'Migrants in the City' Conference

Sheffield Speaks: In an age of mobility and migration: what sort of city do we aspire to be? Filmed live at the Cutlers Hall in Sheffield, this debate includes discussions on how Sheffield fits into current national and international migration trends, and looks at how changing populations may affect the city of Sheffield.

Ronald Van Kempen is a Professor of Urban Geography at the Faculty of Geosciences of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Here, he offers his views on how academics can assist with the worldwide issue of migration. Ronalds' research focuses on urban spatial segregation, urban diversity, social exclusion and minority ethnic groups.

Talk from Dr Jonathan Darling, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Manchester. Jonathan is running an ESRC funded project, exploring the experiences of the asylum dispersal and accomodation programme in the UK. http://www.producingurbanasylum.com/

Dr Teresa Piacentini is Teacher in Sociology at the University of Glasgow. Teresa's research focuses on the broad area of migration studies.

Comment from Madeleine Sumption, who is Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford. The Migration Observatory provides impartial, independent, authoritative, evidence-based analysis of data on migration and migrants in the UK, to inform media, public and policy debates, and to generate high quality research on international migration and public policy issues.

Dr Oliver Bakewell is the Co-Director and Associate Professor of the International Migration Institute, Oxford University. Over the last century, rural-urban migration has played a major part in the growth of African cities, stimulating many debates about people’s cultural values and social practices changes as they move to urban areas. More recently, there has been much concern about the role of some African cities as a transit point prior to international migration - the city as a stepping stone. Despite (or perhaps because of) having no policy, ‘integration’ is taking place and people are becoming part of new societies, contributing to the diversity and dynamism of many African cities.

Dr Paula Meth describes some of the research being done at the University of Sheffield in the area of migration, before introducing Dr Oliver Bakewell.

Dr Oliver Bakewell offers a brief insight into the migration debate in Sub-Saharan Africa at the governance level.

Abdi-aziz Sulieman came to the UK and to Sheffield as a child as an asylum seeker from Somalia. As President of our Students' Union (2012-2013) he co-founded our #WeAreInternational campaign with the Vice-Chancellor.

Professor Gill Valentine is the Pro Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Sheffield. In this plenary address, Professor Valentine reflects on the concept of insecurity defined as 'the capacity to hurt'.

Good Governance and good values: building partnerships for confident communities. The Rt Hon Charles Clarke was MP for Norwich South from 1997 to 2010, most notably being Secretary of State for Education and Skills between 2002 - 2004, and then Home Secretary until 2006. The best way to enable the process of migration to take place successfully is through the building of strong partnerships between public authorities and voluntary organisations in order to address the very real practical challenges that migration offers for both migrants and the receiving communities. This requires innovative and creative approaches.

Sir David Warren, former British Ambassador to Japan introduces Charles Clarke ahead of his keynote speech.

Former journalist John Yates speaks to Charles Clarke ahead of his keynote speech at the conference. Charles is questioned on the state of migration in the UK at the moment, and prospects for his Labour party going forward.

Professor Audrey Singer is a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. In this plenary address, Professor Singer offers a view of migration in the United States, looking at how there are now more immigrants living in suburban communities than cities.

Professor Audrey Singer is a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. She offers a brief overview of the current state of migration in the United States at a policy level.

Professor Andrew Geddes is a Professor of Politics, and is the Co-Director of the Migration Research Group at the University of Sheffield. He outlines some themes of the conference, and introduces the first speaker.

Abdi-aziz Sulieman came to the UK and to Sheffield as a child as an asylum seeker from Somalia. As President of our Students' Union (2012-2013) he co-founded our #WeAreInternational campaign with the Vice-Chancellor.

Ronald Van Kempen is a Professor of Urban Geography at the Faculty of Geosciences of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Here, he offers his views on how academics can assist with the worldwide issue of migration. Ronalds' research focuses on urban spatial segregation, urban diversity, social exclusion and minority ethnic groups.

Sophie Hinger is a Scientific Associate at the Department of Geography at University of Osnabruck, Germany. Sophie is a researcher at the Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies.

Dr Ilse van Liempt works as an Assistant Professor in Qualitative Research Methods in the Human Geography Department, Utrecht University, Netherlands. Ilse's research interests are centred around mobility, migration, human smuggling and trafficking, human rights, refugees, surveillance, gender, identity and belonging, public space and qualitative reserach methods.