Winners Han Entzinger Award 2025 for Best Thesis on Migration

Manju von Rospatt conducted digital ethnographic fieldwork on digital social infrastructures in the migration journey and experience of Nepalese diaspora in San Francisco, the United States. Recently, Manju’s thesis has been published as ISS working paper 733, Ambivalent solidarities: precarity, belonging, and informal social protection among Nepali diaspora in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.

Supervised by dr. Zeynep Kaşlı (ISS)

Jet van Swinderen combined quantitative surveys with follow-up interviews to understand the role of “key figures” (sleutelpersonen) on the knowledge of labour rights among Polish and Bulgarian migrants in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. A policy brief based on Jet’s thesis will soon be published here.

Supervised by dr. Asya Pisarevskaya (ESSB)

This year’s jury was chaired by prof. dr. Han Entzinger, and coordinated by Kay Mars, PhD., and Hannah Kay, PhD. The jury consisted of fellow jury members prof. dr. Jacco van Sterkenburg, dr. Sonja Fransen, dr. Warda Belabas, dr. Zeynep Kaşlı, dr. Maria Avraamidou, and Jill Stigter, PhD.  

Prof.dr. Han Entzinger on Manju von Rospatt’s thesis:

“Manju clearly contributes to the growing literature on arrival infrastructures for migrants, specifically on digital social infrastructures in the migration journey and experience of Nepalese diaspora in San Francisco. The thesis reflects the student’s efforts and concerns for conducting ethical and good research, how she has navigated the pros and cons of digital and in-person ethnography, was able to build and maintain trust relations with her research participants, and considered carefully the need for after care and ways to make the research useful for the participants. The literature review is of high standard and showcases a strong grasp and engagement with diverse literatures. It offers some very thoughtful analysis of hierarchies and limitations of diasporic social support network, as well as well-thought insights and suggestions for various actors for whom this research is or shall be of interest.”

Prof.dr. Han Entzinger on Jet van Swinderen’s thesis:

“Jet wrote an innovative thesis, which explores the influence of ‘key figures’ (sleutelpersonen) on the knowledge of labour rights among Polish and Bulgarian migrants in Rotterdam. By combining quantitative survey and follow-up interviews, the thesis aims to measure the impact these key figures have on the knowledge, and then explains the reasons behind the absence of impact. The thesis shows an excellent theoretisation, combined sociological and public administration theories and is methodologically ambitious. Moreover, the findings are of great relevance for the city of Rotterdam, to revise and improve their policies on key figures.”

Han Entzinger Thesis Award 

Prof. dr. Han Entzinger has been one of the pioneers of migration research at Erasmus University Rotterdam as well as in The Netherlands and Europe more in general. At Erasmus University, he not only spurred the development of interdisciplinary research on migration and diversities, but also the increased attention to these themes within education. At a European scale, Han Entzinger was one of the pioneers of European networks for collaboration on migration studies (IMISCOE) and for the development of more comparative research. The Han Entzinger Award for Best Thesis on Migration is there to mark and keep alive this legacy of his work.

Previous winners of the award include:

• Chiel Rozendaal (2024) - Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication
• Jill Stigter (2023) – Erasmus School of Law
• Anouk Jorna (2022) – Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences
• Tirza Pulleman (2021) – Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences
• Christal Chapman (2020) – International Institute of Social Studies
• Jorn Schulting (2019) – Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences
• Anna Farrow (2018) – International Institute of Social Studies
• Sara Bolghiran (2017) – Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences