About

We are delighted to launch the important new book 'Ways of Belonging: Undocumented Youth in the Shadow of Illegality’. In her book talk, Francesca Meloni will examine the experiences of belonging of undocumented young people who are made invisible and are excluded from K-12 schools in Montreal, Canada. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and a participatory project on access to education, she asks questions about the “in-between” spaces inhabited by undocumented young people. How can we reconceptualise young people’s belonging beyond deficit assumptions? How are configurations of “illegality” experienced across different social spaces? And what is the role of ethnography in narrating the stories and the struggles of undocumented young people and other marginalised groups?

The book is available for purchase here.

How to join this event

This is an online event that is free and open for all to attend.

Please click here to register for your place.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with the login details for the session on Zoom.

About the speaker

Francesca Meloni is Lecturer in Social Justice in the School of Education, Communication & Society at King’s College London. Her research focuses on contemporary processes of migration and social exclusion. She has a background in anthropologyand she is interested in the impact of legal status on the experiences of belonging and access to social services.

This event is organised by the Refugee Mental Health and Place Network and co-sponsored by the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health.

We would like all events to be inclusive and accessible. Please do not hesitate to contact us by email to trudy.1.mensah@kcl.ac.uk to let us know if you have any access requirements or to find out more about this session.

More information

Refugee Mental Health and Place Network

We are a growing network of researchers and community organisations exploring post-migration factors and refugee mental health. We seek to strengthen interdisciplinary expertise and intersectoral capacity to inform health and social policy to help improve mental health outcomes for refugees and asylum seekers. Read more in our recent blog on Understanding the role of place in refugee mental health to inform policy.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Directory for Refugees and Migrants in London

The MHPSS Directory is a broad and detailed list of organisations providing mental health and social support services to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in London and Greater London. Click here to find out more and to download the directory.

ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health

The ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health develops research to promote and sustain good mental health in communities. We aim to shift public debate about mental health away from a focus on individualised interventions, towards social practices and policies that promote and sustain good mental health.