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Monish Bhatia is a sociologist/critical criminologist working in the areas of migration, state, racism and violence. In particular, he is interested in the rapid convergence of the criminal-legal and immigration arenas, the use of surveillance and crime control technologies in migration, and its impact on various migrant groups.
After completing his studies in social sciences at the University of Huddersfield (PhD, 2014; also worked as a sessional lecturer between 2009 and 2013), he obtained a position as Lecturer in Criminology at the Abertay University, Dundee (2014-2017). He later worked at the Birbeck, University of London, School of Law, as a Lecturer in Criminology (2017-2023). In April 2023, Monish joined the Department of Sociology, University of York. He coordinates the Race Matters Network (part of the British Society of Criminology) and hosts an international seminar series called Race and Justice.
He has also been the secretary of the European Group of Deviance and Social Control (2012-2015), and Editor of the Justice, Power and Resistance Journal (2018-2020). Monish currently serves as the Associate Editor for the Criminology and Criminal Justice Journal, and Editorial Board member for the Critical Criminology Journal (part of the American Society of Criminology).
Beyond academia, Monish has and continues to work with various third-sector and grassroots organisations, and activist and campaigning groups, and has been part of the Scottish Refugee Council board, Trustee for Right to Remain, and Treasurer for the Scottish Detainee Visitors Group. He has also been a consultant for the British-Romanian protest theatre called Bezna – particularly for their widely acclaimed plays called Illegalised and How to Break Free from Detention. Very recently, Monish collaborated with a charity organisation called the Migrant Rights Network on a report around immigration raids.
Monish he has widely written around state racism and violence directed at people seeking asylum and forced migrants. Some of his key publications include:
In the past, he was awarded the Carnegie Trust (Scotland) grant to investigate the destitution and homelessness amongst people seeking asylum and illegalised migrants (2014-2015). And Abertay University Sociology Department funding to research the deportation process and aftermath of deportation (2015-2018).
Monish has currently been awarded the British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship to investigate the use of reporting and electronic monitoring of migrants.
Monish invites PhD applications in any of the following (broad) areas:
Monish's work has been featured in various national and international media outlets.