Prelims

Half Title Page

Migration Practice as Creative Practice

Title Page

Migration Practice as Creative Practice: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Migration

Edited by

Dieu Hack-Polay

University of Lincoln, UK

Ali B. Mahmoud

University of Wales Trinity Saint David, UK

Agnieszka Rydzik

University of Lincoln, UK

Mahfuzur Rahman

University of Lincoln, UK

Paul Agu Igwe

University of Lincoln, UK

Gary Bosworth

University of Lincoln, UK

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2021

© 2021 by Emerald Publishing Limited

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-83867-766-4 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83867-765-7 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83867-767-1 (Epub)

List of Contributors

Foreword

During the Covid-19 crisis, migration came to a sudden standstill as countries closed their border to contain the spread of the virus. Since the beginning of humanity, however, migration has been the norm, even though regularly, aided by whatever reason, countries have tried to stop migration, and in particularly stopping people from entering their countries or kingdoms. Migration has always been happening throughout history, and people will continue to migrate across the globe when countries are opening again. However, migration has also been at the forefront of a darker narrative around protection of country's own people against the ‘foreign intruder’. Racism, xenophobia and populism have traditionally evolved around the notion of the stranger, who wants to migrate and take possession of some of the wealth or resources of a country and their people. It is sad to ascertain that this is not something from a dark past, but alive in our current times, where right-wing populism is on the rise again and countries are not just closing their borders to contain the spread of Covid-19, but also to keep immigrants and refugees out of their countries.

To be able to effectively understand and address such issues, it is needed to understand better the dynamics underpinning migration. This book edited by Dr Dieu Hack-Polay and colleagues offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study and understanding of migration as creative practice. It focuses on the social and societal issues and construction of migration, and offers great understandings of how migration is viewed in contemporary society.

This book is an enormously important and timely book that offers 17 different and great chapters on migration, which will help the reader understand better how migration can be perceived in our contemporary societies. It does so not only by offering theoretical understandings of the subject matter, but also by offering multiple chapters on how migration can be studied methodologically. Using a number of innovative methodological techniques, such as narrative and metaphor research methodologies, this book will further our understanding of how migration can be studied more effectively.

Beyond all, this book presents both statistics and numbers on the impact of migration and how discourses on migration are constructed, as well as more particular narratives of migration experiences. Jointly they picture an academic topic that is extremely important in our society, and is a must-read for anyone who is concerned about the ever-growing hostility of particularly Western countries towards immigrants and non-whites more broadly. To understand the causes of such hostility is necessary, yet insufficient, and we need to be engaged in more debate around how we can effectively change our societies for the better, and be truly welcoming nations for anyone who has to (involuntarily) leave their country due to famine, war or persecution.

While the Covid-19 crisis has (once again) shown the detrimental side-effects of globalism through the rapid spread of the deadly virus across the world, we are now faced with a rising need to sustain our communities locally. This means economic independence of communities is highly needed to address the devastating effects of our human invention to move globally, and ship goods across the globe, with all associated pollution. However, this may never mean that we should de-identify as anti-globalists who stop to care about their fellow human beings wherever in this world, and who are less fortunate and privileged. The duty of Western countries remains to be compassionate and to stop neo-colonial practices such that modern forms of exploitation, including the negative portrayal of immigrants, can become part of history once and for all.

The Black Lives Matter Movement and its resurgence in 2020 is a reminder to all white people that they have a duty to their fellow citizens and to migrants. This duty involves not just stating that one is against racism, but this includes the necessity to understand and to empathy. This book is a great contribution in this respect – the wide variety of authors, from such different backgrounds and with such a variety of expertise, has provided a book that is not just of great academic importance, but to each of us personally as well, readers with a genuine interest in understanding what migration means to the world, our societies, our workplaces, and to ourselves.

Prof. Matthijs Bal

University of Lincoln