Michael Thompson
- Thesis title: Post-Brexit Anxieties in Minority Ethnic Communities
Profile
An undergraduate degree in French and German Language at the University of York has given me a thorough training in the complex nature of identity politics and area studies through language. First-hand experiences of the 2015 - current refugee crisis in Germany led me to pursue a Masters in Social Research investigating the effect of the crisis on the dominant German integration politics of Leitkultur.
Research interests
My PhD focuses on the intersection of post-Brexit anxieties among minority ethnic communities and their realisation in urban public space. Moreover, by dissecting notions of ‘whiteness’ I hope to uncover counter-narratives to the pervasive ideologies of racism while simultaneously exposing the differential integrational trajectories within ‘white’ minority ethnic groups dependent on age, outlook and other factors. I aim to use Participatory Action approaches such as Lego ® Serious Play to analyse complex problems with the potential to expose participants’ personal vulnerabilities, drawing upon O’Neill’s walking interviews approach to embed the research into the local topography.
My other research interests are grounded in the processes and politics of bordering in Eastern Europe, focusing on the intersection between countries of the former USSR and the EU, and on interregional conflict in the Caucasus.
Qualifications
- MA Social Research (merit): University of York
- BA French and German Language (with a year abroad); 2;1: University of York