[Commlist] CFP for Windrush event at DMU

Call for papers:  Discourses of immigration and citizenship: from 
Windrush to Brexit

Thursday 27th June 2019

De Montfort University, Leicester

The media coverage of the Brexit Referendum in 2016 focused 
disproportionately upon the notion that Britain close its borders and 
reduce immigration if the country left European Union.  Media discourse 
on the issues of immigration, race and ethnicity are best described as 
negative, whilst Government policies on immigration, appear to promote a 
hostile environment in order to deter potential immigrants. This 
discourse is not new, sixty years ago when the Windrush generation 
arrived in Britain they faced discrimination, prejudice and last year, a 
number of them who had arrived legally, most likely as children, were  
been removed from the UK because they were unable to prove they had a 
right to remain.

So what if anything has changed in the intervening years since Empire 
Windrush docked in 1948 bringing to the UK hundreds of Caribbean 
migrants? What parallels are there between the media discourse of 
Windrush and newer migrants from Eastern Europe or further afield?  Does 
post-Brexit Britain mean incidents like Windrush will be legitimised as 
the UK takes control of who is welcome in the country?

Although post Brexit immigration policies still remain worryingly 
unclear there is the possibility that people already in the UK under the 
Freedom of Movement Act will be required to prove their status. 
Therefore this conference examines media discourse on Brexit, and asks 
has it enabled racism and anti-immigration attitudes to flourish in 
British society? How does this discourse de-legitimise people’s 
histories and their political claim to British citizenship?

To mark Windrush Day, the MeCCSA Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial 
Network, in collaboration with The Stephen Lawrence Research Centre, at 
De Montfort University examine if and how the media discourse on 
immigration has changed and evolved or have people’s personal narratives 
and right to live freely regardless of their background been taken away? 
To tackle these issues requires the consideration of political policies, 
histories and the media narrative.

Key note Speaker TBC

Academic papers are invited to explore (but not limited to) the 
following topics:

Please email a 200 word abstract and a short bio to (meccsarace /at/ gmail.com) 
by Friday 3rd May 2019.

Following a review of abstract notifications will be made by Friday 18th 
May.

What legacies should be commemorated on Windrush Day?

What are the different legacies of Windrush? And what lessons can be 
learnt from it?

Is there a relationship between Windrush and Brexit? Ie commonalities 
and similarities.

How do people’s attitudes to immigration help us to understand society 
and media?

Has reporting on Windrush, immigration, citizenship and race enabled 
racism and prejudice to be normalized?

What does the discourse on immigration suggest for power relations in 
terms of gender and race?

What frameworks are required to address issues around race and 
discrimination following Windrush and post Brexit?

How do the media use immigration as a tool for racism in their discourse?

Immigration/citizenship what are challenges and issues facing newer and 
other minority communities.

Please email abstracts to (meccsarace /at/ gmail.com).  Any questions or 
queries please direct to (gaujla-sidhu /at/ dmu.ac.uk). This is a free event

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