On 20-21 November 2023 UCC Futures: Collective Social Futures hosted a Festival of Social Science, including the launch of Professor Louise Ryan's new book, Social Networks and Migration: Relocations, Relationships and Resources; an evening of music and performance (see below); and a full-day symposium showcasing social science research across UCC. Music and Performance On 20 November, Collective Social Futures was delighted to host an evening of music, theatre and the spoken word that addressed important social science themes, including migration, climate change and sustainability, female empowerment, and gender issues. The line-up for the evening was as follow: World music from Citadel Performance poet Will Keohane Hip-hop group Misneach UCC Department of Theatre students presented Climate Change Theatre Action - short play readings including The Polar Bears and Magical Fungi in Times Square. 

On 20-21 November 2023 UCC Futures: Collective Social Futures hosted a Festival of Social Science, including a book launch (see below); an evening of music and performance; and a full-day symposium showcasing social science research across UCC.

'Navigating the hostile environment - Afghan evacuees in London'  Speaker: Professor Louise Ryan, London Metropolitan University  Abstract Following the dramatic evacuation from Kabul airport in August 2021, the British government proclaimed its commitment to a ‘warm welcome’ for Afghans. This paper draws on original qualitative research to explore the emerging experiences of evacuees, and other recent arrivals, during their first year in London. Using the narratives of our Afghans participants, as well as insights from key stakeholders, we show how they navigated slow, opaque bureaucratic processes and lack of communication with official agencies. As a result of these lengthy processes, many thousands of evacuees remained in temporary hotel accommodation for 2 years. The paper argues that the ad hoc response of the Home Office and the Foreign Office has created ‘false distinctions’ between categories of Afghan refugees, reinforcing notions of ‘deserving’ versus ‘underserving’ migrants. This distinction allows the British government to present itself as humanitarian, ‘rescuing’ people from Afghanistan, while simultaneously maintaining its commitment to the ‘hostile immigration environment’.