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Rebordering Britain & Britons after Brexit

Mapping social science research on Brexit and migration

This fully searchable database lists peer-reviewed journal articles on Brexit and migration published in social science journals since May 2015. It will be updated periodically. For our initial review of this body of work see our 2022 article published in Migration Studies From state of the art to new directions in research what Brexit means for migration and migrants.

578 articles

"Wish you were here"? Geographies of exclusion: young people, coastal towns and marginality
Within youth studies there is a growing body of research that pays attention to the importance of place in shaping young people's identities, life opportunities and intergenerational relationships [Cuervo, H., and J. Wyn. 2014. Farrugia, D. 2014. Woodman, D., and J. Wyn. 2015. ].
(In)visibility, privilege and the performance of whiteness in Brexit Britain: Polish migrants in Britain's shifting migration regime
This intervention explores the experiences of Polish nationals in Britain in the context of the 2016 UK referendum on EU membership (Brexit vote) campaign and result.
(New) Bulgarian Enlighteners and Ambassadors? The Reinvention of National Identity in Times of Crisis
Drawing on empirical data from 37 Bulgarian students and young professionals in the UK, this article explores the intersection of the discourses produced by the European crises and migrants' national identity. In Bulgaria…
(Un)settling home during the Brexit process
Building upon extensive literature on the concept of home, this article uses narrative interviews to argue that home can be (un)settled. The process of (un)settling home can occur in relation to various circumstances such as widowhood, ill health, or geopolitical changes. This article presents (un)…
'By Education I'm Catholic'. The Gender, Religion and Nationality Nexus in the Migration Experience of Polish Men to the UK
To date, the literature on gender and migration continues a longstanding bias towards female over male experiences. Similarly, research on Polish post-EU accession emigration has not sufficiently addressed the male experiences of migration. Drawing on 20 interviews with migrant men…
'High-Skilled Good, Low-Skilled Bad?' British, Polish and Romanian Attitudes Towards Low-Skilled EU Migration
A new skills-based immigration system, with a preference for the highly-skilled, is central to UK policy debates in the Brexit context, arguably responding to majority public opinion on migration. Through qualitative fieldwork with British…
'I Will Not Be Thrown Out of the Country Because I'm an Immigrant': Eastern European Migrants' Responses to Hate Crime in a Semi-Rural Context in the Wake of Brexit
This article examines Eastern European migrants' experiences of and responses to hate crime. Following the UK European Union Membership Referendum ('Brexit' vote), there was an increase in reported hate crimes against immigrants. The study focuses on the experiences of migrants in Lincolnshire…
`I Would Never Have Come If We'd Know It Might Be Like This': On the (Un)Intended Consequences of Welfare Governance of EU Roma Migrants in Britain
This paper presents the findings from a small-scale pilot study which explores the experiences of accessing welfare benefits by the migrant Roma European Union (EU) citizens in the UK.
'Multicultural lunches': sharing food in post-Brexit south coast of England
Food can be considered a substance that brings people together through its material and sensuous qualities, through affecting shared memories of people and place, and through traditions of hospitality. It is a human necessity with multiple levels of communal understanding, and conviviality.
‘Brexit’ and the Scots in England: A diaspora facing uncertainty?
Brexit has brought many uncertainties, including the future position of UK-based EU migrants. Our concern is with a much less studied group, albeit one of the largest socio-political sub-groups within England - the Scots.
‘Brexit’: Consequences for Citizenship of the Union and Residence Rights
On 23 June 2016, the British people decided to leave the European Union (EU). Although the withdrawal process has not yet started, it is not surprising that some concerns have emerged in relation to the situation of British citizens residing outside the United Kingdom (but within the EU)…
‘Scotland's different’: Narratives of Scotland's distinctiveness in the post-Brexit-vote era
While Scotland has been portrayed as an outlier in the context of Brexit, we know relatively little about how ordinary people in Scotland, including a growing migrant population, make sense of this (political and media) narrative. In order to address this gap…
“Eastern Europeans” and BrexLit
This article examines the representations of “Eastern European” migration in contemporary BrexLit, focusing on Adam Thorpe'sMissing Fay(2017), Amanda Craig's The Lie of the Land (2017), Carla Grauls's Occupied (2012), Andrew Muir's The Season (2015), and Agnieszka Dale's short stories.
“Here, There, in between, beyond...”: Identity Negotiation and Sense of Belonging among Southern Europeans in the UK and Germany
Whilst most of the research on intra-EU mobility has mainly focused on the reasons behind young Southern Europeans leaving their home countries, and secondly on their experiences within the new context, little is known about their sense of belonging and identities.
“I Am an Immigrant”: Fashion, Immigration and Borders in the Contemporary Trans-global Landscape
In the light of the Brexit vote, and the recent surge in nationalism and xenophobia in Europe, this article analyses the condition of the immigrant within fashion to pose the question: how can fashion contribute to an understanding of immigration as a constitutive aspect of contemporary society?
“It was the photograph of the little boy”: reflections on the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Programme in the UK
This article examines the “Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Programme” (SVPRP) as a specific British response to the “European refugee crisis”. Based on an analysis of media reporting (2014–17) and empirical evidence from agencies and volunteers tasked with implementing the programme…
“Where are we going to go now?” European Union migrants' experiences of hostility, anxiety, and (non-)belonging during Brexit
This paper examines the impact of the 2016 European Union (EU) referendum and its aftermath from the perspective of European migrants living in Wales. Drawing on interviews conducted with EU nationals in 2016 and 2017…
A Blurred Piece of Jigsaw: On the Status of Jobseekers within the Framework of Directive 2004/38
This article explores the status of jobseeker in Directive 2004/38 that is aimed to simplify and strengthen the right of free movement and residence of all Union citizens. Unlike the categories of economically active and inactive persons…
A computable general equilibrium analysis of Brexit: Barriers to trade and immigration restrictions
This paper estimates the economic effects of different types of restrictions on trade and immigration in the United Kingdom after Brexit. Regarding trade restrictions, we focus on UK-EU increases in tariffs and non-tariff barriers.
A constitutional eyesore after Brexit: EU citizenship and British nationality
In this chapter I explore what happens to British nationals after Brexit in relation to EU citizenship. Some Union citizens will lose their “fundamental status” in 2019: all British nationals of exclusively British nationality.
A critical assessment of the Cyprus protocol annexed to the UK’s withdrawal agreement: The consensual continuation of a metacolonial realm
A European Commission memo mentions that UK’s Withdrawal Agreement covers inter alia ‘a protocol on the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus, protecting the interests of Cypriots who live and work’ there. This paper suggests that this is neither an accurate nor a fair description.
A place in the sun? Healthcare rights of retired UK citizens in Spain post-Brexit
At least 100,000 retired UK citizens currently live in Spain. Under EU law, they are entitled to access the Spanish National Health Service (NHS) with minimum administrative difficulty. What will their legal position be under a 'no-deal Brexit'? This is a question of Spanish law.
A Research Note: The Differential Impact of Threats on Ethnic Prejudice Toward Three Minority Groups in Britain
In this research note we replicate, update and expand innovative research by Sniderman et al. conducted in the Netherlands in the late 1990s…
'A sea of troubles' (2): Brexit and the UK seafood supply chain
The debate over Brexit and the fisheries question has focused very largely on the expected benefits for the UK's fishing industry to the virtual exclusion of potential implications for the seafood supply chain.
A Sudden Loss of Rights
This chapter presents the problem of legal uncertainty afflicting second country nationals in the UK and British citizens turning from expats to post-European third country nationals.
A walk on the ‘rights’ side: EU citizenship reform based on international human rights law
Citizenship, today, is a concept in crisis. At the international level, migration poses significant questions of justice with regard to citizenship as an exclusionary status; while at the regional and domestic level…
Abuse or Underuse? Polish Migrants' Narratives of (Not) Claiming Social Benefits in the UK in Times of Brexit
The use of welfare support by EU migrants has dominated media coverage and political debates about EU migration in the UK for several years, regularly featuring claims about the negative effects of the presence of EU migrants on the UK social security system.
Access to Social Protection by Immigrants, Emigrants and Resident Nationals in the UK
Immigration policies and immigrants’ rights to social protection in the UK have evolved dramatically over the past few decades, due to changing immigration flows, the UK’s membership of the European Union (EU) and participation in the European Single Market…
Acts of European citizenship: how Britons resident in France have been negotiating post-Brexit futures
On 23 June 2016 a referendum decided that the United Kingdom (UK) would leave the European Union (EU) - a process popularly termed 'Brexit'. Withdrawal from the EU will revoke Britons of EU citizenship and its associated rights. For many Britons living in France…
After Brexit: Consequences for the European Union
This topical and important book identifies the short to medium-term economic, financial and social consequences of Brexit. Containing perspectives from leading thinkers across legal, economic and financial fields…
Agreeing to Disagree: The European Union and the United Kingdom after Brexit
Brexit – Withdrawal Agreement – Article 50 TEU – Negotiations – Legal character of agreement – Transition period – ‘New legal order’ – ‘Due regard’ – ECJ jurisdiction – Governance – Enforcement and supervision – Dispute settlement – Future relations
All quiet on the Brexit front? UK civil society before and after the UK’s referendum on membership of the EU
The UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) raises many questions and fears about the future shape of European politics and the rise of right-wing populism across the Union. The roles and deeds of political parties…
Americanising Brexit Britain's Welfare State?
Will the British welfare state revert to an Americanisation trajectory or retain features of the European model after April 2019? After a period of historically prolonged austerity and substantial working age welfare reform…
An `undeliberate determinacy'? The changing migration strategies of Polish migrants in the UK in times of Brexit
This paper reformulates classical questions regarding the plans and strategies of Polish migrants in the UK-such as decisions to leave or remain in the host country, or be `deliberately indeterminate' about future plans-from a sociologically situated `rights-based' perspective.
An interview with Bridget Anderson
In the interview Anderson is discussing the migrant as a political and analytical category and the need to think across the categories of citizen and migrant to challenge the exclusion of the latter group - but also to highlight the interconnectedness of processes of social exclusion and…