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Dr John Campbell will give a talk on his new book Bureaucracy, Law and Dystopia in the United Kingdom's Asylum System.

About the speaker

Dr Campbell, Reader in the Anthropology of Africa and Law, is a social anthropologist at the School of Oriental & African Studies, London. He has undertaken fieldwork in Ghana, Tanzania, Ethiopia and the UK; he has also undertaken development consultancy work in Ethiopia, Kenya and Botswana. During 2007-2009 he was engaged in research on the United Kingdom's asylum system, which has resulted in numerous papers and two recent books: Nationalism, Law and Statelessness. Grand Illusions in the Horn of Africa (Routledge, 2014) and Bureaucracy, Law and Dystopia in the UK's Asylum System (Routledge, 2017).

About the book

The central concern of this book is to find answers to fundamental questions about the British asylum system and how it operates. Based on ethnographic research over a two-year period, the work follows and analyses numerous asylum appeals through the British courts. A specific focus lies on the ‘political’ factors at play as different institutions and actors seek to influence judicial decision-making and overturn/uphold official asylum policy. Providing an in-depth ethnographic study of a national asylum system and of immigration law and practice, the book will be an invaluable resource for academics, researchers and policy-makers in the UK and beyond working in this highly topical area.

Annual Harrell-Bond Lecture

The Annual Harrell-Bond Lecture is named in honour of Dr Barbara Harrell-Bond, the founding Director of the Refugee Studies Centre. It is held each year in Michaelmas term.

Annual Elizabeth Colson Lecture

The Annual Elizabeth Colson Lecture is held in Trinity term. It is named after Professor Elizabeth Colson, a renowned anthropologist.

Public Seminar Series

Each term the RSC holds a series of public seminars, held on Wednesday evenings at Queen Elizabeth House. Click here for details of forthcoming seminars.

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Forthcoming events

A celebration of the life of David Turton

Saturday, 20 July 2024, 2pm to 3pm @ The Crypt Cafe, St Peters Church, Northchurch Terrace, London N1 4DA