SSPSSR Senior Lecturer in Social Work, Dr Sweta Rajan-Rankin, has been appointed a co-theme lead for a Kent Signature Research Theme on \u2018Migration and Movement\u2019.<\/p>\n
The interdisciplinary research theme, selected through a competitive University wide-competition, explores the migration of people, animals, objects, pathogens and knowledge systems.<\/p>\n
Dr Rajan-Rankin\u2019s fellow co-leads include Professor David Herd, Dr Amanda Klekowski Von Koppenfels, Dr Margherita Laera, Professor Rachel McCree, and Dr Thomas Parkinson.<\/p>\n
Signature Research Themes<\/a> (SRTs) are a key part of the University\u2019s strategy to further develop its global research profile. They bring together a wide range of ideas and approaches through cross-disciplinary collaboration, and they enhance the excellent practices and activities, highlighting the cutting-edge and innovative research that goes on at Kent.<\/p>\n Migration and Movement<\/a> links Kent\u2019s location as borderland to global priorities. In its analysis of human movement, the SRT aims to tackle the separation that currently exists between disciplinary languages, methodologies and data-sets.<\/p>\n It will pioneer multidisciplinary concepts and methodologies to change the terms in migration research and public policy. The theme will problematise borders between (for example) \u2018migrants\u2019, \u2018tourists\u2019, \u2018ex-pats\u2019, and \u2018high net worth individuals\u2019, and expand migration to include the movement of pathogens, remittances, goods, labour \u2013 and students and academics.<\/p>\n Dr Rajan-Rankin has research interests<\/a> in the sociology of race and ethnicity. She recently drew on her research on hair practices in Brixton for a webinar on \u2018Working with visual and sensory methods to research materiality, mobility and rhythm\u2019. She spoke about exploring touch, texture and the socio-materiality of hair in curating black identity. The webinar was part of the Qualitative Research & Innovation Webinar Series<\/a> presented by NVivo and SAGE Publications.<\/p>\n Her most recent publication is a chapter on \u2018Beyond Scientific Racism: Monstrous Ontologies and Hostile Environments\u2019 for Monstrous Ontologies: Politics, Ethics, Materiality<\/em><\/a> edited by Caterina Nirta and Andrea Pavoni (Vernon Press, 2021).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"