Dr Alistair Hunter

Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Policy (School of Social & Environmental Sustainability)
Associate (School of Health & Wellbeing)

telephone: 01387702083
email: Alistair.Hunter@glasgow.ac.uk

Biography

I joined the University as Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Policy in 2018. Prior to that I held a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh (see Grants below). My PhD (Edinburgh, 2012) was awarded the Maria Baganha Prize for best PhD in the field of migration studies, presented by IMISCOE, Europe's largest network of migration scholars. My book Retirement Home? Ageing Migrant Workers in France and the Question of Return was published open access by Springer in 2018. The book received an honourable mention for the Khayrallah Prize in Migration Studies 2018, and was shortlisted for the British Sociological Association's Philip Abrams Memorial Prize 2019. I am co-editor (with Sandra Torres) of the Handbook of Migration and Ageing (Edward Elgar, forthcoming).

Research interests

Ageing
International Migration
End-of-Life Issues
Ethnic and Religious Minorities in the UK / rest of Europe
Policymaking
Social Systems Theory

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2020 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2011

Number of items: 35.

2025

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2025) The intersection of migration and ageing: overview and implications for the broader gerontological field. Issue Focus, 5(3), pp. 49-60.

2024

Shrestha, Sunita, Arora, Sanjana, Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and Debesay, Jonas (2024) Aging in place or aging out of place? Family caregivers’ perspectives on care for older Pakistani migrants in Norway. European Journal of Ageing, 21, 34. (doi: 10.1007/s10433-024-00832-y)

Shrestha, Sunita, Arora, Sanjana, Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and Debesay, Jonas (2024) The morality of care: female family caregivers’ motivations for providing care to older migrants. Qualitative Health Research, (doi: 10.1177/10497323241280239) (Early Online Publication)

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and Torres, Sandra (2024) Deploying an ageing-astute lens in migration studies: current research and future directions. International Migration, 62(4), pp. 296-300. (doi: 10.1111/imig.13301)

Shrestha, Sunita, Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478, Debesay, Jonas and Arora, Sanjana (2024) Intergenerational ambivalence among families with a migrant background caring for older relatives. Journal of Migration and Health, 10, 100244. (doi: 10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100244)

2023

Torres, Sandra and Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (Eds.) (2023) Handbook on Migration and Ageing. Series: Elgar handbooks in migration. Edward Elgar. ISBN 9781839106767

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2023) Return and circular migration in later life. In: Torres, Sandra and Hunter, Alistair (eds.) Handbook on Migration and Ageing. Series: Elgar handbooks in migration. Edward Elgar, pp. 183-195. ISBN 9781839106767 (doi: 10.4337/9781839106774.00025)

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and Böcker, Anita (2023) Older refugees and internally displaced people. In: Torres, Sandra and Hunter, Alistair (eds.) Handbook on Migration and Ageing. Series: Elgar handbooks in migration. Edward Elgar, pp. 151-161. ISBN 9781839106767 (doi: 10.4337/9781839106774.00022)

Torres, Sandra and Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2023) Migration and ageing: the nexus and its backdrop. In: Torres, Sandra and Hunter, Alistair (eds.) Handbook on Migration and Ageing. Series: Elgar handbooks in migration. Edward Elgar, pp. 1-12. ISBN 9781839106767 (doi: 10.4337/9781839106774.00006)

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2023) Minorities in, minorities out: cemeteries, religious adversity and the French body politic in contemporary and historical perspective. In: Maddrell, Avril, Kmec, Sonja, Uteng, Tanu Priya and Westendorp, Mariske (eds.) Mobilities in Life and Death: Negotiating Room for Migrants and Minorities in European Cemeteries. Series: IMISCOE research series (IMIS). Springer: Cham, pp. 105-121. ISBN 9783031282836 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-28284-3_6)

Shrestha, Sunita, Arora, Sanjana, Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and Debesay, Jonas (2023) Changing dynamics of caregiving: a meta-ethnography study of informal caregivers’ experiences with older immigrant family members in Europe. BMC Health Services Research, 23, 43. (doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09023-4)

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and McCallum Guiney, Fiona (2023) Misrecognised as Muslim: the racialisation of Christians of Middle Eastern heritage in the UK. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, (doi: 10.1080/1369183X.2022.2157803) (Early Online Publication)

2022

Böcker, Anita and Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2022) Older refugees and internally displaced people in African countries: findings from a scoping review of literature. Journal of Refugee Studies, (doi: 10.1093/jrs/feac023) (Early Online Publication)

2020

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and McCallum Guiney, Fiona (2020) The quest for equal citizenship: Middle Eastern Christian narratives of migration and inclusion in the United Kingdom. Mashriq and Mahjar, 8(1), pp. 15-43. (doi: 10.24847/v8i12020.288)

2018

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and Meer, Nasar (2018) Is Scotland different on race and migration? Scottish Affairs, 27(3), pp. 382-387. (doi: 10.3366/scot.2018.0249)

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2018) Conclusion: The returns from theory and a new approach to home. In: Retirement Home? Ageing Migrant Workers in France and the Question of Return. Series: IMISCOE research series. Springer, pp. 179-198. ISBN 9783319649757 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-64976-4_8)

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2018) Older migrants: inequalities of ageing from a transnational perspective. In: Westwood, Sue (ed.) Ageing, Diversity and Inequality: Social Justice Perspectives. Series: Routledge advances in sociology. Routledge: London, pp. 194-209. ISBN 9780415786690

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2018) Retirement Home? Ageing Migrant Workers in France and the Question of Return. Series: IMISCOE research series. Springer: Cham. ISBN 9783319649757 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-64976-4)

2017

Böcker, Anita and Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2017) Legislating for transnational ageing: a challenge to the logics of the welfare state. European Journal of Ageing, 14(4), pp. 353-363. (doi: 10.1007/s10433-017-0431-6) (PMID:29180941) (PMCID:PMC5684041)

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2017) Cemeteries, secularism, and religious difference in France. [Website]

Ciobanu, Ruxandra Oana and Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2017) Older migrants and (im)mobilities of ageing: an introduction. Population, Space and Place, 23(5), e2075. (doi: 10.1002/psp.2075)

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and Ammann, Eva Soom (Eds.) (2017) Final Journeys: Migrant End-of-life Care and Rituals in Europe. Routledge: London. ISBN 9781138749702

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2017) Staking a claim to land, faith and family: burial location preferences of Middle Eastern Christian migrants. In: Hunter, Alistair and Ammann, Eva Soom (eds.) Final Journeys: Migrant End-of-life Care and Rituals in Europe. Routledge: London. ISBN 9781138749702

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and Ammann, Eva Soom (2017) Migrant end-of-life care and rituals in Europe: an introduction. In: Hunter, Alistair and Ammann, Eva Soom (eds.) Final Journeys: Migrant End-of-life Care and Rituals in Europe. Routledge: London. ISBN 9781138749702

2016

Galal, Lise Paulsen, Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478, Sparre, Sara Lei, McCallum, Fiona and Wozniak-Bobinska, Marta (2016) Middle Eastern Christian spaces in Europe: multi-sited and super-diverse. Journal of Religion in Europe, 9(1), pp. 1-25. (doi: 10.1163/18748929-00901002)

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2016) Deathscapes in diaspora: contesting space and negotiating home in contexts of post-migration diversity. Social and Cultural Geography, 17(2), pp. 247-261. (doi: 10.1080/14649365.2015.1059472)

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2016) Emotional or instrumental? Narratives of home among North and West African seniors in France. In: Walsh, Katie and Näre, Lena (eds.) Transnational Migration and Home in Older Age. Series: Routledge research in transnationalism (33). Routledge: New York, pp. 75-86. ISBN 9781138887862

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2016) Staking a claim to land, faith and family: burial location preferences of Middle Eastern Christian migrants. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 37(2), pp. 179-194. (doi: 10.1080/07256868.2016.1141759)

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and Ammann, Eva Soom (2016) End-of-life care and rituals in contexts of post-migration diversity in Europe: an introduction. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 37(2), pp. 95-102. (doi: 10.1080/07256868.2016.1142052)

2015

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2015) "Family values": Remittance dependency and the dilemma of late-in-life return. Hommes et Migrations, 1309, pp. 117-125.

Caponio, Tiziana, Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and Verbeek, Stijn (2015) (De)constructing expertise: comparing knowledge utilization in the migrant integration “crisis”. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, 17(1), pp. 26-40. (doi: 10.1080/13876988.2014.889902)

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2015) Empowering or impeding return migration? ICT, mobile phones, and older migrants’ communications with home. Global Networks, 15(4), pp. 485-502. (doi: 10.1111/glob.12091)

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and Boswell, Christina (2015) Comparing the political functions of independent commissions: the case of UK migrant integration policy. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, 17(1), pp. 10-25. (doi: 10.1080/13876988.2014.896117)

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and Boswell, Christina (2015) Research-policy dialogues in the United Kingdom. In: Scholten, Peter, Entzinger, Han, Penninx, Rinus and Verbeek, Stijn (eds.) Integrating Immigrants in Europe: Research-Policy Dialogues. Series: IMISCOE research series. Springer: Cham, pp. 233-251. ISBN 9783319162553 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-16256-0_13)

2011

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2011) Theory and practice of return migration at retirement: the case of migrant worker hostel residents in France. Population, Space and Place, 17(2), pp. 179-192. (doi: 10.1002/psp.610)

This list was generated on Sun Jun 15 11:02:38 2025 BST.

Jump to: Articles | Books | Book Sections | Edited Books | Website

Number of items: 35.

Articles

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and Meer, Nasar (2018) Is Scotland different on race and migration? Scottish Affairs, 27(3), pp. 382-387. (doi: 10.3366/scot.2018.0249)

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2015) "Family values": Remittance dependency and the dilemma of late-in-life return. Hommes et Migrations, 1309, pp. 117-125.

Books

Book Sections

Edited Books

Torres, Sandra and Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (Eds.) (2023) Handbook on Migration and Ageing. Series: Elgar handbooks in migration. Edward Elgar. ISBN 9781839106767

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 and Ammann, Eva Soom (Eds.) (2017) Final Journeys: Migrant End-of-life Care and Rituals in Europe. Routledge: London. ISBN 9781138749702

Website

Hunter, Alistair ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9282-8478 (2017) Cemeteries, secularism, and religious difference in France. [Website]

This list was generated on Sun Jun 15 11:02:38 2025 BST.

Grants

Burying our Differences: Negotiating faith and space in contexts of death and diversity.
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship
2015-2018 (£335,033)

‘Research in Paris’ Scholar Award
Mairie de Paris (Paris City Council)
2015-2016 (€30,000)

Supervision

Ageing, especially in connection with health and social care, housing, pensions, minorities and migration.
Return and circular migration; transnationalism; diaspora.
Migrant integration policies.
Ethnic and Religious Minorities in the UK/ rest of Europe.
End-of-life issues, especially from a human geography perspective.

Current/Future PhD projects

Innovative Models of Community Housing with Care

Sponsor: College of Social Sciences, University of Glasgow

Duration: 2020 -

The Feasibility of Implementing Asset-Based Approaches to Health in Saudi Rural Communities

Sponsor: Saudi Arabia Cultural Bureau

Duration: 2020 -

PhD projects supervised to completion

Feeling at Home and Seeing the Other Side: Muslim responses to Right-Wing Populism

Sponsor: Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World, University of Edinburgh

Duration: 2016 - 2019

Batarfi, Sabreen Saleh A
The Feasibility of Implementing Asset-Based Approaches to Health in Saudi Rural Communities.
Izzo, Maria
Who cares for the carers? Health and ageing among Ukrainian care workers in Italy.

Teaching

Undergraduate

Year 1: Contemporary Health Challenges (Convenor)
Year 4: Honours Action Research Project 1 (Convenor)
Year 4: Honours Action Research Project 2 (Convenor)

Additional information

I have also held positions at the University of St Andrews and the David Hume Institute think-tank. In 2015-16 I was a visiting fellow at INED, the French National Institute for Demographic Studies in Paris.

Alistair Hunter

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