Conference dates: 5 & 6 June 2025
Migration is an integral part of contemporary global societies and of how we, in our societies and communities, relate to the places in which we live, how we develop a sense of belonging and how place itself is constructed. Reflecting a politics of place and belonging/not-belonging, different forms of migrations and movements across borders can be prioritised, preferred, stigmatized, demonized or even ignored in public and academic discourse. Place can become a focus of anti-immigration sentiment whereby contested notions of belonging are utilized to other and exclude. But through placemaking processes, place can also be an integral part of building community, conviviality, connection and belonging in contexts of migration and mobility.
The conference aims to address this complex picture by inviting scholars to discuss the intersections of migration, place/making and belonging (in Ireland and beyond). As such, papers from researchers, practitioners, activists and policy makers that address the following themes (not exclusively), to advance theoretical and empirical understandings of these intersections are welcomed:
· Migration, the city and urban space
· Politics of inclusion/exclusion, place/making and belonging
· Intersectionality (gender, class, race, etc.) and place/making in migration
· Place un-making and unbelonging
· Schools as spaces of belonging/not-belonging and placemaking
· Advancing methods for researching migration, place(making) and (un)belonging
· Migration, home and materiality
· Migration, rural im/mobilities and place/making
· Superdiversity, conviviality and place
· Digital spaces, migration and belonging
· Climate change, mobilities and place
Confirmed keynote speakers:
Professor Parvati Nair, Queen Mary University of London
Professor Susanne Wessendorf, Coventry University
We welcome perspectives from social sciences, cultural studies, law and related disciplines as well as from practice and activism. Abstracts from postgraduate students are particularly welcome. This will be an in-person event.
The conference is hosted by ISS21 Migration and Integration Cluster, which brings together researchers with an interest in issues of migration, integration and cultural diversity, from a wide range of disciplines including Applied Psychology, Applied Social Studies, Education, Geography, Languages/Literatures/Cultures, Law, Philosophy, Sociology and Study of Religions. The Cluster and ISS21 represents UCC as a full member of IMISCOE (International Migration Research Network).
Conference Planning Committee: Mark Chu, Mastoureh Fathi, Shirley Martin, Meiyun Meng, Caitriona Ni Laoire
Submission Guidelines:
Abstracts should be 250 words maximum and include the title of the paper, the name(s) of the author(s), affiliation(s), and contact details and a short biography (max. 50 words).
Link for abstract submission: https://forms.office.com/e/qck7hFkyd1
Important Dates:
Abstract Submission Deadline: Friday 14th February 2025
Notification of Acceptance: Friday 28th February 2025
Conference Website: https://www.ucc.ie/en/iss21/researchprojects/events/migrationconference/