Migrants’ and refugees’ stories have become an essential part of the public debate around immigration. Benjamin Gatling edits interdisciplinary essays that bring together the distinct perspectives of researchers, activists, and policymakers to emphasize how these often-siloed communities can use stories as social science data and advocacy tools.

Ranging from oral history projects to the asylum process to calls for decolonial justice, the contributors’ analyses illuminate how migrants’ and refugees’ personal narratives influence both perceptions and policies. Their merger of perspectives provides a nuanced understanding of migration and emphasizes the importance of how storytelling can foster empathy, challenge stereotypes, and drive social change. At the same time, the essays center migrants’ and refugees’ voices within public debates and in work done to humanize the reality they face.

Original and multifaceted, Migration Stories provides a vital addition to how we study and frame immigration.

Benjamin Gatling is an associate professor of English at George Mason University. He is the author of Expressions of Sufi Culture in Tajikistan.