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The issue of unaccompanied young migrants and refugees ‘disappearing’ in EU countries is of great international concern, with 10,000 minors  estimated to have disappeared in 2015 alone and thousands more as they turn 18. Unaccompanied young migrants usually have clear ideas about the objective of their migration/migratory project, shaped by their subjective ideas and those of family members and social networks. These tend to relate to safety, work, education or social network/family reunification or a combination of these. These projects are dynamic and change over time in response to subjective and structural factors. Drawing on 60 interviews with unaccompanied young migrants and refugees in cities in the UK and Italy, stakeholder interviews and participant observation in reception centres, this paper argues that the different ‘welfare constellations’ and support set-ups in the two contexts are more favourable to certain migratory projects over others. These welfare constellations appear to be shaped, in part, by the national immigration control and welfare regimes. Young migrants are aware of such differences and make decisions, take risks and migrate onwards accordingly over time. This challenges the myth of a common European system for unaccompanied minors and has important implications for how young migrants and refugees engage with and understand the welfare state in a context of increasing surveillance and immigration control.

Contact

For any enquiries about this event, please contact Susanna Power at vfp@qeh.ox.ac.uk.

Annual Elizabeth Colson Lecture

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

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.

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

Conflict Refugees: European Union Law and Practice

Wednesday, 13 November 2024, 5pm to 6pm @ Seminar Room 1, Oxford Department of International Development, 3 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TB

NGO Refugee Advocacy: Strengths, Weaknesses and Challenges

Wednesday, 20 November 2024, 5pm to 6pm @ Seminar Room 1, Oxford Department of International Development, 3 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TB

Anthropology of Good: Exploring Volunteerism in the 2015 European Refugee Crisis

Wednesday, 27 November 2024, 5pm to 6pm @ Seminar Room 1, Oxford Department of International Development, 3 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TB

Rewriting Refugee Law: Centring Refugee Knowledges and Lived Experiences

Wednesday, 04 December 2024, 5pm to 6pm @ Seminar Room 1, Oxford Department of International Development, 3 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TB