Migration research in Europe is often carried out by members of the majority population. Increasingly, however, there are also researchers with a migrant background who study migration. It clearly matters who does research. Traditional notions of 'outsider' and 'insider' perspectives, for instance in terms of being a migrant or not, are not necessarily helpful. In this seminar, we ask how different aspects of researchers' background shape the research process.

The seminar is organized on the occasion of a new publication: 'Beyond the insider–outsider divide in migration research', by PRIO researchers Jørgen Carling, Marta Bivand Erdal and Rojan Ezzati, published in the journal Migration Studies. Justyna Bell (Queen's University Belfast) and Ida Erstad (University of Oslo) provide comments on the basis of their own research experiences.