scholarly journals Feeling/being ‘out of place’: psychic defence against the hostile environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-164
Author(s):  
Nini Fang
Keyword(s):  
Object Relations ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Hostile Environment ◽  
Immigrant Worker ◽  
Internal Dynamics ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Object Relatedness ◽  
The Uk

What is it like to be an immigrant worker in a ‘hostile environment’ in the UK? How does the form of discursive environment, which sees immigration as a social epidemic, impact on an immigrant worker’s experience of their cultural (dis)localities and subjectivity? In this article, I draw on my personal, psychoanalytically informed voice to explore these questions, by foregrounding the materiality of the hosting environment as the place in which the present relational matrix takes place, in which the internal dynamics of object relations are lived in the present sense, and the idiosyncratic expression of selfhood assumes forms.The materialised reality of the place matters not least because it is drenched in power relations but also as it is where an immigrant worker seeks to live. The hostile host, in this sense, sees immigrants not simply as its guests (Derrida and Dufourmantelle, 2000), but as unwelcome yet persistent guests to be yoked to their place of otherness and inferiority. By presenting vignettes of my encounters with the Home Office, I call into question the existential conditions of the immigrant worker and the potentiality for object-relatedness on relational grounds problematically punctured by hostile rhetoric. Could an immigrant’s sense of locality ever be anything but ‐ evoking Said ([1999] 2013) ‐ ‘out of place’? To address this, I will explore ‘out of place’ not simply as an emotional, lived experience, but also as a state of being that is embodied, psychically worked on and strategically evoked in resisting the power of the hostile host.

scholarly journals Redrawing the border through the ‘Right to Rent’: Exclusion, discrimination and hostility in the English housing market

2020 ◽  
pp. 026101831989704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Mckee ◽  
Sharon Leahy ◽  
Trudi Tokarczyk ◽  
Joe Crawford
Keyword(s):  
Racial Profiling ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Criminal Prosecution ◽  
Undocumented Migrants ◽  
Hostile Environment ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Illegal Migrants ◽  
Guidance Documents ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Right

The UK Immigration Act 2016 is central to the Conservative Government’s drive to create a more hostile environment for potential migrants and current ‘illegal’ migrants residing in the UK. The Right to Rent provisions of the Act, which require private landlords in England to conduct mandatory immigration document checks on prospective tenants, or face sizeable fines and criminal prosecution, have been highlighted as a key facet of the legislation. Drawing on qualitative interviews with key experts and analysis of Home Office guidance documents, we argue the Right to Rent has turned the private rental market into a border-check, with landlords responsibilised to perform ‘everyday bordering’ on behalf of the State. This creates a potentially discriminatory environment for all migrants, as well as for British citizens who lack documentation and/or may be subject to racial profiling. It may also be forcing vulnerable, undocumented migrants into even more precarious housing situations.

Spells of belonging

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-131
Author(s):  
Susannah Crockford
Keyword(s):  
Family Relationships ◽  
Civil Service ◽  
Hostile Environment ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Common Strategy ◽  
Immigration And Asylum ◽  
The Uk ◽  
British Home

Anna Tuckett’s piece on the paper trails left, created and curated by migrant streams crossing Europe raises questions on how social personhood is legally affirmed or undermined by legal paperwork. As is now a well aired fact, those UK citizens affected by the ‘hostile environment’ instituted by the British Home Office (HO) from 2012 onwards were disproportionately black and descended from former Caribbean colonies (Olusoga 2019). I consider my experience relating to immigration practices and assumptions to indicate aspects of this environment in the making. In 2004, I spent six months working for the civil service in the UK as a blandly labelled ‘presenting officer’. A presenting officer presented the Home Secretary’s case for refusing immigration and asylum claims that the applicant had appealed. In such cases, it was common strategy to draw attention to the lack of consistency, in terms of both narrative and between a person and their papers. Narrative consistency was required: the same story had to be told to the case officer on presenting a claim and in the courtroom to the adjudicator and in any and every opportunity to retell the tale the applicant had. Any inconsistency was taken as evidence of deceit. A person had to be able to document their birth, entries and exits to the UK, schooling, workplaces, income and family relationships. The requirements of consistency reified relationships that had documentary existence over those that did not. Lack of documents undermined a person’s ability to make their case.

scholarly journals The negative health effects of hostile environment policies on migrants: A cross-sectional service evaluation of humanitarian healthcare provision in the UK

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie J. Weller ◽  
Liam J. Crosby ◽  
Eleanor R. Turnbull ◽  
Rachel Burns ◽  
Anna Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Service Evaluation ◽  
Population Characteristics ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Undocumented Migrants ◽  
Hostile Environment ◽  
Healthcare Provision ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk

Background: Recent UK ‘hostile environment’ immigration policies, including obligatory charging and sharing of confidential data between NHS Digital and the Home Office, have created an atmosphere of fear and exposed already highly marginalised and vulnerable groups to significant health risks by increasing barriers to accessing NHS care.  Methods:  This is a cross-sectional observational study of patients accessing healthcare at Doctors of the World (DOTW) in the UK. DOTW is a humanitarian organisation, providing care to those excluded from NHS healthcare. We aimed to describe population characteristics of individuals using DOTW services and identify groups at greatest risk of facing ‘hostile environment’-related barriers to NHS care, specifically being denied healthcare or fear of arrest. Results: A total of 1474 adults were seen in 2016. Nearly all were non-EU/EEA nationals (97.8%; 1441/1474), living in poverty (68.6%; 1011/1474). DOTW saw a large number of undocumented migrants (57.1%; 841/1474) and asylum seekers (18.2%; 268/1474). 10.2% (151/1474) of adults seen had been denied NHS healthcare and 7.7% (114/1474) were afraid to access NHS services. Asylum seeker status was associated with the highest risk (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 2.48; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.48-4.14) of being denied NHS healthcare and being undocumented was associated with the highest risk of fearing arrest (adjusted OR: 3.03; 95% CI: 1.70-5.40). Conclusions: Our findings make visible the multiple and intersecting vulnerabilities of individuals forced to seek care outside of the NHS, underlining the public health imperative for the government to urgently withdraw its ‘hostile environment’ policies and address their negative health impacts.

scholarly journals Creating a ‘hostile environment for migrants’: the British government’s use of health service data to restrict immigration is a very bad idea

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucinda Hiam ◽  
Sarah Steele ◽  
Martin McKee
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Hostile Environment ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Department Of Health ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Service Data

AbstractIn January 2017, the UK Government made public a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Department of Health, National Health Service (NHS) Digital and the Home Office. This Memorandum allows for the more expedited sharing of a patient’s non-clinical data, specifically from the NHS England to the Home Office. The Government justified the MoU as in the ‘public interest to support effective immigration enforcement’. In this review, we seek to unpack this justification by providing, first, a background to the MoU, placing it in the context of creating a ‘hostile environment’ for migrants – a project initially sought by Theresa May in her time as Home Secretary. We then explore the potential impact of data sharing on individual health, public health and on health professionals. We conclude that the MoU could threaten both individual and public health, while placing health professionals in an unworkable position both practically and in terms of their duties to patients around confidentiality. As such, we agree with colleagues’ position that it should be suspended, at least until a full consultation and health impact assessment can be carried out.

scholarly journals A meta-ethnographic review of people's experience of seeking asylum in the UK and its impact on psychological and social wellbeing

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S250-S250
Author(s):  
Christine Fullerton
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Social Wellbeing ◽  
Health Response ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Coping

AimsEthnographic accounts of the everyday, lived experience of seeking asylum have been incredibly useful for shedding light on how the asylum process and UK policy influences health and wellbeing. However, there lacks an analysis which pulls together these voices and establishes common themes. This review aims to address this gap by synthesising published literature related to people's experience of seeking asylum in the UK and its impact on their psychological and social wellbeing.MethodA systematic literature search was conducted in SCOPUS, PubMed and PsychINFO. Ten qualitative studies, capturing the accounts of over 190 people, were included in the review. The steps of meta-ethnography were used to synthesise the experiences of seeking asylum. Overarching themes which linked the studies were conceptualised and a framework of ‘constructs’ used to organise verbatim narratives and researcher interpretations from each study by theme and sub-theme. Finally, the constructs from each theme were translated to produce an overarching line of argument to the research.ResultFive key themes illustrating the experience of seeking asylum in the UK were identified. These were: a need for safety; distress; resilience and coping; sources of support; and looking to the future. The line of argument indicated that people seeking asylum in the UK experience a need for safety, high levels of psychological distress and social isolation, yet throughout exhibit extreme resilience. Analysis highlighted the need for increased governmental support and legal empowerment during the asylum process.ConclusionThis synthesis illustrates the widespread impact, both direct and indirect, of a culture of deterrence and disbelief within the Home Office on the psychological and social wellbeing of people desperately seeking refuge and compassion. To achieve equitable and optimum health for those seeking asylum in the UK, we must urgently move away from the hostile environment which has been created. As we develop a more holistic and expanded notion of health, the concept of wellbeing provides a person-centred framework for understanding how the social context can result in certain outcomes. The global public health response to the health-needs of people seeking asylum, and the wider migrant community, must be informed by lived experiences if they are to create interventions which have benefit.

Management of deradicalisation in the UK: reflections of a clinical psychologist

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Feryad A. Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Psychologist ◽  
Healthcare Team ◽  
Psychosocial Issues ◽  
Muslim Community ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Terrorist Groups ◽  
Violent Action ◽  
Clinical Counselling ◽  
The Uk

Radicalisation to violent action is not just a problem in foreign lands. Research has identified numerous politico–psychosocial factors to explain why young people from the UK are now joining terrorist groups such as ISIS. Our understanding has been expanded by the accounts of “returnees” who have subsequently either self-deradicalised or joined a government deradicalisation programme in the role of an Intervention Provider (IP). These individuals are now key to the deradicalisation programme. This article presents the reflections of a clinical psychologist who worked within a social healthcare team managing psychosocial issues related to radicalisation, in conjunction with an allocated IP. The project involved individuals from the Muslim community and, as such, issues discussed are specific to this group. It is acknowledged that the process in general is universally applicable to all groups though specifics may vary (under Trust agreement, details may not be discussed). This article also aims to share basic information on the current Home Office deradicalisation programme and raises questions about the current intervention. It also offers reflections on how the work of IPs may be facilitated and supported by clinical/counselling psychologists and psychotherapists.

scholarly journals “We shouldn’t waste a good crisis”: the lived experience of working on the frontline through the first surge (and beyond) of COVID-19 in the UK and Ireland

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Elaine L. Kinsella ◽  
Samantha Hughes ◽  
Sarah Lemon ◽  
Natasha Stonebridge ◽  
Rachel C. Sumner
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
The Uk

scholarly journals Resituating the political in cultural intermediary work: Charity sector public relations and communication

2021 ◽  
pp. 136754942199423
Author(s):  
Anne M Cronin ◽  
Lee Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
The Political ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Cultural Intermediary ◽  
Cultural Intermediaries ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Relationship

Drawing on a case study of public relations in the UK charity sector, this article argues that cultural intermediary research urgently requires a more sustained focus on politics and the political understood as power relations, party politics and political projects such as marketization and neoliberalism. While wide-ranging research has analysed how cultural intermediaries mediate the relationship between culture and economy, this has been at the expense of an in-depth analysis of the political. Using our case study as a prompt, we highlight the diversity of ways that the political impacts cultural intermediary work and that cultural intermediary work may impact the political. We reveal the tensions that underpin practice as a result of the interactions between culture, the economy and politics, and show that the tighter the engagement of cultural intermediation with the political sphere, the more tensions must be negotiated and the more compromised practitioners may feel.

scholarly journals Long COVID and the role of physical activity: a qualitative study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e047632
Author(s):  
Helen Humphreys ◽  
Laura Kilby ◽  
Nik Kudiersky ◽  
Robert Copeland
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

ObjectivesTo explore the lived experience of long COVID with particular focus on the role of physical activity.DesignQualitative study using semistructured interviews.Participants18 people living with long COVID (9 men, 9 women; aged between 18–74 years; 10 white British, 3 white Other, 3 Asian, 1 black, 1 mixed ethnicity) recruited via a UK-based research interest database for people with long COVID.SettingTelephone interviews with 17 participants living in the UK and 1 participant living in the USA.ResultsFour themes were generated. Theme 1 describes how participants struggled with drastically reduced physical function, compounded by the cognitive and psychological effects of long COVID. Theme 2 highlights challenges associated with finding and interpreting advice about physical activity that was appropriately tailored. Theme 3 describes individual approaches to managing symptoms including fatigue and ‘brain fog’ while trying to resume and maintain activities of daily living and other forms of exercise. Theme 4 illustrates the battle with self-concept to accept reduced function (even temporarily) and the fear of permanent reduction in physical and cognitive ability.ConclusionsThis study provides insight into the challenges of managing physical activity alongside the extended symptoms associated with long COVID. Findings highlight the need for greater clarity and tailoring of physical activity-related advice for people with long COVID and improved support to resume activities important to individual well-being.

The Lived Experience of Financialization at the UK Financial Fringe

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
LINDSEY APPLEYARD ◽  
CARL PACKMAN ◽  
JORDON LAZELL ◽  
HUSSAN ASLAM
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Credit Market ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Dramatic Decline ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The financialization of everyday life has received considerable attention since the 2008 global financial crisis. Financialization is thought to have created active financial subjects through the ability to participate in mainstream financial services. While the lived experience of these mainstream financial subjects has been the subject of close scrutiny, the experiences of financial subjects at the financial fringe have been rarely considered. In the UK, for example, the introduction of High-Cost, Short-Term Credit [HCSTC] or payday loan regulation was designed to protect vulnerable people from accessing unaffordable credit. Exploring the impact of HCSTC regulation is important due to the dramatic decline of the high-cost credit market which helped meet essential needs in an era of austerity. As such, the paper examines the impact of the HCSTC regulation on sixty-four financially marginalized individuals in the UK that are unable to access payday loans. First, we identify the range of socioeconomic strategies that individuals employ to manage their finances to create a typology of financial subjectivity at the financial fringe. Second, we demonstrate how the temporal and precarious nature of financial inclusion at the financial fringe adds nuance to existing debates of the everyday lived experience of financialization.

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