In recent years, there has been a growing call for migration scholars to reflect deeply on how the knowledge production of migration studies takes place and how it is still conditioned by the boundaries and eurocentric approaches traditionally built by academia as well as for constraints imposed by the neoliberal models of academic production. In a world of increasing polarisation, where migration is one of the most problematized issues, the role of migration scholars is not only to contribute to advancing knowledge about how migration works and how States as well as other actors develop new legal strategies and technologies to increase the bordering, repression, dehumanization, deaths and criminalisation of migrants and refugees. It is also important to reflect on how our inquiries can produce narratives, interventions and policies that can contribute to strengthening solidarities, inclusive pathways, life, human dignity and hope for a more equitable society. 

In this sense, for the 23^rd IMISCOE Annual Conference in Girona, debates on how migration scholars can engage with communities and be focused to solve social problems are welcome. Following the legacy of past IMISCOE conferences, discussions are also relevant to reflect on how migration studies are developed in different parts of the world where organic community engaged partnerships are intrinsic in the production of knowledge and where relationships between academic and activism differ from the Global North. Participatory and antiracist approaches can bring some light on how knowledge production is more oriented towards building new structures and alternatives for a fairer society. In this endeavor, partnerships with different actors (such as social movements, artists, policy makers, NGOs, schools or trade unions) may bring benefits but also challenges and ethical dilemmas for all participants involved in the research process.

In addition to methodological concerns, it is also important to consider how the research community can promote epistemic justice by acknowledging absences within the field and its connection to society at large (e.g. how research institutions can value and recognize voices and ways of thinking that have been marginalized). In this sense, it is also important to consider how race, class, gender, nationalism or coloniality have shaped migration and 'integration' studies in the past, and whether these inequalities still play a role in how we as scholars are affected by them (e.g. racialised early career women) or reproduce them. Discussions on how we and our institutions can build reparative relationships within and beyond the academy as well as about our positionality as researchers are also welcome.

For the 23^rd IMISCOE Annual Conference in Girona, we invite submissions of Individual Paper Proposals, Workshop Proposals, and Panel Proposals that contribute to Strengthening Migration Studies through Community Engagement. Panels should be either fully in-person (with all participants at the venue) or fully online (with participants joining remotely). A very limited number of hybrid panels (up to a maximum of 5 sessions per timeslot) could potentially be accommodated in exceptional circumstances (health issues, visa restrictions, special care needs), when duly justified and notified to the IMISCOE Network Office prior to the finalisation of the registration process.  Submissions for contributions are open from 1st of July 2025.

Organisers

Migratory Movements Group (University of Girona)

 Download the flyer

Individual Paper Proposals

Paper proposals should include a 250-word abstract and the name(s), affiliation(s), and contact details of the author(s). Individual papers will be thematically clustered into panels. We strongly encourage authors to highlight the conceptual and methodological novelty of their contribution.

Submit an individual paper proposal

Panel Proposals

Panel proposals should include a 250-word abstract of the theme of the panel, together with min 3/max 5 thematically consistent and related 250-word paper abstracts. Submissions should also include the names, affiliations and contact details of the chair(s), discussant(s) and author(s) of each paper.

 Submit a panel proposal

Workshop Proposals

Proposals can also be submitted for workshops. This can be, for example, book workshops, policy workshops or roundtables focusing on specific topics, with the aim of discussing research or outlining future research agendas. Submissions for workshops should include a maximum of 400-word abstract as well as the names, affiliations and contact details of the organizer(s) and workshop participants (up to 10 participants, excluding the workshop chairs).

Submit a workshop proposal

Paper, panel, and workshop proposals will have to be linked to a Specific IMISCOE Standing Committee or to the Open Section. Please check the description of all IMISCOE Standing Committees and select the one more aligned to the topic of your proposal. Please note that the Open Section should only be used for proposals which do not have a direct thematic link with any IMISCOE Standing Committee.

• SC Education and Social Inequality
• SC Families, Welfare, Care and the Life Course
• SC Forced Migration and Refugees
• SC Gender and Sexuality in Migration Research
• SC Migration, Migrants and Labour Markets
• SC Methodological Approaches and Tools in Migration Research
• SC Migrant Transnationalism
• SC Migration, Citizenship and Political Participation
• SC Migration Politics and Governance
• SC Race, Racism and Discrimination
• SC Reflexivities in Migration Studies
• SC Arts, Culture and Migration

Conditions/requirements

The deadline for submitting proposals is 25^th of September 2025 (23:59 CEST). All submissions should be made online via this page (see the buttons above). When submitting proposals, applicants must choose their intended mode of participation: ON-SITE in Girona or ONLINE. Please note that the 2026 Annual Conference is not envisaged to be fully blended: panels and workshops running throughout the conference days will be expected to take place either fully on-site or fully online. A very limited number of hybrid panels (up to a maximum of 5 sessions per timeslot) could potentially be accommodated in exceptional circumstances (health issues, visa restrictions, special care needs), when duly justified and notified to the IMISCOE Network Office prior to the finalisation of the registration process. Applicants will be informed about the acceptance of their submission towards mid-end of January 2026. Applicants may be the lead presenter of only one accepted paper in the conference and may appear up to a maximum of 3 times in any other active role (as chair, discussant and/or workshop organiser/participant). The conference may be fully online if any other exceptional situation imposes it.

Conference registration fees*

*These new registration fees that have been adjusted for inflation were approved by the IMISCOE Board of Directors on the 3^rd of July 2023.