Academic Research Responsiveness to Ethnic Minorites and Migrants in Northern Ireland

Migration, race and ethnicity, majority-minority dynamics are established areas of academic enquiry in many contexts around the world. In one region of the UK, that of Northern Ireland, these are significantly under-studied when it comes to local populations and issues. This study seeks to comprehend why this is so, by exploring how such localised research enquiry is constructed, perceived and impacted by the various stakeholders who influence that contexts’ higher education ecology. Collected data about relevant research applications, awards and outputs will triangulated with primary data generated from questionnaire responses and semi-structured interviews with academics; institutional research developers; policymakers; members of governmental and non-governmental bodies with relation to universities and to the underserved populations. This will enable comprehending the complexities of the internal and external factors which shape research structures and cultures, and their relation to enabling or constraining the agency and practice of academic actors.