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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.

646 articles

The organizational implications of Brexit
This point-of-view article examines the organizational implications of the UK's exit from the European Union (Brexit). We identify the effects of Brexit on firms' transaction costs in cross-border trade within Europe and highlight the importance of EU residency to secure licenses to operate.
The dark side of onward migration: Experiences and strategies of Italian-Bangladeshis in the UK at the time of the post-Brexit referendum
Drawing on multisited qualitative research in Italy and the UK, this paper documents the dark side of onward migration and the experiences faced by Italian-Bangladeshis in the UK after the Brexit referendum. The findings show that compared to their position in Italy…
Racial profiling in immigration control
This article assesses how the discriminatory practice of racial profiling exists and can undermine a human rights-based system of immigration control in Northern Ireland. Post-Brexit there is a possibility that this practice may increase in Northern Ireland…
So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye: the UK's withdrawal package
The United Kingdom left the European Union at midnight CET on 31 January 2020. This article provides a critical analysis of the Withdrawal Package concluded by the Union and the UK. As regards the Withdrawal Agreement designed to facilitate an orderly departure, we analyse the provisions on:
Residential trajectories of high-skilled transnational migrants in a global city: Exploring the housing choices of Russian and Italian professionals in London
This paper explores the residential trajectories of highly skilled transnational migrants in London. It analyses this under-researched topic by drawing on interview data with 32 mostly Italian and Russian migrants.
Polish migrant settlement without political integration in the United Kingdom and Ireland: a comparative analysis in the context of Brexit and thin European citizenship
Following EU enlargement in 2004, the United Kingdom and Ireland experienced large-scale migration from Poland and other new EU states.
Rural policy after Brexit
The impacts of Brexit on rural England will be far reaching, although only the impacts on agriculture tend to be considered by researchers and by government. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities which Brexit presents for renewal of rural policy in England.
Racialized Affectivities of (Un)Belonging: Mixed (Race) Couples in the Shadow of Brexit
This paper explores the affective economy of (un)belonging, revealed by the UK decision to withdraw from the European Union (EU). Emerging social science research on so-called `Brexit' focuses on the anticipated effects of a stricter UK immigration regime on the lives of EU citizens and families.
Social policy review 29: Analysis and debate in social policy, 2017
This edition presents an up-to-date and diverse review of the best in social policy scholarship over the past 12 months, from a group of internationally renowned authors. This collection offers a comprehensive discussion of some of the most challenging issues facing social policy today…
Response to `Brexit, Archaeology and Heritage: Reflections and Agendas'
This paper is a response to the Brexit, Heritage and Archaeology workshop, run at UCL in May 2017 and focuses on one of the areas where Brexit will affect heritage research and archaeology in practical terms -immigration.
Political activism across the life course
The study of political activism has neglected people's personal and social relationships to time. Age, life course and generation have become increasing important experiences for understanding political participation and political outcomes (e.g. Brexit)…
Scala Civium: Citizenship Templates Post-Brexit and the European Union's Duty to Protect EU Citizens
Brexit opened the way for the restoration' of British sovereignty and, if an EEA model (or an EEA-like model) is not chosen following the activation of Article 50 TEU, EU citizens settled in the UK will be requested to apply for either UK nationality or permanent leave to remain.
Racism and xenophobia experienced by Polish migrants in the UK before and after Brexit vote
In recent years the public discourses on Polish migration in the UK have rapidly turned hostile, especially in the context of economic crisis in 2008, and subsequently after the EU referendum in 2016.
Social transnationalism in an unsettled continent
Introducing the collection and the EUCROSS survey on which it is based, the chapter argues for a distinct focus on growing social transnationalism in Europe, despite the widespread gloom about the political fortune of the European Union. Everyday cross-border practices, both physical and virtual…
Rethinking “community” relationally: Polish communities in Scotland before and after Brexit
Community is a nebulous, contested concept in geography spanning research on social networks, encounters, mobilities, citizenship and belonging. However, its use as a discursive trope in public, policy and academic work points to continued relevance as an analytical category…
Political ideologies: Their origins and impact
Comprehensive yet accessible, this classic text, now in its thirteenth edition follows the evolution of political thought over 300 years. Organized chronologically, this text examines each ideology within a political, historical, economic, and social context.
Scotland and Brexit: Citizenship, Identity and Belonging
This article is the editorial introduction to the Special Issue of Scottish Affairs on Scotland and Brexit: Citizenship, Identity and Belonging. Here we outline the key themes and concerns of the Special Issue and contextualise the various contributions that follow.
Recognising British Bodies: The Significance of Race and Whiteness in `Post-Racial' Britain
This article examines the significance of race in how nation is articulated by the white middle-classes in `post-racial' Britain. In doing so…
Rethinking unity in diversity: the potential of European identity in rapidly diversifying societies
Europe seems deeply divided due to recent crises such as the EURO crisis and the Brexit. Moreover, the EU seems unable to entice its citizens and the construction of a shared European identity seems more distant than ever. Yet, in this paper…
Post-Brexit models and migration policies: Possible citizenship and welfare implications for EU nationals in the UK
Immigration from the European Union (EU) to Britain and the assumption of ‘benefit tourism’ were some of the driving factors behind the Leave vote in the Brexit Referendum. Amid the uncertainty and complexity of Brexit…
Scotland and Brexit: Identity, Belonging and Citizenship in uncertain times
This article offers some reflections on the lessons readers might take from the papers in this special issue. These are framed through consideration of three key themes: Scottishness, nationhood and national identity; the search for belonging…
Reflecting on Brexit: migration myths and what comes next for EU migrants in the UK?
This article considers the potential impact of Brexit on the family and welfare entitlement of EU migrants living in the UK and of UK migrants living in other EU Member States. Whilst the vast majority of those campaigning for the UK to leave the EU (publicly at least)…
Retirement Migration in Europe: A Choice for a Better Life?
This article examines the impact of economic inequalities on the individual choices that North European retirees make when they migrate to Mediterranean countries. It considers a group of retired and early-retired migrants who live permanently in Spain and have limited economic resources.
Post-Brexit views of European Union doctors on their future in the NHS: a qualitative study
Background/aim Following large-scale surveys suggesting that large proportions of European doctors are considering leaving the National Health Service (NHS) following the Brexit referendum, this was the first qualitative study assessing if, and how, Brexit has affected European Union (EU)…
Secular states in a "security community": The migration-terrorism nexus?
This article discusses the disintegration paradox as set against the backdrop of the Brexit referendum and the migration crisis in Europe. In face of an apparent inability effectively to address the challenge of migration, and tested by disintegrative dynamics of which Brexit is just one example…
Reflexive practice in live sociology: lessons from researching Brexit in the lives of British citizens living in the EU-27
This paper brings reflexivity into conversation with debates about positionality and live sociology to argue for reflexivity to be reimagined as an enduring practice that is collaborative, responsible, iterative, engaged, agile and creative.
Return labour migration: an exploratory study of Polish migrant workers from the UK hospitality industry
Incoming labour migration represents an important research field, especially in the context of East-Central Europe, a key source region of labour migrants to the tourism and hospitality sectors of many Western economies, including the UK. Surprisingly…
Postimperial Melancholia and Brexit
The lead-up to and the aftermath of the 2016 referendum on the United King-dom's membership in the European Union have been characterized by particular psychic reactions and affective states: shock, perplexity, anxiety, guilt, paranoia, anger, depression, delusion, and manic elation.
Seeds of systemic corruption in the post-Brexit UK
Purpose: This study aims to assess the risks of systematisation of corruption in the UK following the Brexit referendum. Design/methodology/approach: The study applies theoretical and empirical findings of criminological, social, psychological…
Refugee fictions: Brexit and the maintenance of borders in the European union
This chapter examines the key cultural issue that defined the 2016 EU referendum: immigration. By analysing short stories concerning the Syrian refugee crisis…
Reverting trajectories? UKIP's organisational and discursive change after the Brexit referendum
The article focuses on the transformation of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) after the 2016 Brexit referendum. It describes how, after securing its chief political demand…
Preconditions of sustainable entrepreneurship: Estimating of Brexit scenarios impact on macroeconomic environment
Sustainability of entrepreneurial activities is determined on array of factors. Smart, skillful management remains among the most important preconditions of successful development of financially healthy business enterprise.
Senior Citizens and the European Union. A Romanian Perspective
The general goal of this paper is to study senior Romanian citizens' EU attitudes after ten years of European membership, with a special focus on the unsolved tension between the instrumental and symbolic perspectives. By looking at the present context…
Refugees, Migrants, Windrush and Brexit
Immigration famously emerged as one of the more compelling factors influencing the Brexit vote, and Yasmin Khan looks at how this has played into the wider politics of ethnic diversity in Britain, feeding directly into the divisive ‘Windrush’ scandal of the spring of 2018.
Revisiting geographies of temporalities: The significance of time in migrant responses to Brexit
In this article, we look at the role of time and temporalities in migrant responses to the result of the 2016 European Union referendum in the United Kingdom, that is, Brexit. Although some attention has been paid to affective “first reactions” to Brexit…
Profiles of registrant dentists and policy directions from 2000 to 2020
Introduction The National Health Service's reliance on overseas doctors and nurses, unlike dentists, has been widely reported. As the United Kingdom (UK) leaves the European Union, an understanding of the migration trends and possible influences are important to inform future planning.