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Brexit and Questions of ‘National Inheritance’: The Colonial Conditions of our Present Crises

With Professor Gurminder K Bhambra, University of Sussex

28 October 2019

The last few years have seen an intensification in the debates around reclaiming our ‘national sovereignty’ and identifying those who are deemed to have a ‘legitimate’ claim to the benefits of British citizenship. These debates are predicated on the idea of Britain having been a nation and that national assets have been built up endogenously to be passed on as an ‘inheritance’ to future citizens. The boundaries of who should have access to these assets – particularly in terms of welfare and citizenship – are increasingly policed. Indeed, in broader debates on migration, many scholars argue that if migration is to be allowed then those who come should not have access to full citizenship as this would be viewed as unfair by local citizens. This is because, as Branko Milanovic argues, rich countries accumulate wealth and transmit it, along with other advantages, to subsequent generations of citizens and, specifically, for the enjoyment of its national citizens. But, if, as Gurminder has long argued, Britain has always been an imperial state, not a national one – collecting taxes from across the empire and not just the nation – then questions both of ‘national sovereignty’ and ‘national inheritance’ require further interrogation. Brexit, Gurminder suggests, has illuminated unresolved issues of who constitutes the body politic and whose concerns should legitimately constitute the basis for public policy initiatives. 

The End of Aspiration? Social Mobility and Our Children’s Fading Prospects

With Duncan Exley

18 September 2019

Duncan Exley is the author of the recently published book The End of Aspiration? Social Mobility and Our Children’s Fading Prospects with Policy Press. Duncan has a background in the third sector and took a break from his career as the Director of The Equality Trust to write the book. The book asks why families — and not just ‘deprived’ but also the majority of us in the ‘broadmiddle’ of the social and economic spectrum — are now more likely to 'do worse' than previous generations (in terms of occupational status, housing and financial security), despite being better educated, and what can be done to reverse this decline. It also asks why — despite the demonstrable electoral consequences of the discontent of those who have worked hard but been denied the rewards they believed had been promised — mainstream politicians’ attempts to harness the anger and aspiration have not succeeded, and what a more-successful narrative (and programme of policies) might include. The End of Aspiration? draws on the work of experts and practitioners, and follows the life-stories of people who have experienced ‘social mobility’ (an actor, a politician, a billionaire entrepreneur, a surgeon and others) through each of seven life-stages.

How to secure a research grant

With Dr Daniel Holman and Dr Ysabel Gerrard

5 December 2018

This session presents the reflections of two Departmental staff who have recently enjoyed success in securing research grants. Each speaker will present reflections on their experiences of the process of applying for grants and offer advice on the key factors in their success. Dr Dan Holman has recently been awarded £195,280.00 by the ESRC Transformative Research grant for a project concerned with ‘Chronic disease and health ageing at the intersections’. Dr Ysabel Gerrard has recently been awarded £6,998 by the BA/Leverhulme Small Grants for a project investigating ‘Secrets on social media: Exploring young people’s perspectives of anonymous secret-telling apps’.

In conversation with Hannah Lewis and Calum Webb

31 October 2018

Hannah Lewis is Vice Chancellor's Fellow. She has researched different aspects of how immigration policies affect the daily lives of people who migrate in academic and non-academic research since 2002. She is currently PI of the ESRC project 'Understanding the roles of faith based organisations’. Calum Webb is a Research Associate and PhD student in the Department. His research is about the definition and measurement of poverty and the use of advanced quantitative methods to untangle complex trends and develop more holistic metrics. He is currently developing an anti-poverty practice guide with the British Association of Social Workers.
 
We would like to invite you to an open conversation about the themes that connect the two bodies of research on child welfare and anti-trafficking in relation to structures, agency, and individualisation; narratives of ‘rescue’ and the ‘deserving rescuee’; and, how these result in policies of emergency that often tackle acute crises rather than root causes. Hannah and Calum will introduce their independent research and these shared themes before opening the conversation further to other attendees to contribute.

The broader purpose of the session is to identity and discuss points of convergence between research within the department. Identifying these hidden connections will allow us to connect one another's research more effectively, potentially leading to more collaborative research within the department."