Go home?: The politics of immigration controversies

Hannah Jones · Yasmin Gunaratnam · Gargi Bhattacharyya · William Davies · Sukhwant Dhaliwal · Kirsten Forkert · Emma Jackson · Roiyah Saltus

Mar 2017 · Manchester University Press

About this ebook

This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. In July 2013, the UK government arranged for a van to drive through parts of London carrying the message 'In the UK illegally? GO HOME or face arrest.' This book tells the story of what happened next. The vans were short-lived, but they were part of an ongoing trend in government-sponsored communication designed to demonstrate toughness on immigration. The authors set out to explore the effects of such performances: on policy, on public debate, on pro-migrant and anti-racist activism, and on the everyday lives of people in Britain. This book presents their findings, and provides insights into the practice of conducting research on such a charged and sensitive topic.

About the author

Hannah Jones is Assistant Professor in Sociology at the University of Warwick Yasmin Gunaratnam is Reader in Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London Gargi Bhattacharyya is Professor of Sociology at the University of East London and co-director of the Centre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging William Davies is Senior Lecturer in Politics at Goldsmiths, University of London Sukhwant Dhaliwal is Research Fellow at the Institute of Applied Social Research at the University of Bedfordshire Kirsten Forkert is Senior Lecturer in the School of Media at Birmingham City University Emma Jackson is Lecturer in Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London Roiyah Saltus is Principal Research Fellow in the Faculty of Life Sciences and Education at the University of South Wales