Register now for our Annual Elizabeth Colson Lecture: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/elizabeth-colson-lecture-severing-relation-haitian-criminal-deportees-tickets-1987301210417

Our colleagues at the Refugee-led Research Hub recently launched a sparkling new website. The Refugee-led Research Hub supports people with lived experience of displacement to become thought-leaders and changemakers across society. Find out more here: https://refugeeledresearch.org/

#NO_LONGER_REFUGEES: How dignity drives Syrians’ return in the post-Assad era On our blog, DPhil candidate M Muhammed Zeyn shares the initial findings of his research among Syrian returnees.  https://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/blog

Good luck to all our students on the MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies who are taking exams this week! Find out about the MSc course here:

Stability, for now: What Spain’s approval of mass regularisation means for irregular migrants Alessandra Enrico-Headrington considers the impact a recent change in the law will have on irregular migrants in Spain – including those seeking asylum. @compasoxford.bsky.social 

We are looking forward to the start of Trinity term and a new series of in-person public seminars, a film screening and our annual Elizabeth Colson lecture. For those not in Oxford, recordings will be made available where possible after the events. Full details: https://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/events

Trinity term starts next week and we are looking forward to welcoming our new Visiting Fellows. Fellows enrich the academic life of the Refugee Studies Centre through mutual exchange. Read more about them here:  https://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/news/welcoming-our-trinity-term-visiting-fellows

Heads up! This year’s prestigious Elizabeth Colson Lecture will be held at 5pm on 13 May. We are looking forward to Jeffrey S. Kahn's talk. Register here – tickets are limited: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/elizabeth-colson-lecture-severing-relation-haitian-criminal-deportees-tickets-1987301210417

Writing for the Refugee Law Initiative, Visiting Research Fellow Jeff Crisp considers the role that labour mobility programmes might play in the quest to provide refugees with protection and solutions.

Anum Merchant,  MSc in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies alum, has written a blog explaining how India’s refugee protection system operates in the absence of formal legal commitments under international refugee law. 

What obligations do States owe to refugees and what might a more ethical response look like? In his seminar, Dr Bradley Hillier-Smith highlights the limitations of the dominant philosophical approach to understanding obligations to refugees. Listen: https://bit.ly/3PuQqYp

The Evacuations Research Hub @kaldorcentre.bsky.social at UNSW Law & Justice is excited to offer two PhD scholarships in law to examine the role of evacuations in different contexts. Applications due 18 May 2026; details here: www.unsw.edu.au/law-justice/...

What motivates people to volunteer to help refugees? Teams in the UK and Sweden interviewed people who volunteered in the wake of the ‘2015 European Refugee Crisis’. In their seminar, Emeritus Professor Dawn Chatty and Audra Morris discuss the findings. Listen: https://bit.ly/4bNOBgQ

'Prohibition on Forced Displacement, the Right to Leave, Non-Refoulement and the Right to Return: Four Sides of the Same Coin?' Dr Reuven Ziegler's article in the International & Comparative Law Quarterly, reflecting on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza:

The histories and legacies of ‘coolie’ migrants are foundational to Indian diplomacy. In her seminar (and book), Dr Kalathmika Natarajan argues that Indian notions of the international realm were shaped by the prolific if ‘undesirable’ mobility of labourers. Listen: https://bit.ly/4ca6Ygb

The protection of LGBTIQ refugees remains partial and exclusionary. In their seminar (and book) Dr Rebecca Buxton and Dr Samuel Ritholtz expose the shortcomings of an international protection regime that is unable to address the harms that drive displacement Listen: https://bit.ly/4rUzA2y

What impact do the aggressive migration policies of ‘Fortress Europe’ have on European integration? In his seminar Dr Aristel Skrbic considers the connection between migration policies and the ideas and beliefs which underpin the European Union’s constitution. Listen: https://bit.ly/40PAX7N

MSc alum. Yeji Kim has contributed to a report on North Korean state-sponsored forced labour in Russia. Read about 'A Day in the Life of a North Korean State-sponsored Labourer in St. Petersburg, Russia' :

Last chance to apply for our Palestine Refugees and International Law short course, 📍Istanbul, 8-9 May 2026. This course offers a rigorous examination of the Palestinian refugee case through the lens of international human rights and refugee law.  https://bit.ly/4uPcGfC

Over the past decades thousands of people from Afghanistan have risked their lives to seek safety in Europe. In her seminar, Dr Hannah Pool discusses the economic interactions and social relationships whichr facilitate undocumented migration routes: Listen: https://bit.ly/4uScjRx

Applications close soon for our Palestine Refugees and International Law short course: 📍 In person | Istanbul 📅 8-9 May 2026 The course is led by world-leading experts, Emeritus Professor Dawn Chatty & Clinical Professor Susan M Akram. More info: https://bit.ly/4uPcGfC

For our final public seminar of Hilary Term we were delighted to host Dr Elizabeth Mavropoulou for a talk on ‘Responsibility Sharing in International Refugee Law: Towards Common but Differentiated Legal Obligations’. Listen to this seminar and explore our collection: https://bit.ly/4t7xLAi

What motivates people to offer a welcome and support for refugees? Emeritus Professor Dawn Chatty outlines her research into the motivations of refugee-supporting volunteers in Sweden and the UK, and highlights defiance of state policy and practice as a motivation. https://bit.ly/4bwvPLU

Hilary Term is over and spring is here! Time to take a break and 🎧 listen to a podcast. You can find last term's seminars, and our archive, on soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/refugeestudiescentre/sets/hilary-2026 Special thanks to our expert speakers this term for sharing their insights.

Palestine Refugees and International Law short course – in Istanbul! Due to government advisories against travel to Lebanon, we have moved our short course on Palestine Refugees and International Law from Beirut to Istanbul, 8-9 May. Sign up now to secure a place: https://bit.ly/4uPcGfC

The March 2026 International Online School in Forced Migration is now underway, bringing together participants from across the world for five days of teaching, discussion and critical reflection on key debates in refugee and forced migration studies.🌍 #ForcedMigration #RefugeeStudies

Hostile systems are designed to strip us of feeling. Creativity defies that attempt. Our co-director @mfbosworth.bsky.social is hosting this exciting event in two weeks time. Join us in Oxford/ online on 16 March to find out more about artists and activists opposing and documenting border control👇

Congratulations to @molly-fee.bsky.social on the publication of her new book! "essential reading for anyone interested in responses to refugees." – Matthew J. Gibney, Elizabeth Colson Professor of Politics and Forced Migration, University of Oxford

What can alumni take away from the International Online School in Forced Migration? Safoora Cheriki reflects on learning about refugee rights, trauma, support systems and policy through teaching from leading Oxford scholars. 📅16-20 March I🌍Online 🔗Apply here: www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/study/intern...

This Wednesday, we will welcome @elizabeth-mav.bsky.social for a talk on: ‘Responsibility Sharing in International Refugee Law: Towards Common but Differentiated Legal Obligations’ Join us! 📍Oxford Department for International Development  📅 5pm-6pm, 11 March 2026 Registration not required

A defining feature of the International Online School in Forced Migration is its global classroom. Participants join from across continents, bringing diverse experiences & perspectives into conversation. Join a global learning community this March. Learn more: www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/study/intern...

#InternationalWomensDay 2026 arrives at a critical juncture for the international protection of refugees. As @catbriddick.bsky.social  explains, it offers an opportunity to celebrate hard-won gains, but those gains remain fragile and contested. https://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/blog/doubt-to-denial-IWD2026

What do states and societies owe refugees? In the International Online School in Forced Migration, Prof Matthew Gibney explores how different ideas of responsibility shape refugee protection and what refugees are owed. 📅 16-20 March 2026 🌍 Online 🔗Join us: www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/study/intern...

Refugee Stories, a film produced by our Refugee Economies Programme, will have its premiere on 26 March in Leuven (Belgium), as part of the Docville Festival. Watch the trailer and buy tickets:

Deportation from the US: the risks for stateless people. On our blog, Visiting Fellow Alice Neikirk analyses the data and highlights human rights concerns about the deportation of stateless people – such as Bhutanese refugees – who may be at risk of persecution. https://f.mtr.cool/pjbyvveitj

'Grounding the Components of an Ethical Response to Refugees' – join us this Wednesday for an in-person public seminar with Dr Bradley Hillier Smith (University of St Andrews). 📍Oxford Department for International Development  📅 5pm, 4 March Registration not required

Alumni spotlight: Al-Rahim Moosa reflects on the International Online School in Forced Migration, noting that as “protection spaces shrink,” the programme reaffirmed the global imperative to protect displaced people. 📅 16-20 Mar 2026 | 🌍 Online Learn more: www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/study/intern...

Core module: International Law & Refugee Protection At the International Online School in Forced Migration, participants explore refugee protection law in practice and the challenges of ensuring rights on the ground today. 📅 16-20 Mar 2026 🌍 Online 🔗Apply: www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/study/intern...

Congratulations to the recipients of the Gil Loescher Memorial Fund Award 2026, Teresa Irigoyen-Lopez, Ouzra Karimi and Muhammed Zeyn! The fund supports research with a connection to refugees or forced displacement. Read about their research projects here:

What went wrong in November 2021 what at least 31 people were left to drown in the English Channel? On our blog, Desislava Dimitrova discusses the Boat Charlie tragedy and the legal obligations of States to uphold the right to life. https://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/blog/boat-charlie-and-the-right-to-life

We are looking forward to tomorrow's public seminar with RSC Emeritus Professor Dawn Chatty: Anthropology of Good: Exploring Volunteerism in the 2015 European Refugee Crisis  📍Oxford Department for International Development 📅 5pm-6pm, 25 Feb  Registration not required www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/events

Alumni Spotlight: International Online School in Forced Migration Sarrinah Tanveer reflects on the December 2025 Online School, describing a session on Syria and the human realities behind displacement as “deeply transformative.” Applications open for March 2026: www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/study/intern...

Coolie Migrants, Indian Diplomacy: Caste, Class, and Indenture Abroad, 1914-67– with Dr Kalathmika Natarajan (University of Exeter). Join us for a public seminar this Wednesday. 📍Oxford Department for International Development  📅 5pm-6pm, 18 Feb Registration not required

What does meaningful inclusion in decision making look like for young refugees and migrants? On our blog, MSc student Zachary Sessa and researcher Grace Amigo Pérez explain how a photovoice research intervention in Chile has amplified young people’s agency and advocacy.  https://bit.ly/3MCGmLO

We are delighted to share details of a new fully-funded scholarship for graduate students with lived experience of forced displacement who wish to pursue a DPhil at the Refugee Studies Centre.  More info: https://bit.ly/4adirMb

We look forward to the launch for The Way Out: Justice in the Queer Search for Refuge. Join Samuel Ritholtz & Rebecca Buxton for a discussion of the complexities of queer and trans displacement around the world. 📍The Old Library, All Souls College 📅 5pm-6pm, 12 Feb Registration not required

What are the key issues in forced migration today? Borders, state responsibility, protection and refugee participation raise complex questions. The International Online School in Forced Migration creates space for debate. Apply here: www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/study/intern... Photo © Raphael Bradenbrink

The International Online School in Forced Migration brings together people working on displacement, from policy and research to frontline practice and advocacy. A week to step back, reflect and learn with others in the field. Apply here : www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/study/intern... ©OUImages/Whitaker Studio

Join us tomorrow for an in-person public seminar with Dr Aristel Skrbic The price of Fortress Europe: Critical reflections on the EU’s migration policies and constitutional horizons 📍Oxford Department for International Development 📅 5pm, 4 Feb Registration not required www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/events

Working in forced migration often means responding to urgent needs and tight timelines. Yet where is the space to step back and engage critically with the issues shaping displacement today? The International Online School in Forced Migration offers that space. www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/study/intern...