Introduction: When Displacement Studies Meets “Hostile Environment” Politics

Debates about displacement and borders have undergone a jolting series of changes in the United Kingdom in the past two decades but especially in recent years. Under Conservative Party governments, the UK has been firmly implanted in global conversations as a country proudly in denial of its imperial tendencies, with post-Brexit anti-migrant racism dominating media airwaves. The Illegal Migration Bill—violating UK and international law—has been a touchstone of emotionally-charged debate, and can be unpacked through many critical lenses. Yet, beyond the most violent forms of anti-migrant rhetoric, there are also diverse subtle forms of political violence that lurk. Colonialism remains rife in even common critiques of problematic policy and also in how universities routinely function. Critical literatures stress the need for reflection on how universities and university-based activities relate to state logics and represent borders, cultures and “intercultural” educational pursuits amid violent changes. In this short introduction, we offer some background on what led to our project—a team of people from Iraq, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, India, Italy, Canada and beyond—all involved in teaching a “Displacement” course in the UK during tumultuous times. The influences of Brexit are just some of the pressures that shaped our critical explorations in teaching and our experimentation with various pedagogies. Here we offer an introduction that situates attention on anti-migrant rhetoric within a wider set of critical learning trajectories around displacement and borders, seeking to better understand social challenges, geopolitical representations, alternative epistemologies and pedagogical methodologies. As we were writing this book, the world’s attention was drawn to violent events on and after October 7 and the repeated displacements and ongoing suffering of some 2 million people in Gaza, prompting widespread actions on campuses worldwide; debates emerged on how to think/not think about Western-backed crimes and atrocities across the occupied Palestinian territories. In addressing displacement and border politics, we ask: “what is the role of the university?” and offer a brief outline of the structure of this book.