3. Passport Covers
Dr Sophie Cranston and Benedict Slonecki, PhD student
A passport is required to travel across international borders. Yet, not all passports are equal. And not everyone who holds the same passport has equal movement.
British people who migrate are variously seen as expatriates and global citizens as opposed to migrants.
Sophie’s research seeks to explore the ways in which privileged forms of migration are seen as different from other forms of migration. Why is the migration of someone who has a British passport different from others? How do British migrants understand and experience their migration?
However, even with privileged forms of migration, mobility is unequal.
Benedict’s research explores experiences of same-sex married expatriates as they migrate to countries that may not recognise their marriages officially and the challenges they face during the expatriation process.
Sexual orientation and whom someone choses to love should not be an additional barrier to cross in order to relocate and benefit from an international work assignment. However, in many parts of the world immigration controls and legislation treat it as such. If love is love after all, what other inequalities do same-sex expatriate couples face?
