Dr Margaret Byron

Dr Margaret Byron's research has centred on the causes and outcomes of international labour migration in the post war era. Her focus has been on migration from the Caribbean to Britain and France including the return migration process and the transnational and trans-local existences of Caribbean communities.

She has examined the employment and housing trajectories of Caribbean migrants and their British -born descendants in Britain over the past seven decades and continue to work with the University of Leicester Migration Network to monitor the impact of hostile state immigration policies on Post War Caribbean migrants and their families.

For the past 33 months she has been working with The Mixed-Relationships-racialised Boundaries Research Network: a European-wide research network focussing on ‘exploring the life histories, shifting identities and representations of Mixed-Heritage families in Europe.

The network is based at the University of Loughborough and aims to build an historically grounded insight into the complex histories and shifting experiences and identities of black/white interracial families in European history. The network is funded by the AHRC.

From 2015 she has worked with Human Geographers within and beyond the UK to establish the RGS/IBG Race Working group. The RACE Working Group was founded in 2015 to counter racial oppression within the discipline - through their geographical research, teaching and interaction with the wider society.

She has been particularly involved within the academy to create a more welcoming space and experience for an increasingly diverse student body. Beyond the academy she has built relationships with local community groups and the Leicester Centre for Racial Equality.

Her ongoing engagement with the Caribbean community included organising a Leicester University- African Caribbean Community Centre celebration of long service by Caribbean nurses and Midwives within the NHS.