http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/32833 2026-05-14T08:19:10Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33233 Title: "Decolonising Dance Discourses", Special Issue for Conversations Across the Field of Dance Studies Authors: Banerji, A; Mitra, R; Amin, TN; Davis, CU; Mccarthy-Brown, N; Pillai, N; Kedhar, A; George-Graves, N; Johnson, J; Purkayastha, P; Firmino-Castillo, M; Lee, CL; Stanger, A; Tarah, M; Kraut, A; Croft, C; Johnson, IK; Pillai, S; O'Shea, J; Blanco Borelli, M Editors: Mitra, R; Banerji, A Abstract: This special issue of Conversations is dedicated to the theme of "Decolonizing Dance Discourses," framed by critiques of anti-Black racism and caste injustice in our discipline. 2021-01-07T00:00:00Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33227 Title: Concert electric guitar composition: Techniques, challenges and creative possibilities Authors: La Spesa, Vincenzo Abstract: The growing presence of the electric guitar in contemporary art music highlights the need for a focused investigation into its compositional role. This thesis examines the instrument within what is here defined as the domain of the concert electric guitar, that is, the use of the electric guitar in notated, composer-led art music contexts. The thesis functions both as a musicological study and as a compositional resource. It is structured around a theoretical section, addressed to musicologists and composers, which analyses the development of the electric guitar in art music and the ambiguities between popular and concert practices from which the notion of the concert electric guitar emerges. A practical component, specifically directed at composers, complements this discussion. The latter includes annotated examples, original audio and video demonstrations, and a collection of nine studies and a fugue composed by the author, conceived as compositional case studies. Description: This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33161 Title: The External Dimension of Italian Migration Policy (DEPMI): a mapping of the tools to manage migratory flows with countries of origin and transit Authors: Fontana, I; Rosina, M; Samuk, S Abstract: Recent shifts in migration governance – especially the externalization of border control and the strategic use of migration cooperation – demand systematic analyses of how states manage migration beyond their borders. Italy has emerged as a key actor in this domain, yet its external migration policies remain understudied. The DEPMI project addresses this gap by mapping and analysing Italy’s bilateral migration engagement with 28 countries across North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Asia between 2000 and 2024. It sheds light on the objectives, tools, and evolution of Italy’s external migration governance through two original datasets of over 140 bilateral instruments and 1,800 migration-related development cooperation pro- jects. Complemented by 28 country profiles and an interactive map, DEPMI provides a robust framework for comparative analysis and policy reflection. This article outlines the project’s aims and methodology, while pre- senting key research findings from the Sub-Saharan African context. It shows how the region, once peripheral, has become central to Italy’s migration diplomacy, with a strong emphasis on containment, returns, and the stra- tegic use of legal migration as diplomatic leverage. 2026-02-16T00:00:00Z http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/33143 Title: The UK could make migrants wait up to 20 years before becoming settled – making it one of the longest waits in the world Authors: Rosina, M Abstract: The UK government is planning to make it significantly harder for migrants to obtain permanent residence. If the proposals go ahead, the UK would become more restrictive than most other high-income democracies. In the case of refugees it would create a situation that is arguably without precedent among peer countries. ... 2026-04-10T00:00:00Z