Why are we so scared and confused by migration?

  • Text by HUCK HQ
What does migration really mean? — The Glass Bead Game podcast looks at the hotly politicised debate around migration, explore its complexities and busts some of the myths around it.

What separates the eighty million people that arrive in Heathrow every year from the one million refugees trying to access asylum in the EU?

That’s the question that kicks off the latest episode of The Glass Bead Game podcast. Asylum Island: The Meaning Of Migration is centred around Chios, a small island between Turkey and the Greek mainland that physically embodies a political division between Europe and the rest of the world. Through the testimony of those that live there and those who arrive seeking asylum, the episode considers the wider phenomena of migration along with its shifting moral and legal status.

Migration is one of the most hotly-contested and politicised terms of today. But when only 3% of the world’s population are international migrants, is it really worth all the drama and disagreement? Through conversations with Tula, a hotel owner in Chios, and Bassam, a Syrian refugee volunteer, the episode seeks to explore why migration is such a polarising and emotive issue, shine a light on its many complexities and put some migration myths to rest – with help from the University of Sussex’s Professor of Geography Michael Collyer and Paul Statham from the Centre for Migration Studies.

Find out more about the The Glass Bead Game podcast.


You might like

Grey industrial structure with arches, dog running in foreground.
Culture

Capturing life in the shadows of Canada’s largest oil refinery

The Cloud Factory — Growing up on the fringes of Saint John, New Brunswick, the Irving Oil Refinery was ever present for photographer Chris Donovan. His new photobook explores its lingering impacts on the city’s landscape and people.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Masked protester with firearm in hand, standing on a street with other protesters in the background.
Culture

Susan Meiselas captured Nicaragua’s revolution in stark, powerful detail

Nicaragua: June 1978-1979 — With a new edition of her seminal photobook, the Magnum photographer reflects on her role in shaping the resistance’s visual language, and the state of US-Nicaraguan relations nearly five decades later.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Black and white image showing a group of shirtless men socialising, some laughing.
Culture

A visual trip through 100 years of New York’s LGBTQ+ spaces

Queer Happened Here — A new book from historian and writer Marc Zinaman maps scores of Manhattan’s queer venues and informal meeting places, documenting the city’s long LGBTQ+ history in the process.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Four persons - three women and one man - posing outdoors. The women are wearing elaborate clothing and jewellery.
Culture

Nostalgic photos of everyday life in ’70s San Francisco

A Fearless Eye — Having moved to the Bay Area in 1969, Barbara Ramos spent days wandering its streets, photographing its landscape and characters. In the process she captured a city in flux, as its burgeoning countercultural youth movement crossed with longtime residents.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Woman wearing headband and bandage covering her mouth, seated on a swing chair on a balcony overlooking the ocean.
Culture

In photos: 14 years of artist Love Bailey’s life and transition

Dancing on the Fault Line — Photographer Nick Haymes’s new book explores a decade-plus friendship with the Californian artist and activist, drawing intimate scenes from thousands of pictures.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Huck 79

We are all Mia Khalifa

How humour, therapy and community help Huck's latest cover star control her narrative.

Written by: Alya Mooro

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.