In view of the 23rd IMISCOE annual conference to be held on 29 June - 2 July 2026 in Girona and online on the topic of “Strengthening Migration studies through community engagement”, we are gathering papers for the panel proposal below on “Migration on stage: exploring the challenges of research on and with the theatre community”. Please send your paper proposals including a 250-word abstract and the name(s), affiliation(s), and contact details of the author(s) by email to Marco Martiniello This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Elsa Mescoli This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 18 September 2025 at the latest. Please also let us know if you are planning to attend the conference in Girona or online.
Panel proposal
Title: Migration on stage: exploring the challenges of research on and with the theatre community
Convenors: Marco Martiniello and Elsa Mescoli (University of Liège)
Abstract: In recent years, interdisciplinary research has increasingly explored the relationship between the arts and migration, establishing it as a legitimate subfield of migration studies. Such research, anchored in the ground, has often benefited from engagement with partners from the cultural and artistic sectors. This collaboration can take many forms and often leads to the implementation of art-based research practices, research-based artistic practices, and the co-creation of artistic and research outputs.
However, taking a critical and reflexive approach to collaboration between researchers and artists reveals potential tensions arising from the different disciplinary languages used by the social actors involved, their differing understandings of migration-related dynamics and objectives that may not fully converge, as well as imbalanced relationships established on the ground. Regarding research and artistic work on migration in particular, divergent views and tense relationships may prevent the artistic process from challenging negative narratives and inequalities affecting migrants (whether they are involved in or the target of the artistic process), and may instead reproduce them. These dynamics raise issues concerning the representation of migration and migrants on stage, as well as access to the artistic domain. They also highlight the need for ethical consideration of the positionalities of those involved and the power relations at play.
In this panel, we will explore the tensions and challenges encountered in artistic-research processes, how these have been addressed, and the outcomes achieved, with a focus on theatre. We welcome papers offering theoretical and methodological insights based on fieldwork experience from around the world.