Stephen Castles, 1944-2022

The Global Migration Lab notes with sadness the passing of migration scholar Stephen Castles. Stephen was a pioneer in the field, one whose insistence on the role of class and capitalism in structuring (and understanding) migration made a lasting contribution to the study of migration and remains, decades later, as relevant as ever. Inside the classroom, he was an inspired teacher; outside it, he was a tireless advocate for migrant rights. And while he showed no compunction in pointing out errors of thought or evidence in his colleagues’ arguments, he did so in a manner that was invariably kind, almost understated. We, and the broader community of migration scholars, will miss him very much.

Stephen is survived by his partner, Ellie Vasta, two daughters, Freyja Castles and Jenny Wustenberg, and five grandchildren, to whom we extend our condolences.

For more on Stephen’s life and accomplishments, see https://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/news/professor-stephen-castles-1944-2022

Leadership

Randall Hansen

Director

Affiliated Researchers

Camelia Tigau

Bernardo Bolanos-Guerra

Affiliated Faculty

Charles P. Gomes

Senior Associate, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy

Tahseen Shams

Assistant Professor, Sociology

Ayelet Shachar

Professor of Law, Political Science, and Global Affairs
R. F. Harney Professor and Director of the Ethnic, Immigration and Pluralism Studies Program
University of Toronto Faculty of Law