Joe Turner

Dr. Joe Turner is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of York. His research focuses on border regimes, postcolonial governance, and the intersection of migration with colonial histories. He holds a PhD from the University of Sheffield and has held previous roles at Aston University and the University of Sheffield, including a postdoctoral fellowship in International Migration. His work critiques contemporary border policies through postcolonial and decolonial frameworks, examining how colonial legacies shape modern state practices like citizenship deprivation and eco-bordering discourses.

Dr. Turner’s research spans four core areas: the policing of family life in border regimes, the decolonization of migration studies, authoritarian border practices in Europe, and far-right environmental justifications for restrictive migration policies. His forthcoming monograph, Bordering Intimacy, explores how family visa systems and domestic norms reinforce racial and gender hierarchies. He collaborates widely, including with Dr. Lucy Mayblin on migration studies after colonialism and Dr. Daniel Bailey on eco-bordering rhetoric.

Teaching responsibilities include courses on global security, international relations methodology, and gender politics. He is affiliated with research clusters on International Studies and Political Economy at York, and serves on academic networks like the BISA Colonial/Postcolonial Working Group. His funded projects include ESRC grants studying Channel migrant policies and UK-Rwanda asylum partnerships.