Dr Sarah Scuzzarello is Lecturer in Migration and co-coordinator of the IMISCOE Standing Committee Gender and Sexuality in Migration Research (GenSeM)
Recently been asked to talk at the IMISCOE PhD Academy about academic networking, I realised that, despite working in academia for 17 years, I had never really given this too much thought. I have just been doing it, I suppose. The invitation was therefore a great opportunity to stop and think about why it matters and what networking is (not) to me, but also about what I’ve done to create a solid network of international colleagues.
Ultimately, networking is about linking up with people you can collaborate with in a spirit of mutual respect and reciprocity. An academic career in social sciences often mean spending many lonely hours in front of a screen. You want to create a group, not necessarily large, with whom you can discuss, debate and exchange ideas about your research and with whom you can work towards concrete projects and activities. Two things are important here. First, to work a network must build on mutuality and respect. Sometimes one is put in positions of doing all the work in a collaboration. This can be fine, in as far as this is reciprocated later on. If not, that collaboration is not mutual or respectful and perhaps one should reconsider it. Second, a network does not have to be big. Rather, a close-knitted community of like-minded colleagues works often better and is more manageable, less dispersive.
The key to understand academic network, I think, is to see it as a verb (to network) and not a noun (a network). It is something you do, work at, and contribute to – not something you own. Perhaps most important, it is something that takes time to build.
Networking is therefore a carefully measured activity we engage in (sometimes getting it wrong). It is not something that happens at random, or easy to do while one flutters from one person to another at conference receptions exchanging business cards. And it is not about perfecting the art of small talk. Realising this is important I think especially for first generation academics or minoritized groups who often find themselves having to navigate a whole new social vocabulary of (often white, middle-class) academia. And it was crucial to me, whose first language is not English, to realise that I didn’t have to crack that posh accent to be taken seriously. I needed to be myself. Also, networking does not only mean to reach out to Professor Big Shot in hope they will find your work interesting and offer to co-author. While vertical networking happens over time (i.e. senior colleagues are part of your network), to network with your peers (horizontal networking) is crucial. Other Early Career Researchers (ECRs) can tell you about other departments (useful as you look for jobs), are usually willing to co-author or co-organise (although remember the reciprocity aspect of networking) and can be incredibly supportive in the darkest hours of academia. Remember however, that to a large extent you decide who will be part of your network. Do not feel pressurised to collaborate with people you, for whatever reasons, do not feel comfortable with. You can, and should, choose.
Some things have been particularly helpful for me in networking. First, join an association where you are likely to meet colleagues with whom you share research interests. It takes time to find the associations where your research will be critically and constructively received. Furthermore, the research you do might change somehow over time and you might have to change the association you join. For example, I have been active in the ISPP in the past but, as my researched turned more towards political sociology and migration, IMISCOE has proven to be a good fit. Once you have found one or two associations that feel like ‘home’, you should get involved. At the beginning of my career, I started by organising panels (alone or with colleagues), offering to chair and to act as discussants, and I would always present a paper (I still do). My former supervisor was good at getting me out there, including me in this kind of activities, and eventually in writing projects. If you are not as fortunate, you should propose panels with another ECR (horizontal networking). Engaging in their PhD or ECR network is another way to meet like-minded people that you might want to make part of your network. The PhD IMISCOE Academy and the IMISCOE PhD network are great platforms in this sense, as are the ECR groups within the Standing Committees (GenSeM has a very active group, that gets together virtually for writing retreats on a regular basis).
Second, ensure you follow up with the people you met at conferences, seminars, workshops or similar. This does not mean emailing everybody you’ve met, but only those you had meaningful conversations with. When appropriate, you can also think of ways of initiating a collaboration. Keep things in proportion here. You could offer to co-write a blog post on the topic you discussed, or to organise a panel at the next conference – which are manageable goals.
Third, consider developing a social media presence. Choose a platform that works for you and decide how personal you want it to be. I have a Twitter account that is strictly professional (bar the odd rant) and other, more personal, platforms. A social media profile only works if you are willing to be regularly active and have something interesting to say so I would not invest in it unless you’re willing to spend some time on it. I have found social media to be a good vehicle to talk about my work, especially as I am not the most extrovert person and I find the pressure of socialising a bit overwhelming at times.
This takes me to the last point. Networking can be hard work, physically and emotionally, and regardless of career stage. It takes time and effort and sometimes it does not work. To start a conversation can feel awkward, but as time passes you’ll find your way of doing it. Networking can feel daunting especially because it takes time for a network to bear fruit, and sometimes it does not work. But over time, you’ll notice that people will reach out to you – to give a talk, examine a viva, open a conversation about a research opportunity. And then is hopefully when you will be able to open doors for others too.
The UK’s hypocritical and heartless approach to displacement and migration
Sunit Bagree is Communications Manager for Protracted Displacement Economies (PDE), a project funded by UK Research and Innovation through the Global Challenges Research Fund (grant reference number ES/T004509/1). This is a joint PDE-Sussex Centre for Migration Research blog post.
Referring to small boats crossing the Channel, the UK Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has claimed that she is intent on “stopping the invasion on our southern coast.” This is the type of language traditionally employed by the far-right. It is worth noting that Braverman made this comment just the day after an extremist threw petrol bombs at an immigration centre in Dover.
The Home Secretary ignores several basic facts. First, research suggests that the majority of people crossing the Channel in small boats are likely to be refugees. Second, provided they make their presence known to authorities, asylum seekers who arrive via unofficial routes are protected under international refugee law. Those who are not asylum seekers still have rights under international human rights law. Third, out of 31 European countries, 18 had more asylum applications per capita last year than the UK. And it is not like Europe is particularly generous: 83% of the world’s refugees are hosted in the Global South.
What is particularly ironic is that British foreign policy can drive armed conflict and, as a result, forced displacement. Recent examples include the UK’s arming of the Saudi Arabian-led coalition responsible for devastating attacks in Yemen and its co-financing of liquid natural gas projects that are fuelling violence in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado region.
This is not the first time that senior British ministers have used xenophobic, dehumanising language. For example, in July 2015, David Cameron, then Prime Minister, spoke of “a swarm of people coming across the Mediterranean.” Less than a fortnight later, the then Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, used the term ‘marauding’ in relation to African migrants in Calais hoping to come to the UK.
I was associated with a letter published in the Guardian in response to Hammond’s comments. The letter argued: ‘It is not “marauding” African migrants, but the UK and other wealthy nations that are threatening living standards and causing poverty for people in Africa and across the world’. While acknowledging that most of the migrants arriving in Europe (and many of those trapped in Calais) were people fleeing war and persecution, the letter deliberately refers to those who were simply fleeing poverty. In doing so, it touches on some – and only some – of the economic and climate injustices perpetrated by the UK.
But UK policy on displacement and migration does not have to be hypocritical or heartless. It is entirely possible for domestic and foreign affairs to be conducted in ways that are far more ethical. Moreover, while there are certainly differences between the UK and countries in the Global South affected by protracted displacement, our research indicates that there are also some clear parallels. For example, all countries need to move beyond a simplistic approach to economics.
Take unpaid care work. Our surveys demonstrate that, on average, people in countries affected by protracted displacement spend seven hours a day on caring for those they live with. In the UK, there are around 13 million people caring for an ill, older or disabled family member or friend. Yet, around the globe, unpaid care work does not achieve the recognition it deserves in economic accounting and policymaking. Carers, who are disproportionately women, often struggle as a result.
Or take mutual aid. On average, 30% of people in countries affected by protracted displacement give or receive financial support and 40% give or receive non-financial support. Indeed, over half of all respondents in our research locations in Africa and Asia have more than one neighbour from whom they can ask for help. In the UK, there are an estimated 4,300 mutual aid groups, with 3 million volunteers helping people in their local community. Yet economic policymakers around the world largely fail to understand mutual aid and create a supportive environment for mutual aid groups.
No one is to ‘blame’ for being a refugee – those who have not had to flee from persecution should understand that they are simply fortunate. Creating sufficient safe, legal routes for asylum seekers to come to the UK (and other Global North countries) would decimate the business model of the organised criminal gangs that traffic vulnerable people.
And all (or virtually all) of us are migrants or the descendants of migrants. Instead of throwing around ridiculous insults, Braverman and the rest of the UK government should reflect on our common humanity, and work to realise the potential of all people in line with the UK’s international obligations and pledges.