Fulvia Richiardone, Italy

MA Migration and Law

After spending four years in a UN research institute in Italy (unicri) doing research on many different legal issues related to human trafficking, trafficking in weapons of mass destruction and juvenile justice, I have realised that the most fascinating area of research is migration. Migration involves many different factors: psychological, anthropological, political, legal, social and it can be studied from an unlimited number of perspectives.

Even though I wish I could have studied everything about migration, I had to focus on some issues, in order to be able to analyse them in depth. I have attended courses on Migration and Diaspora, Theories of Migration, EU Justice and Home Affairs and Housing and Education and Health of migrants in East London and several other classes. In the classes there were always lively discussions, with wise guidance and interventions from our lecturers. And, in such a stimulating environment, we could freely develop our research interests. In the first term I could apply my migration theories studies on my previous work and personal experience. As a result, the topic of my essay was “How migration theories can explain the mobile life of the people working with the United Nations”. Now I am writing a dissertation on the UK legal response to refugees and I am trying to shed light on the history of an asylum seeker coming to the UK to apply for asylum. There are several steps and difficulties an asylum seeker has to go through and the procedure constantly changes. The Master has enriched and increased my interest in migration and refugees issues and when I am asked what I want to do afterwards, I always say "another Master".