Have you ever experienced a moment at which your research became deeply personal? Or when a place you had studied from a distance suddenly confronted you with emotions you had not anticipated? When I first set foot in Cyprus for my fieldwork, I thought I was well prepared. Months of reading, writing, and thinking about Cyprus and its buffer zone had given me what I thought was a reasonable understanding of the country and its many complexities. But once there, I realized that no amount of reading could prepare me for the emotions and contradictions I encountered.
Blog
The RUNOMI blog is our collective bulletin board: read our members’ thoughts on current issues, get to know their work better, find out about events we organize and see who else is talking about us!
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Full Features
From the pen of our members, full length feature writings. Want to write about a topic related to the RUNOMI themes? Get in touch with the team by mailing Noemi Mena Montes or Pyke Haans (we also accept guest pens).
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The cabinet plans on naturalisation and integration
Reposted and translated from Verblijfblog (November 12, 2024)
As previously announced in the outline agreement , the government program of the Schoof cabinet contains several plans that relate to naturalization and nationality that, taken together, will complicate access to Dutch citizenship and make the loss of Dutch citizenship easier. Verblijfblog provides an overview of these plans, the legal bottlenecks and expected effects.
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Digital networks and serendipitous encounters
Repost from Voice4Thought (November 24, 2023)
In September 2023, I participated in MIASA’s (Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa) midterm conference on Sustainable Governance in a Time of Global Flux at the University of Accra in Ghana….
In the media
Our members and their work as featured near and far…
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Interview: ‘Gevestigd, maar niet thuis.’ Hoe zorgen we dat 5 miljoen Nederlanders met migratieachtergrond volwaardig bij kunnen dragen?
Foto: Een momentopname van de RUNOMI Summer School in 2024, een jaarlijks terugkerende bijeenkomst waarin migratievraagstukken centraal staan. Het thema van dat jaar: digitalisering en migratie.
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Article: Rachel Kollar on How Islam Does Not Hinder Muslim Political Participation
In public debates, we often hear claims that Islam is at odds with democracy. Rachel Kollar challenges this narrative. Her study shows that Islam is certainly not an obstacle to political participation; in fact, it inspires some Muslims to engage in democracy. This mobilization is driven primarily by the belief that they should be good citizens, stand up against injustice, and ensure that their interests are represented in politics.
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Article: Frederik Zuiderveen Borgesius on Predictive Policing and Youth Crime Algorithms
RUNOMI member Frederik Zuiderveen Borgesius, Professor of Digital Security and Jurisprudence at Radboud University, raises serious concerns about the Dutch police’s use of the Preselect Recidive algorithm. This system, which predicts youth reoffending based on police records, often produces inaccurate results and reflects biases in law enforcement.
Recapped
Conference reviews, event summaries and debriefings from the field….
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Bringing Borders to the Digital Age: Book Presentation on The Digital Transformation of the Border Regime
On February 27, Dr. Paul Trauttmansdorff from the Technical University of Munich visited Radboud University to present his book, The Digital Transformation of the Border Regime: The Powers and Perils of Imagining Future Borders. Organized by RUNOMI, the seminar brought together a diverse audience, including scholars, students, and researchers interested in migration, digital governance, and border studies. Dr. Evelien Brouwer (Utrecht University) and Dr. Yiran Yang (Radboud University) served as panel discussants, adding critical insights to the discussion.
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Research visit from Dr. Justine Lloyd – On migration, superdiversity and ‘Sites of Conscience’
In October 2024, Dr. Justine Lloyd (Associate Professor in Sociology) from Macquarie University in Sydney visited me at RUNOMI and the department of Geography, Planning & Environment.
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Strategizing silence: Digital non-use as agency for marginalized communities
We had the pleasure to hear prof. dr. Arul Chib from Erasmus University Rotterdam speak at his seminar ‘Strategizing silence: Digital non-use as agency for marginalized communities’ organized in part by RUNOMI at Radboud University. We had a panel consisting of Noemi Mena Montes and Joost Beuving led by Wolter Pieters. Professor Chib presented empiricalContinue reading “Strategizing silence: Digital non-use as agency for marginalized communities”
News and Events
RUNOMI organized and sponsored events, and news from the team….
RUNOMI Annual Congress: Migrant Inclusion and Populism Wednesday 25 June 2025, 10am-5:30pm
Speakers from different disciplines will be addressing the topical theme of this year’s congress: migrant inclusion and populism. From the RUNOMI network, these include Janine Suurmond (RadboudUMC), Andrej Zaslove (Nijmegen School of Management) and Niels Spierings (Social Sciences). As RUNOMI strives for its research to have impact not only in theory but also in practice, societal organisations such as Represent Jezelf and Open Embassy will reflect on the academic contributions.
Interactive Workshops on Inclusive Housing, Technology & Workforces Thursday 10 April 2025, 9:45am-1pm
As host of the Annual Meeting of The European Network of Intercultural Elderly Care (ENIEC), RUNOMI is delighted to invite you to participate in interactive workshop sessions on Thursday, April 10th, at the Maria Montessori building, Radboud University.
Supporting Refugees Through Language: Crowdfunding for Dutch Classes
We rarely—if ever—reach out to colleagues with urgent pleas for money, for generosity, for charity. And yet, here I am doing just that. I would love for you to take a moment to learn about the initiative I am supporting on behalf of the Radboud Refugee Working Group: raising funds to purchase books for refugees.
RUNOMI Summer School 2025 – Migrant Inclusion: Policies & Practices in the Age of Digitalisation Monday 23 June 2025,
This multidisciplinary course offers valuable insights into key challenges surrounding migrant inclusion in a digitalised society. By engaging with experts from diverse fields, participants will develop a comprehensive, multidisciplinary understanding of one of today’s most pressing and widely discussed topics.
Seminar on The Digital Transformation of the European Border Regime Thursday 27 February 2025, 3:30pm-5pm
On Thursday 27 February, we will dive into The Digital Transformation of the European Border Regime: The Powers and Perils of Imagining Future Borders (Bristol University Press, 2024) with dr. Paul Trauttmansdorff, a researcher in the social studies of science and technology.
RUNOMI-Risbo Knowledge Program on Labour Migration officially launched
On Tuesday, November 12, KCA officially transferred its research data to RUNOMI and Risbo. This marks the launch of the RUNOMI-Risbo Knowledge Program on Labour Migration, ensuring that critical research on labour migration continues sustainably, with valuable data and insights remaining accessible to the scientific community. KCA’s board will stay involved as an informal advisory council.
Strategizing silence: Digital non-use as agency for marginalized communities Wednesday 4 December 2024, 3pm-5:30pm
RUNOMI, together with Radboud AI, will be hosting a seminar on digital non-use as agentic strategy of resistance and resilience in the context of socially marginalized populations. Keynote lecture by Prof. Arul Chib’s (Erasmus University Rotterdam) presents empirical evidence on varied global communities facing societal and digital discrimination, ranging from transgender sex work and forced migration. AContinue reading “Strategizing silence: Digital non-use as agency for marginalized communities”
Inclusive participation and digitalization Wednesday 20 November 2024, 9am-1pm
For more information and to sign up: https://www.ru.nl/en/about-us/events/inclusive-participation-and-digitalization
Member spotlights
Have a closer look at some of our members at work…
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Jeanine Suurmond, Professor
Jeanine Suurmond is a Professor specializing in Inclusive, Person-Centered Healthcare for Vulnerable Citizens. Her chair, co-funded by Pharos, the expertise center for health disparities, focuses on improving access to care for individuals in hard-to-reach and vulnerable situations.
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Saskia Glas, Assistant Professor
Saskia Glas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology. Her research centers on the inclusion of minorities. She represents the Faculty of Social Sciences on the RUNOMI steering group.
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Noemi Mena Montes, Assistant Professor
Dr. Noemi Mena Montes joined the RUNOMI network as part of the sector-plan, focusing on the topic of ‘Migrant Inclusion: Information, Communication, and Development,’ where she contributes her expertise to research and initiatives aimed at enhancing migrant integration through innovative communication strategies.
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Joud Alkorani, Assistant Professor
Faculty of Philosophy, Theology, and Religious Studies, Department of Islam, Politics and Society Alkorani joined Radboud as an assistant professor in 2021; she was a RUNOMI affiliate for two years before becoming formally incorporated as Sector Plan member in 2023. What are you working on, and how does your work relate to the focus of RUNOMI?Continue reading “Joud Alkorani, Assistant Professor”
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Martijn de Koning, Associate professor
As associate professor at Islam, Politics and Society, de Koning works on the intersection of race, religion and mobility; a theme that cuts across his teaching, research and societal impact work. The role of digitalization is not a specific focus but is interwoven with this particular theme and how he approaches it. Additionally, he is a member of the Runomi steering group, contributing to the network’s strategic direction and initiatives.