Book launch: ‘Ways of Belonging: Undocumented Youth in the Shadow of Illegality’

Join us for an exciting book launch and panel discussion of ‘Ways of Belonging: Undocumented Youth in the Shadow of Illegality’ (Rutgers, 2023).

Immigration control is increasingly entering into education institutions, limiting young migrants’ access to education and social rights. Using Francesca Meloni’s new book ‘Ways of Belonging: Undocumented Youth in the Shadow of Illegality’ as the point of departure, this roundtable aims to bring different perspectives on the experiences of belonging and access to education for young people with precarious legal status across various settings.

In collaboration with King’s Sanctuary Programme, this roundtable brings together four speakers from research and practice. It invites us to think about different ways that scholars, community organisations, and policymakers can address young people’s needs and the systemic violences of our contemporary societies. Collectively, the panel will share our experiences, dilemmas, lessons learnt, and ways of mobilising in academia and beyond.

Everyone is welcome to attend. The event will have early drinks at 16:30 and be followed by a reception.

Speakers:

• Dr Francesca Meloni, Lecturer, School of Education, Communication & Society, King’s College London
• Dr Leonie Ansems de Vries, Reader and Director of the King’s Sanctuary Programme, King’s College London
• Adam Umarji, Youth Development Lead in Manchester, We Belong
• Dr Rebecca Murray, Lecturer, Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield
• Tamana Safi, Researcher, (Re)imagining the Higher Education Border
• Chair: Dr Nicole Mennell, King’s Sanctuary Programme

“Ways of Belonging’ provides sophisticated and empathic insights into how young people whose lives are shaped by legal liminality and an ambivalent national reception navigate these vulnerabilities while concurrently exerting agency. A must-read for developmentalists, educators, policymakers, human rights advocates, or, frankly, anyone with a social conscience.” – Carola Suárez-Orozco, coeditor of ‘Transitions: The Development of Children of Immigrants’