Prof Statham & Prof Zhao signing the new MoU on behalf of the School of Sociology

Prof Statham with his NKU colleagues

Prof Statham in discussion with NKU colleagues

In July, Professor Paul Statham, Director of the Sussex Centre for Migration Research (SCMR), a University of Sussex Centre of Excellence, took the opportunity of his appointment as Visiting Professor at Nankai University (NKU), China, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the newly established and innovative Global Mobility and Migration Research Centre (GMMRC), headed by Professor Bingyu Wang. The GMMRC sits in the prestigious School of Sociology at NKU, recognised as one of the leading universities in China.

Establishing this dynamic formal partnership builds on a joint commitment to advance collaborative research, facilitate vibrant staff and student exchanges, and contribute to building a genuinely global and inclusive scholarly discourse on migration and mobility by the SCMR and GMMRC. The two centres intend to establish an international joint research centre to further these shared goals.

During his stay at NKU, Prof Statham taught a series of masterclasses on “Migration, Development and Transnational Mobilities: Sociological Approaches to People on the Move” to NKU students in the inaugural international academic term. He also participated in a fascinating joint one-day “Young Scholars Forum” where the new generation of Chinese migration scholars presented their cutting-edge and innovative research. The forum was proudly sponsored by the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (JEMS), the leading journal edited by Prof Statham, and where Prof Wang (GMMRC) is a member of the core editorial team. This initiative is part of their efforts to build a more inclusive and broader global scholarly conversation over migration and mobilities through the journal.

Prof Statham recounted: “It’s great to witness the high quality of the Nankai students who were excellent in class, while it’s also clear that the new generation of Chinese scholars are coming. They are ready to lead and define the emerging sociological field of research about the important migration-driven social changes taking place in China.”

In addition to this partnership, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the School of Global Studies (UoS) and the School of Sociology (NKU). This presents an exciting opportunity for advancing school-level collaborations and exchanges beyond the migration and mobilities field.

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