News from Members

Call for Abstracts: New directions in queer and trans migration research

IMISCOE Annual Conference "Decentering Migration Studies" in Paris–Aubervilliers,
1st–4th July 2025

Panel organizers: 

Francesca Stella, University of Glasgow This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Sarah Scuzzarello, University of Sussex This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Over the last two decades, there has been a growing academic interest in exploring the relationship between sexuality and migration – a body of works that commonly goes under the banner of Queer migration. Within this, a number of researchers are examining the specific experiences of mobility and displacement of trans individuals. Taken together, this scholarship has challenged heteronormative and cisnormative biases in migration studies’ understandings of migration motivations, journeys, and settlement experiences of LGBTQI+ migrants and refugees. Despite important contributions, there are theoretical, conceptual and empirical gaps that would benefit from further development. In this session we would like to explore new and emerging perspectives in the field of queer and trans migration. We seek both theoretical contributions and empirically informed submissions that examine, among others, the following themes:  

• Geographical and epistemological perspectives challenging Western-centric understandings of queer and trans migrations
• Theoretical and conceptual perspectives in Queer and/or trans migration studies, including exploring the overlaps and tension between queer and trans migration research
• The role, validity, and limitations of intersectional perspectives in queer and trans migration research 
• LGBTQI+ migrants and refugees’ interactions with their ethno-national diaspora 
• Queer kinship and homemaking in migratory and diasporic contexts

• The role of LGBTQ+ organizations and transnational solidarities and activism in supporting migrants and refugees

Please note that we aim to organise one or more in-person panels, but would consider accommodating online panels (not hybrid).

Submission Guidelines:

Please submit a 250-words abstract, as well as a title, author(s) name(s), institutional affiliation(s) and email address. Please indicate if you wish to attend the conference in person or online. 

Submissions should be sent no later than September 13th, 2024 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We aim to send notification of acceptance by Sept 19th. Note that the final date for submission to IMISCOE is September 23rd.