Location: University of Amsterdam
Organizers: The IMISCOE SC on Migration Policy and Governance (Maria Schiller & Cathrine Talleraas) and the Amsterdam Research Centre for Migration (Anja van Heelsum).
We invite established and early-career scholars (incl. PhD researchers) to submit their paper proposal to participate in a writing retreat that will deal with ‘new complexities’ and ‘new geographies’ in migration and diversity governance. This retreat provides an opportunity for participants to engage deeply with these themes through intensive writing, peer-to-peer feedback and group discussions. We welcome submissions that explore recent developments in migration and diversity governance in empirically and/or theoretically rich ways. We particularly welcome papers which analyze governance processes in the Global South, although contributions to localities in the Global North are highly welcome too. Papers should address one or more of the following aspects:
New complexities:
• Assemblages of actors: Investigating the diverse range of actors involved in migration and diversity governance, including government actors, non-state actors (incl. civil society organizations, emerging social movements, volunteers, and individuals).
• Collaboration and conflict: Assessing the dynamics of collaboration and conflict among various actors involved in migration and diversity governance, including discursive coalitions.
• Formal vs. informal policies: Analyzing the interplay between formal government policies and informal practices in migration and diversity governance.
• Discretion and alternative implementation: Investigating the agency of street-level bureaucrats and policy practitioners in influencing policy implementation.
• Non-linear policymaking: Challenging the linear view of policymaking and exploring the messiness, fluidity, and dynamism that characterize migration and diversity governance processes.
New geographies:
• Decentralization: Examining the implications of decentralization in migration and diversity governance, with a focus on the role of local and/or rural stakeholders.
• Beyond large cities and metropoles: Investigating peripheral or post-industrial cities or smaller localities and rural areas and the specific realities they face in governing migration and diversity.
• Global South: Analyzing the expansion of migration and diversity governance beyond traditional geographies.
Submission Guidelines
Proposals should include a paper title, a 250-word abstract that outlines the basic paper idea, and the name(s), affiliation(s), and contact details of the author(s). We strongly encourage authors to highlight the conceptual and methodological novelty of their contribution.
Abstracts must be submitted by 15 December to
Accepted papers must be at a draft stage in March 2024. Participants are expected to prepare a very short presentation of their paper to the retreat, and will be given the opportunity to present a more developed paper presentation at the IMISCOE Annual Conference, in Lisbon 2-5 Jul 2024.
There is no registration fee, and the organizers will cover lunch and a writing-retreat dinner. The organizers will also compensate all (non-Amsterdam based) participants with €200 to contribute to travel expenses and accommodation. If in need of additional support, the applicant should inform the organizers upon submission (e.g. early career or researchers from the Global South).