Seminar Series: Migrants, Workplace and Community: Learning from Innovations in Civil Society

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Between the spheres of the private and the public (relating to the state) lies the realm of civil society, the realm of groups, institutions, and networks, such as faith groups, trade unions, and community organisations. Migrant workers are a valuable vantage point to explore current transformations in civil society and its role in fostering social justice, social cohesion and a fairer society. Migrant workers perform an important role in contemporary society and economy yet they are constructed as one of the key contemporary problems in current public and political discourse. Crucially, there are groups in civil society that are working, often at the grassroots level, to build cohesion from the bottom-up in communities and workplaces. Both research and practice in this area is currently fragmented. This seminar series brings together researchers and practitioners on the theme of 'Migrants, Workplace and Community', with the central aim of developing learning, for both academics and practitioners, from these innovations in civil society. The series comprises 9 one-day seminars over 3 years.The central approach of the proposal of fertilising knowledge across disciplinary boundaries and across boundaries between academics and practitioners is shown in the make-up of the application team, which includes a key practitioner (the Director of Migrants' Rights Network), and academics from the backgrounds of business, employment relations, economic geography, sociology and migration studies. The proposal is also structured to develop research capacity by including PhD students and early career researchers. As well as bursaries being made available for PhD students for the seminars, there is one seminar (on methodological innovations and reflections) devoted to enhancing the learning and development of PhD students and early career researchers. The proposal is also designed to enhance international learning and collaboration. One seminar is devoted to uncovering the lessons for this area from the US, Europe and the Global South. In total, 6 international speakers will contribute to the series. The 9 seminar topics are:1. Migrants, civil society and social cohesion: Issues, debates and practices in the context of international migration 2. New forms of organizing and self-organizing of migrant workers across community and workplace. Lessons from the US, Europe and the Global South. 3. Migrant workers initiatives and established labour organizations. 4. Civil societal involvement in employment relations.5. Civic and labour engagements as avenues for the integration and social cohesion of migrants: exploring the intersections of race, class and gender and marginalized identities 6. Taking the king's shilling: when civil society is invited in. Irregular migrants, Civil society organisations and the state.7. Researching civic and labour engagements in the context of migration and social cohesion: methodological innovations and reflections. 8. Reflections on workplace, community, and society in the cultural production of migrants. 9. 'How can we help?' Civic and labour practitioners' suggestions for academic research practice with greater impact. The series will lead to important outcomes for both academics and civil society practitioners. The series will inform the publication of special issues of two leading academic journals, in employment relations and in migration studies. It will also lead to the publication of a booklet for civil society practitioners (supported by a devoted website) outlining cases of best practice with regard to social cohesion and migrants at the intersection of workplace and community. Facilitated by a clear social media strategy, the series will also foster longer-term organic links among civil society groups, and between academics and civil society groups.