Brussels Interdisciplinary Research centre on Migration and Minorities (BIRMM)

Migration is one of the key dynamics within wider processes of globalization contributing to economic and social change. In the post-war period characterized by labour and postcolonial migration, few had foreseen the strong politicization of immigration that we encounter today. States and societies struggle to respond to the ethno-racial, cultural and religious diversity resulting from immigration as well as to continued socio- economic inequalities. The VUB conducts a wide variety of research on migration and minorities spread over different disciplines, departments and research institutes. This application seeks to gather this rich expertise into the ‘Brussels Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Migration and Minorities’ (BIRMM). Created in January 2018 in a ‘bottom-up’ effort of engaged VUB professors, BIRMM can already build upon the expertise and engagement of around 100 VUB researchers from 11 disciplines and 13 research groups. The recognition of BIRMM as a VUB ‘Interdisciplinary Centre of Expertise’ will be a crucial ‘top-down’ backing to consolidate the nascent interdisciplinary work within the VUB and to tear down walls of disciplinary fragmentation. BIRMM has the ambition of becoming a leading research centre in Belgium, and beyond. It will do so by (1) establishing interdisciplinary exchange and knowledge production within the VUB; (2) by active engagement in the leading network of migration and diversity research institutes (IMISCOE) and beyond; and (3) by enhancing the visibility of VUB research vis-à-vis the outside world.

https://birmm.research.vub.be/