Prize Scholar: Elisa Sisto

I am pursuing a DPhil in International Development, with a focus on migration, borders, and humanitarianism. My research draws on ethnographic fieldwork at the French-Italian and Franco-Spanish borders to examine how policy and geography interact to shape the politics of risk, rescue, and solidarity along historic and contemporary migration routes. I explore how terrain can be mobilised both to enforce and contest border regimes, and how distinctive practices of solidarity and humanitarianism emerge in the Alps and Pyrenees.

Alongside field research, I extended my work into policy through the two-year Europaeum Scholars Programme, into comparative perspectives through the Eur-Asian Border Lab initiatives in Kyrgyzstan and Estonia, and into civil society engagement with support from a Gerry Grimstone Travel Award.

Merton’s vibrant community and generous support together with the Clarendon Fund have been central to this journey. Inspiring friendships and conversations across disciplines have significantly enriched my college experience and expanded my thinking. I am deeply appreciative of the community, encouragement, and opportunities that I have encountered at Merton.