Gemma Bird

Dr Gemma Bird is a Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of the Department of Politics at the University of Manchester, a position she has held since joining as a Lecturer in 2017. She is also Deputy Director of the Europe and the World Centre and a Board Member of the Manchester Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence.

Her educational background includes a PhD (2016), MA in Research Methods in Politics and International Relations, and BA in Politics and Philosophy, all from the University of Sheffield.

Dr Bird's research lies at the intersection of Political Geography, Applied Political Theory, and International Relations, with a focus on critical border and migration studies, solidarity and activism in Europe, and African political thought. She has published extensively on border governance, citizenship, visual politics, and Racial Capitalism, particularly examining the European border regime and the concept of the "Migration Fix". Her early work explored just cross-cultural dialogue in Kant and African political thought, resulting in a monograph published by Palgrave in 2019.

Her recent publications (2023-2024) demonstrate a strong trend towards analyzing the European border regime through the lens of Racial Capitalism and the "Migration Fix", while maintaining a commitment to activist scholarship and solidarity movements. She also continues to contribute to the field of African political thought, notably with work on the Négritude movement and critiques of the political theory canon.

Dr Bird has secured significant research funding, including:

• Policy Support Fund 2024/25 (RESEARCH ENGLAND) for August 2024 - July 2025
• AHRC IAA 22-25 (ARTS AND HUMANITIES RESEARCH COUNCIL) for April 2022 - November 2026
• Community building at the border: activism, migration and a changing world order (KÄTE HAMBURGER KOLLEG) for September 2022 - January 2024

She is keen to supervise PhD students in European bordering, Racial Capitalism, migrant solidarity, and African political thought.

As Deputy Director of the Europe and the World Centre and a Board Member of the Manchester Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, Dr Bird plays a key role in fostering research on Europe and global cooperation.