These blog posts are written by GRABS team members, partners and collaborators. The content thus reflects different positions and opinions both within and beyond the project. We want to make this blog, and the GRABS website, an open space for exchange and discussion with any person working with us along the project. If you would like to contribute in any form, please get in touch with us. It can be an article, a commentary or opinion piece, a report from an event, a photo-essay, an illustration, or any other audio-visual media. Enjoy your readings ! The GRABS team
Of fenced playgrounds, happy places, and contained spaces Of fenced playgrounds, happy places, and contained spaces is a reflection from a recent field trip part of the GRABS team did to eThekwini / Durban and eGoli / Johannesburg in South Africa, in early May 2025. I wrote about this influenced by my position and experiences…
DétailsBorders Crafted with Care: Biscuits, Trains and Little Ships The title of this piece is inspired by the packaging of the biscuits provided to our team while staying in Dover during a scoping trip in the UK. The biscuits were called “Borders” with the tagline: “crafted with care”. Besides the irony of biscuits in Dover…
DétailsVeils of Silence : The Hidden Stories of Young Refugee Women in South Africa I have been a refugee in South Africa since 2013. As an activist for refugee rights I have participated in different platforms and events that exposed me to traumatic experiences of refugees and women in particular. What struck me as different in…
DétailsEarly in the morning on March 18, dozens of heavily armed police officers were positioned in front of the Gaîté Lyrique, central Paris, to evict young migrants.
Détails« On the move: Troubling categories of (im)mobility » is inspired from conversations within the GRABS project team, and the horrific, yet hopeful, sight of bird nests built on top of razor wire fences at the entrance of Calais, France. After the original illustration, I made a composite with a long list of these troubling categories and their definitions using various glossaries, encyclopedias, and dictionaries. Finally, I wrote a short commentary piece to accompany the illustration.
DétailsInsights and Challenges at the UK-France Border This blog post shares some initial findings and reflections from our research scoping trip to Calais and Dunkerque at the end of January 2025. By Isabel Morrell At the end of January, our team embarked on a scoping trip to Calais and Dunkerque on the north coast of…
DétailsWhat are the trajectories of those who migrate? What are they like? I was recently asked to contribute my reflections for an arts-based and creative workshop on migrants’ trajectories focusing on the themes of work, family, and housing. I wrote about this influenced by my position and experiences as a male Latino-white, South American with…
DétailsOnly 48% of asylum seekers received accommodation within the French asylum reception system, according to a 2020 report. For many, living on the streets becomes the only option. Without access to housing or resources, they are exposed to extreme precarity, making them vulnerable to various forms of abuse.
DétailsBy Jessi Kume
In April 2022 the UK and Rwanda signed an agreement for the UK to deport people seeking asylum in Britain to Rwanda. The agreement is known as “The Migration and Economic Development Partnership” or simply the Rwanda Plan.
DétailsOn November 7–8, the third joint workshop was held at UVSQ, focusing on ethics in research with forced migrants. The event featured the participation of Professor Nando Sigona and Professor Ilse Van Liempt.
Détails
