Student Spotlight: Introducing Border Criminologies Student Chapter

Guest post by Megan Murphy. Megan has just completed her second year studying law at the University of Bristol, and is currently interested in nationality, human rights, and humanitarian law. From August she will be continuing her studies in Denmark at Aarhus University, hoping to gain a comparative perspective in these areas. 

I am delighted to introduce the newly formed Border Criminologies Student Chapter, aimed at engaging with and educating young people on issues of international border control. We operate as an independent offshoot of the wider Border Criminologies network, but maintain strong functional links to the central organisation.

The Student Chapter was initially formed by six undergraduate law students at The University of Bristol, yet we have already begun to expand, connecting to likeminded young people from other universities, institutions, and areas. Whilst studying British Immigration, Nationality and Citizenship law under Border Criminologies’ own Dr Devyani Prabhat, we became increasingly aware of how little we actually knew about and understood the law, policy and reality of border control. Supported and encouraged by Dr Sanja Milivojevic we formed the chapter, with a view to start working on the demystification and better understanding of international border control – something which we ourselves are still grappling with. The field is complex and often confusing for young people, even to those of us who have spent time studying it. Legislation is convoluted and intricate, policies and circumstances are rapidly changing and there is no universalisation of the treatment of those experiencing border control. We hope that by breaking down these issues in an approachable and engaging way, we can make the area of international border control more accessible to young people like ourselves, and encourage others to take interest and take action.

As a student-led group, we will be contributing to the main Border Criminologies blog via our own ‘Student Spotlights’ section. These pieces will give insight into our areas of special interest, explore important topics, and give our perspective on issues such as border control, detention and the like. We welcome submissions from young people who wish to join the discussion and contribute to these spotlights. Alongside the Student Spotlights, we will be running regular events which bring together interested individuals, hoping to encourage collaborative conversation and education. Our affiliation with Border Criminologies is an invaluable link, providing us with access to a vast worldwide experience and audience, thus enabling us to widen our own network. We have already begun to expand the chapter, having held meetings and opened discussions with likeminded young people in similar areas of study. We intend to develop these informal collaborations, by providing an approachable platform through which to create informative discussions on issues we are all passionate about. Additionally, we intend to hold regular events with guest speakers and panellists from Border Criminoloigies and beyond – connecting young people to career opportunities (whether that be through fieldwork, academia, legal work or other migration-related careers), academic discussion, and providing another access point through which to investigate important border control issues and explore alternative solutions.

Ultimately, our goal is simple: enhance, encourage and facilitate educational discussion on issues of international border control for young people. We hope you will engage with our new chapter and participate in our discussions in order to help us achieve this objective.

All of our events, posts and actions will be made accessible via our social media accounts (Twitter and Instagram), mailing list, and newsletter (subscribe here: https://linktr.ee/bordercriminologiessc). We can also be reached with any enquiries or blog submissions via our email (bordercrimstudentchapter@gmail.com). Please do not hesitate to contact us and get involved in our border control conversations.

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