Staff profile

An anthropological study of Romanian labour migrants in pandemic London

Ana-Maria's PhD research focuses on the experiences of migration, work, and belonging of Romanian migrants living in North-West London. Using an ethnographic approach, Ana-Maria lived with and studied a Romanian family for over 12 months during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also worked in a local charity and volunteered in community organisations.

Starting from migrants’ experiences of work and mobility, Ana-Maria’s PhD aims to document the precarious, yet productive connections weaved by Romanians as they navigate life abroad. Ana-Maria is interested in the manifestations of labour outside the confines of migrants’ workplaces. She focuses on the intersections between class and gender which give rise to caring and kinship practices among migrants. In turn, Ana-Maria investigates the wider post-Brexit and COVID-19 context to determine how everyday practices and narratives amount to new forms of political engagement for Romanians in London.

The project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council through a '1+3' studentship administered by the Northern Ireland and North East Doctoral Training Partnership.

Prior to her PhD, Ana-Maria completed a Masters in Research Methods (Anthropology) at Durham University, as well as a BA in Anthropology and Sociology at Durham University.

Book review

• Cîrstea, A. (2020). Verdery, Katherine. My life as a spy: investigations in a secret police file. Durham, NC : Duke University Press, 2018. ISBN: 9780822370666. Social Anthropology, 28(2), 549-551. https://doi.org/10.1111/1469-8676.12777

Journal Article

• Cîrstea, A.-M., & Pescinski, J. (2024). ‘Intimacy as method’: Ethnographic reflections on equitable knowledge production in migration research. Migration Studies, 12(3), Article mnae020. https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnae020
• Cîrstea, A.-M., Johnson, L., & Phiri, C. (2024). Towards a praxis of care in post-pandemic fieldwork: Comparing ethnographic encounters during Covid-19. SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, 5, Article 100387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2023.100387
• Cîrstea, A.-M. (2020). ‘Coming from Abroad’: Exploring Romanian Migrants’ Transnational Social Networks through the Prism of Temporary Return. Lietuvos etnologija, 20 (29), 169-180. https://doi.org/10.33918/25386522-2029008

Report

• Cîrstea, A.-M., & Mutebi, N. (2022). The impact of digital technology on arts and culture in the UK. [No known commissioning body]