Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence

This ground breaking book presents the first evidence of forced labour among displaced migrants who seek refuge in the UK.

Through a critical engagement with contemporary debates about precarity, unfreedom and socio-legal status, the book explores how asylum and forced labour are linked, and enmeshed in a broader picture of modern slavery produced through globalised working conditions.

Drawing on original evidence generated in fieldwork with refugees and asylum seekers, this is important reading for students and academics in social policy, social geography, sociology, politics, refugee, labour and migration studies, and policy makers and practitioners working to support migrants and tackle forced labour.

"Precarious Lives shouldn't simply be used to highlight the flaws in the UK immigration system; rather, the book is compelling as a means to improve the system, especially in this globalised society." LSE Review of Books
"Precarious Lives breaks new ground by focusing on the working experiences of new and refused asylum seekers as well as trafficked workers in the UK. It exposes the role of hte state in causing and perpetrating modern slavery and makes a powerful demand for action. It should be essential reading for politicians as well as campaigners." Jane Wills, Queen Mary University of London

Dr Hannah Lewis is Research Fellow in Critical Human Geography, University of Leeds with research interests in forced migration, immigration and asylum policy, unfree/forced labour, community and social relationships.

Peter Dwyer is Professor of Social Policy at the University of York, UK. His research focuses on issues related to social citizenship and migration.

Dr Stuart Hodkinson is a Lecturer in Critical Urban Geography, University of Leeds. His research focuses on urban contestation over privatisation, gentrification and the right to the city.

Dr Louise Waite is Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, University of Leeds with research interests in migration, citizenship, unfree/forced labour and exploitative work.