Hilary Sanders

Hilary Sanders is a Lecturer in North American Studies at the University of Toulouse – Jean Jaurès, affiliated with the Center for Anglophone Studies (CAS). She teaches American history and institutions, sociology of migration, research methodology, and oral expression in English. Her academic work centers on migration, citizenship, and urban governance in the United States.

Her research interests include migration policies, interethnic relations, urban citizenship, sanctuary cities, and the role of municipalities in migrant integration. She explores how cities develop strategies to welcome migrants, manage diversity, and resist federal immigration enforcement, often through branding and local governance innovations.

Her recent publications (2023–2024) analyze anti-Asian violence in Portland, gentrification in immigrant neighborhoods, local hospitality policies, and the concept of 'adminigration.' She frequently publishes in French and international journals such as Transatlantica, Mondes sociaux, and Society. Her work often examines case studies from U.S. cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Portland, highlighting the interplay between local policy, civil society, and migrant agency.

She co-edited the book Migrant Protection and the City in the Americas (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), which brings together comparative urban case studies on sanctuary and hospitality policies across the Americas.

Hilary Sanders is actively involved in academic service: she co-organizes the ATHIP seminar (Transatlantic Workshop on Intellectual and Political History), serves on the editorial boards of l'Ordinaire des Amériques and IdeAs, and manages the alumni directory for the Master's in Research in English Studies. She earned her doctorate from Paris Diderot University in 2013 with highest honors, focusing on migrant reception policies in the U.S. She also holds a CAPES in English (2013).