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  4. Migrant Detention and Everyday Surveillance of Precarious Citizens in India

Migrant Detention and Everyday Surveillance of Precarious Citizens in India

This Faculty of Humanities and and Social Sciences Student Bursary Project is open to Year 2 LLB students, Year 3/4 LLB students, and Postgraduate Taught Law students Queen Mary University of London.

The project is seeking a Research Assistant to support the development of an academic article exploring how states employ legal tools and strategies for detention and everyday surveillance of marginalized migrant communities and precarious citizens.

Project lead

Mohsin Alam Bhat, School of Law (m.bhat@qmul.ac.uk)

Project details

Dr Bhat’s article examines how right-wing authoritarian politics threatens the citizenship status of ethnic minorities and immigrant communities in India, with a focus on detention practices. It combines empirical field research in India, including interviews with former detainees in Assam conducted in collaboration with Indian scholars, with theoretical analysis in a comparative context. The article’s central hypothesis posits that the Indian state has insidiously expanded detention practices to include everyday surveillance of migrant communities. Using critical legal and geographical frameworks, it explores how law facilitates, obscures, and legitimizes both overt detention and subtler forms of state surveillance. An innovative dimension of the article is its critique of how human rights litigation, while aimed at challenging state practices, can unintentionally reinforce mechanisms of state control.

Project work and outcomes

The student RA will engage in three main research and writing activities to support the project:

  • Conduct a literature review on migrant detention policies in various jurisdictions, focusing on critical legal and geographical perspectives, with Dr Bhat’s guidance.
  • Prepare a summary note on existing scholarship covering immigrant and refugee detention experiences globally.
  • Complete, check, and format the references and bibliography for two drafts of the project’s outputs.

Student skills and knowledge required

The ideal candidate should possess the following:

  • A foundational understanding of human rights or related disciplines, as demonstrated by academic performance.
  • Training or familiarity with law, political science, or history, which would be advantageous.
  • Knowledge or interest in migration and refugee studies, though not essential.
  • Familiarity, or a readiness to develop skills, in conducting comprehensive online literature reviews of scholarly resources.
  • Proficiency, or a willingness to develop proficiency, in academic journal reference styles.
  • Experience in writing is preferred, or a strong interest in acquiring this skill.

Start date and work pattern

The project will begin on January 6, 2025, and conclude by April 1, 2025, totaling 76 hours.

Work Pattern:

  • Week 1: Initial 1-on-1 briefing covering project aims, tasks, and resources.
  • Weeks 2-3: Literature survey on migrant detention experiences, with meetings on request.
  • Week 4: Prepare a summary note of findings.
  • Week 5: Review the research note in a 1-on-1 meeting and discuss next steps.
  • Weeks 6-7: Conduct a literature survey on migrant surveillance, with meetings as needed.
  • Week 8: Prepare a summary note of this second survey.
  • Week 9: Review the second note and outline final tasks.
  • Weeks 10-11: Format references in the drafts, finalize notes, and complete any revisions.

This structured yet flexible approach supports the student’s learning and ensures they remain engaged with each stage of the research process.

Application and funding details

To apply, please send a completed Research Bursary Project application form [DOC 71KB] to Cath Norman, Research Manager: dolresearch@qmul.ac.uk by 11pm, 8 December 2024, using the subject line ‘HSS Bursary – Your Full Name' and indicate in the body of the email the project title you wish to apply for.

Each School will make its own arrangements for selecting student applicants; these may include interviews if considered appropriate.

We anticipate that funding will be disbursed in two instalments, both subject to confirmation by the academic project lead that the student has been working appropriately. (Project leads may wish to take this into account in scheduling their monitoring meetings.) 

This bursary is fixed at £1000 for a time commitment of no more than 76 hours which is completed flexibly over 15 weeks. The first instalment (40% of the award) will be paid at the end of February 2025; the second (60% of the award) will be paid upon overall completion.

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