The Centre for Communities and Social Justice runs a programme of exciting, hybrid-accessible and interactive events, which are open to the community. These include book launches, roundtable discussions, TEDx talks, community radio shows, podcasts and animations.
On 21st March 2024, Bonny Downs Community Association launched the premiere of a short film showcasing local women’s hardship in living with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF).
The event was co-hosted by Sir Stephen Timms MP, Dr Sally Mann, researcher at the Çï¿ûÊÓƵ and Nora Nyugab Linwe, one of the film participants.
A new special issue of Critical Social Policy co-edited by Professor Tracey Reynolds, is out now.
Abstract
This article presents personal stories from a participatory biographical arts-based study with a specific category of racialised migrants: individuals seeking asylum, in the North East of England. Responding to the important questions posed by this special issue, the article explores individual experiences of navigating the UK's hostile environment with a focus on the threefold punitive ‘threat’ of dispersal, detention, and destitution (Bloch and Schuster, 2005). Adopting an intersectional lens, the discussion highlights the impact of such policies and their compound effect of creating (un)safe and exclusionary everyday spaces, while also outlining the potential for resistance as illustrated by participants’ actions and their creative (re)actions as part of the study's arts-based approach.
Dr Elena Vacchelli has co-organised the launch of the University Alliance Migration Network with Anglia Ruskin University and Middlesex University. The first day was dedicated to planning and was not public facing while the second day saw the participation of several civil society groups as can be seen here:
One Year of Hope Street: Reflecting on the challenges and opportunities since opening our doors
Dr Madeline Petrillo was invited as a guest speaker on the to talk about the co-production process used to design , a pioneering residential community for women involved in the criminal justice system and their children.
Dr Stacy Banwell was invited as a guest speaker on the Knowing Animals podcast to talk about insights from her new book The War Against Non-human Animals:
Dr Ella Simpson was invited on Teachers’ Talk Radio to speak about
Some recent examples of multimedia outputs, including animations and Ted Talks, are listed below:
Gendered wars and gender-based violence: Who ‘is dangerous’, who is ‘in danger’?
Gendered reproductive violence with Stacy Banwell
What if sex didn't matter? Alexandra Fanghanel
Based on a participatory action research methodology, People and Dancefloors involves knowledge co-creation with project partners and participants. Led by a team of researchers, the project crosses the boundaries between research, film and activism.
Arts, the environment and nature
Acott, Tim (2020)
Acott, Tim (2018)
Sociology and education
Peter Jones: .
Peter Jones: .
Owusu-Kwarteng, Louise (2019)
Migrant women, gender equality
Reynolds, T (2017) , Compass, January 2017
Erel, Umut, Maggie O’Neill, Tracey Reynolds, and Erene Kaptani (2017), "", Discover Society.
Reynolds, T; Erel, U and O’Neill, M (2017),
Reynolds, T and Erel, U (2016) , Open Democracy,
Vacchelli, Elena (2020)
Vacchelli, Elena (2019) ''
Vacchelli, Elena (2017) Discover Society Issue 44
Podcasts
Tracey Reynolds –
Tracey Reynolds - What have we learnt since Grenfell, Panel, Cambridge Union Online, June 2020