nina Perkowski on the EU's response to migration across the Mediterranean is published by the Conversation. Read it here.
16/02/2016
The Crossing the Med project team presents an evidence briefing to a policy audience in Brussels, outlining findings from the first research phase and providing policy suggestions based on these findings. Read the brief here.
11/02/2016
Dr Vicki Squire gives a lecture on "The European ‘refugee crisis’: Questioning assumptions about unauthorised migration" at Hasselt University, as part of the "Course North-South – A world in transition." Find more details here.
03-04/02/2016
Dr Maria Pisani will share preliminary findings at a European Humanitarian Roundtable in Aix-en-Provence in preparation for the World Humanitarian Summit. You can find further information here.
23/01/2016
Dr Dallal Stevens speaks at the UN Association, Warwick and District, on 'Refugees - whose responsibility are they?'
13/01/2016
The Crossing the Mediterranean by Boat project is pleased to announce its first public event, taking place in the University of Warwick Brussels Office on February 16th, 2016 from 16.00 to 17.30, followed by a networking cocktail. The project team will present findings from the first research phase and launch a new policy brief. For more information and to register, please contact Xenia Tsitiridou: X dot Tsitiridou at warwick dot ac dot uk
11/01/2016
A new blog post by Dr Vicki Squire on the potential and perils of a photo essay is published by the Berghahn FocaalBlog. Read it here.
01/12/2015
Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams publishes a new blog post, reflecting on his fieldwork in Malta. Read it here.
30/11/2015
A policy brief with key preliminary research findings is published on the ESRC website. Read it here.
24/11/2015
Dr Maria Pisani speaks on a panel on migration and resilience at the Commonwealth People's Forum in Malta. For more information and to listen to the audio recording, follow this link (Dr Pisani starts speaking at 03:44).
11/11/2015
A new commentary by Dr Vicki Squire on the Valletta Summit is published by the Conversation. Read it here.
28/10/2015
Dr Vicki Squire presents research findings to All Party Parliamentary Group for Social Science and Policy. Learn more.
23/09/2015
Dr Dallal Stevens participates in a debate on Turkey's approach to refugee migration to the EU with TRT Istanbul, TV.
15/09/2015
Dr Dallal Stevens comments on current EU refugee and migration crisis on Sky News With Kay Burley.
14/09/2015
Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams joins a candle-lit vigil in solidarity with refugees in Malta, co-organised by Dr Maria Pisani. For a newspaper article on the vigil, follow this link.
11/09/2015
Dr Dallal Stevens comments on distinction between refugees and migration and current EU policy on Sky News with Anna Jones.
08/09/2015
Dr Vicki Squire publishes a new blog post on her fieldwork experiences in Sicily. Read it here.
04/09/2015
Dr Dallal Stevens comments on Government's agreement to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees in the UK over the next five years on ITV Central.
02/09/2015
Dr Dallal Stevens is interviewed by Heidi Plougsgaard Jensen, EU and NATO Correspondent, Jyllands-Posten - Denmark's biggest daily newspaper.
