CMD: The Crisis of Migration Discourse - A Participatory Approach for a New Lexicon of Migration

Funding body: Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe (CHANSE), co-created by HERA and NORFACE research networks. 

Research consortium

Project leaders

  • Roza Tsagarousianou, University of Westminster, United Kingdom
  • Anne Vestergaard, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
  • Alicia Ferrández Ferrer, Universidad de Alicante, Spain
  • Hélène Thiollet, CNRS CERI Sciences Po, France

Co-PI

  • Federico Faloppa, University of Reading, United Kingdom
  • Federica Mazzara, University of Westminster, United Kingdom

Associate partners

  • Nazek Ramadan, Executive Director, Migrant Voice, UK
  • Mari D’Agostino Full Professor of “Linguistica italiana” Coordinator of “Italian Language School, ITASTRA, Italy
  • Francesca Pieraccini, General Director, COSPE, Italy

Project overview

The research consortium brings together institutions and organisations from five European countries to advocate and promote a fairer lexicon of migration that aims to challenge current discourses and practices of migration management across Europe. This will be achieved through four modules carried out by collaborating research teams across each of the five countries.

Beginning with module one, the research teams will examine and compare how institutional narratives link migration to crises, illegality and criminality across Europe. The second module will work with migrants to create an alternative Lexicon on migration that is informed by their own experiences, while module three will work with stakeholders in education, journalism and advocacy to test integration and empowerment strategies for their new lexicon.

The project will conclude with the development of a training programme in module four, which will consist of a Toolkit for Action, online training workshops and YouTube training videos to provide guidance for educators, media and policymakers to shift the current negative narratives of migration.

Visit CMD’s webpage on HERA for more information about this project.