Conference Programme

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Keynote Speaker Linda Morrice

Professor of Education at the University of Sussex (UK)

Where is the hope? Post-colonial logics and racialised borders in refugee access to Higher Education 

In the context of ever-increasing numbers of forcible displaced people, the global community has come together with declarations and promises of action, for example, the Global Compact for Refugees, UNHCR’s target of 15% of refugees accessing higher and tertiary education by 2030, and Sustainable Development Goal 4 which promises lifelong learning for all, including refugees.  But these promises are largely devolved to the nation state to deliver, and under the framework of shared responsibility wealthier countries in the global north are being asked to step up and take on more responsibility. This comes at a time of growth in right wing and populist movements which have led to increasing Islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-Black racism, alongside a permanently hostile environment towards migrants and especially people seeking asylum. In this keynote I use the lenses of post-colonialism and racialised borders to explore how these forces are shaping access to Europe and educational opportunities for different groups of refugees. In particular, I trace the malleability of the higher education border in the UK in relation to some refugee groups, while constructed others as ineligible and excludable. In doing so I highlight the mechanisms through which race is used to curtail and control access to higher education while appearing to be racially-neutral.

Linda Morrice is Professor of Education at the University of Sussex. She has researched and published widely on refugee education in both the global north and global south. She has particular interest in access and participation in tertiary and higher education, and issues of social integration and belonging. She was co-director of the Centre for International Education (2021-2024) and is a founding member of the University of Sanctuary group at Sussex. Her current research project is The role of digital technology in social networks and wellbeing of unaccompanied young refugees (2024-2027), funded by the UKRI.

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