Department of Development Studies

London International Development Centre Migration Leadership Team

About

The London International Development Centre Migration Leadership Team (LIDC-MLT) is funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council and Arts and Humanities Research Council  to develop a shared and participatory global strategy for identifying and supporting migration research.

The LIDC-MLT is convening a series of Global Migration Conversations in locations including Nairobi, Delhi, Beirut, New York, London and Brussels, to assess the scope, achievements and challenges of the existing portfolio of global migration research; to identify strategic opportunities and priorities for further research; and to highlight best practice in the area of impact. Each conversation will bring together and provide networking opportunities for researchers, policy-makers, practitioners, migrants’ associations and arts organisations.

The conversations are one of several sources that will feed into the LIDC-MLT's work alongside:

  • A review of the existing UKRI-funded migration research portfolio
  • Our participation in the global migration studies community and events
  • Desk-based research mapping the state of global migration research
  • One-to-one meetings with key stakeholders in the field. This process will culminate in the drafting of a co-produced 5-year strategy to inform UKRI-funded research which will be made available for on-line consultation and finalised by the end of 2019.

Other secondary outputs will include: an online navigation and mapping tool for UKRI migration research; arts-based outputs; academic outputs; examples of pathways to impact that have been, or are likely to be, promising; platforms for communication and collaboration that are likely to help bridge research, policy, and public engagement; and a toolkit to inform equitable research partnerships.

MLT Co-produced Strategy Process

PDF document, 408.03KB

Contact

 

Network

Through our migration conversations, the LIDC-MLT is supporting the development of the global network of academics, researchers, policy makers, artists and affected communities interested in knowledge production around migration.

We have partnered with a range of organisations to host global migration conversations. These include:

Outputs

Life on the Move

Life on the Move is an award-winning film showcasing the important research themes and creative partnerships emerging from the London International Development Centre Migration Leadership Team (LIDC-MLT). The film's purpose is to explore how researchers can collaborate with artists in innovative ways to generate new kinds of knowledge and engage wider audiences in debates about complex social and economic issues.

This stop-motion animation explores the complex reasons behind migration, showcasing research from the Horn of Africa as a case study. The film brings to life a multitude of migrant experiences, exploring the personal, social and economic reasons why people move across borders. It illustrates how complex research findings can be disseminated in a clear and accessible style suitable for many public audiences. Visualising internal and external migration routes, it disrupts mainstream media coverage of migration as a problem, presenting a more holistic narrative.

This is a collaborative production, involving the LIDC-MLT, non-profit organisation PositiveNegatives, artist and graphic novelist Karrie Fransman and award-winning film maker Osbert Parker, with field work facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration.

The film is intended to be used as a tool that may inspire other researchers to engage in similar arts-based collaborations. Each stage of the production process has been documented and is available in a companion ‘making of’ film. Through this additional footage we hope to share a potential road map for future partnerships in filmmaking and other artistic production, as well as to reflect on the methods and expertise behind this particular style of production.

Team

  • Professor Laura Hammond (Principal Investigator)
  • Louisa Brain (Project Coordinator)
  • Jennifer Allsopp Postdoctoral Research Fellow, SOAS University of London)
  • Professor Kavita Datta (Co-Investigator, Queen Mary University of London)
  • Dr Elaine Chase (Co-Investigator, UCL)
  • Heleen Tummers (Project Assistant)