Wasted lives in scapegoat Britain: overlaps and departures between migration studies and disability studies

Abstract

The focus of this paper is to consider how disability studies and migration studies may be brought into further conversation with one another. While their experiences overlap and intersect in many ways, the lives of disabled people and migrants have rarely been considered together and this is an omission we address through a discussion on points of intersection and departure between migration studies and disability studies. We argue that migrants and disabled people are among the most marginalised individuals today whilst a Global North neoliberal rhetoric has pushed them further to the margins. We draw on Bauman’s theorisation of ‘wasted lives’ to bring disability studies and migration studies in dialogue with one another. Through this analysis, we highlight how bringing both disciplines together may help to inform debates focused on social justice and rights to dignity for some of world’s most marginalised communities.