PhD Research Visit to the Basque Country

Spending three months in the Basque Country through the UBEL International Institutional Visit scheme has been one of the most exciting chapters of my PhD journey so far. Based in Bilbao, at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), I had the opportunity to step out of my usual academic context in London and explore this new environment with its long history of radical left, anarchist and socialist activism.

My PhD project at Birkbeck focuses on the everyday lives and support networks of migrant women in the UK who are excluded from welfare support because of their immigration status. I have spent the last years researching and working around migration issues in the UK, and so being in the Basque Country allowed me to look at these questions from a new perspective. The region’s unique history and struggle for political autonomy makes it an exciting context to reflect on how communities organise beyond the national level and resist state oppression. As an industrial hub and former mining region, Bilbao has long been a place of political movement, unionised labour organising, and resistance, which was shaped by waves of migration from within other regions in Spain and beyond. It was fascinating to see how these histories continue to shape local activism and solidarity networks today. From conversations with researchers working in the Basque language and exploring issues of self-determination at the political science department where I was based, to witnessing grassroots migrant support activism in squatted community spaces, I found myself constantly learning and questioning. As someone whose research and political praxis are grounded in border abolitionist perspectives and critiques of the nation state, engaging with local discourses on Basque nationalism, pro-independence movements, and international solidarity networks (e.g. with Palestine) challenged me to reflect critically on my own frameworks. What does it mean to fight for open borders in a context of local struggles for political independence and for protecting minority culture and language rights?

One of the most rewarding aspects of my time in Bilbao was getting to know some local political grassroots organising initiatives, especially among migrant communities who continue to face deep-rooted racism and structural exclusion. I joined a neighbourhood collective supporting young men from North Africa experiencing homelessness which gave me not only a chance to connect with people beyond the university, but also to reflect more deeply on the relationship between care, solidarity, and resistance in different settings. This collaboration offered a valuable contrast to my work experience in the more formalised charity sector in the UK, as many support initiatives here operate with very little or no funding and from squatted and collectively run spaces. To a certain extent, these more activist and politicised grassroot settings allow for a different kind of participation, grounded in autonomy and solidarity. At the same time however, these more grassroots setting face severe structural and economic limitations, and internal decision-making can at times be less transparent.

Outside of academic work, I found joy in getting to know the local culture. I took Basque tambourine (‘pandero’) lessons, went to traditional music and dance events, and explored the incredible nature around Bilbao. It was deeply rewarding to engage with the new place not just through research, but through music and culture, language, landscape and political organising. I am deeply grateful to the support I have received from the host university, local organisations, and to the UBEL DTP for making this experience possible. This visit has helped me not only to grow academically but was a personal and political exchange that broadened my thinking and grounded my research in new and unexpected ways.