Professor Russell King to Give Guest Lecture and Receive Honorary Doctorate from the University of Latvia

On September 26 at 4:00 PM, a distinguished international guest lecture will be held in the 702nd auditorium of the Nature House of the University of Latvia, which will kick off the European Researchers Night program of the Faculty of Exact Sciences and Technology. The guest lecture will be given by Russell King, Emeritus Professor of Geography at the University of Sussex, one of the leading migration researchers in Europe.

The lecture, titled "From types and transitions to turns and tropes: reflections on the academic and social construction of migration", will offer deep reflections on the conceptual changes of migration in the academic and public space. Professor King will share his research and experience spanning several decades and continents.

On the same day, at the ceremonial meeting of the Senate of the University of Latvia, Professor Russell King will be honoured with the UL Honorary Doctorate (Doctor honoris causa Universitatis Latviensis) for his significant contribution to promoting the international recognition and prestige of Latvia and the University of Latvia in the field of migration geography research.

Professor King’s distinguished career, spanning more than five decades, exemplifies the values ​​of academic excellence and global engagement that are important to the University of Latvia.

Professor King has actively supported researchers and students at the University of Latvia in joint projects and in the development of doctoral theses. His research in the field of migration and geography has made a significant contribution to the analysis of various migration processes, including the study of remigration processes. His high scientific excellence is evidenced by more than 300 scientific articles. His work in leading research centres around the world and his work as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies have promoted interdisciplinary cooperation and contributed to the study of migration processes.

R. King has been Professor of Geography at the University of Sussex since 1993 and was and is the Director of the Sussex Migration Research Centre. Previously, he was Professor of Geography at Trinity College Dublin (1986-1993) and Lecturer in Geography at the University of Leicester (since 1970). He has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta (1977 and 2014), Ben Gurion University of the Negev (1981), the University of Trieste (1990) and Cornell University (2005). In 2013, he was Willy Brandt Visiting Professor in Migration Studies at Malmö University, where he continues to work as a part-time visiting professor. In 1986, he was awarded the Edward Heath Medal of the Royal Geographical Society for his work in the geography of Europe and the Mediterranean, and he is an honorary member of the Società Geografica Italiana. From 2000 to 2013, he was editor of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

The Researchers Night event is open to all interested parties. The full event program can be viewed here.