An Inclusive Interdisciplinary Project
Sunday 1st December 2019 - Monday 2nd December 2019
Prague, Czech Republic
International
migrations are an intricate part of a more interconnected world in terms of
trade, communications and cultural exchanges. There is no question that
migrations help improve people’s lives in both sending and receiving states,
offering new opportunities for millions of people worldwide to better their
lives. However, the causes, scope and complexities of international migrations
in the XXI Century are also impacting the lives of millions of people worldwide
in ways that many states and communities were ill prepared to deal with. The
persistence of extreme poverty in large areas of the world, the impacts of
climate change, the continuation of internal conflicts, regional wars and
religious or sectarian inspired violence have forcibly displaced a record
number of over 68.5 million people worldwide. According to the UNCHR’s 2018
Global Trends, “31 people are newly displaced every minute of the day.”
Economic and survival migrants, as well as refugees from the Global South, are
desperately looking for new routes and ways to reach a place they can call a
safe haven. At the same time receiving and transit states are struggling to
balance their immigration and asylum policies between their obligations to
uphold the fundamental human rights of migrants and the growing pressures of
xenophobic sentiments and nativist attitudes.
The irony
of today’s globalisation is that goods and services can move with more freedom,
yet the cherished right to freedom of movement for people has come to a
dramatic halt: Migrants are perceived as a threat to the security of the state
or as criminals if they dare not follow the everyday more restrictive
immigration laws and policies. For those migrants who cannot meet the
increasing legal requirements, restrictions, barriers, and costs to cross
borders, their options to migrate legally have become practically impossible.
Those looking for a better life or refuge are being pushed to find new and more
perilous journeys putting their lives and those of their loved ones at the
mercy of inhospitable environments or unscrupulous smugglers or human
traffickers. This includes persons being pushed to use false identities, and
otherwise misrepresenting their circumstances to get their foot in the door.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in 2017 the
number of migrants who disappeared or died during such journeys were estimated
to be more than 5,000 with most incidents occurring in the Mediterranean.
Regardless
of the challenges that migrants face, international migrations have not
decreased. According to the UN and the IOM, there are around 260 million
international migrants worldwide and the number is quickly rising. The push and
pull factors that are at the core of such large number of migrants have become
more complex and require new perspectives to better understand them. Migrations
and the social and economic impacts that accompany them have climbed to the top
of the political agendas of most receiving states. While many political and
social institutions see in migrations an asset to the economic well-being of
ageing societies, others perceive migrations as a threat to the dominant values
and institutions of the nation-state. One thing is certain and that is that
international migrations will continue to increase and reshape the world as we
know it. Moreover, the way governments and societies decide to deal with its
causes and impacts will open new debates on the need to redefine the existing
international human rights instruments to protect the most vulnerable of our
humanity.
Our third
interdisciplinary Migrations conference seeks to build on the success of past
events and forge a lasting network of professionals in all fields related to
this topic. Our aim is to discuss and explore the main issues, pressing matters
and recent developments in this field of research and activity, to identify
areas to be subsequently explored in further depth and to generate
collaborative action that will lead to real, lasting change in the way
migration and migrants are perceived and approached in institutional and
informal settings with a view to forming a selective publication to engender
further research and collaboration.
Some of our
suggested main issues to be approached include (but are not limited to):
- Defining and measuring migration – identifying past, present and new push and pull factors for migration, analysing trends in migration, understanding the political economies of migration, defining categories of migration and migrants, presenting relevant data and instruments in migration studies.
- The current refugee crises – refugee situation, struggles, profiles, stories, efforts for integration, international responses, conditions in refugee camps, conditions for receiving asylum, policies, best practices, international responsibilities, human rights issues, media coverage.
- Policy and politics – migration policy trends in Western societies and worldwide, impacts and effectiveness of existing policies, the resurgence of xenophobia and nativism, centralized vs decentralized policies, “immigration federalism,” geopolitical ramifications of national and international migration policies.
- Legal and political aspects of migration – legal vs illegal immigration, the criminalization and securitization of migration, national and international migration laws, legal provisions for crossing borders, obtaining residency or asylum, migrants’ rights in theory and practice, legal status of EU citizens in post-Brexit UK, legality of US travel bans, new and old barriers to migration.
- Smuggling and Human trafficking – definitions, international, regional and domestic instruments combating smuggling and human trafficking, the political economies of human trafficking.
- Climate change and migration – Natural disasters and forced migration, the need for regional and international regimes dealing with those forced to migrate as a result of climate change.
- Local responses to migration – attitudes towards refugees and/or economic migrants, social and political movements, debates and controversies based on immigration/emigration related issues, exclusion vs inclusion, “sanctuary” policies, compassionate migration.
- Global and local implications of migration – social, political, demographic, and economic impacts for sending and receiving countries, for the migrants themselves and for their host communities.
- Sex, gender, and sexual orientation – the significance of these factors in the experience of the migrant; how is migration experienced by women, trans and non-binary individuals, and those identifying as queer, for instance?
- Integration vs assimilation – debating the differences between integrating immigrants to their new communities, including their language and culture or creating policies to assimilate them into their new environments.
- Policies of exclusion vs inclusion – increasing formal and informal barriers¬ and restrictions vs embracing migrants as new members of the state and their host communities
- Discourses and depictions of migration – Migrants are being “othered” or demonized when depicted as “illegal aliens,” “criminal aliens,” “invaders,” “murderers,” and “rapists.”
- Narratives of displacement – migration stories, folklore, art, community building.
- Migration and the media – depiction of refugees, migrants and migration in the media, the role of social media and new technologies in facilitating migration and maintaining transnational migrant networks, the role of the press in creating the “other” and increasing/defusing social tension between migrants and locals.
- Looking into the future – scenarios for future trends in migration, challenges for the future generations of today’s migrants, future challenges for the sending and receiving countries.
- Working in the Field of Migration – issues, hardships, frustrations, communication needs, big and small victories and bright, hopeful moments of professionals working towards the integration and aid of refugees or migrants in general, studying migration and migrants, drafting or applying migration policies or legislation.
Our main
goal is to facilitate dialogue and spark innovative collaborations and
discussions at an international level, in a dynamic and interactive setting.
Thus, we welcome participants from all relevant disciplines, professions and
vocations (NGO personnel, aid workers, researchers, mental and physical health
professionals, educators, human rights activists, counselors, social workers,
policy makers, journalists, lawyers, judges, politicians, business owners,
military personnel, customs workers and members of the border patrol, labour
specialists, historians, sociologists, psychologists, economists,
anthropologists, ethnographers social media experts, artists and many more).
What to
Send
The aim of
this inclusive interdisciplinary conference and collaborative networking event
is to bring people together and encourage creative conversations in the context
of a variety of formats: papers, seminars, workshops, storytelling,
performances, poster presentations, panels, q&a’s, round-tables etc. Please
feel free to put forward proposals that you think will get the message across,
in whatever form.
300 word
proposals for participation should be submitted by Friday 31st May 2019. Other
forms of participation should be discussed in advance with the Organising
Chair.
All
submissions will be minimally double reviewed, under anonymous (blind)
conditions, by a global panel drawn from members of the Project Development
Team and the Advisory Board. In practice our procedures usually entail that by
the time a proposal is accepted, it will have been triple and quadruple
reviewed.
You will be
notified of the panel’s decision by Friday 14th June 2019.
If your
submission is accepted for the conference, a full draft of your contribution
should be submitted by Friday 13th September 2019.
Abstracts
and proposals may be in Word, PDF, RTF or Notepad formats with the following
information and in this order:
- author(s),
- affiliation as you would like it to appear in the programme,
- email address,
- title of proposal,
- body of proposal,
- up to 10 keywords.
E-mails
should be entitled: Migrations Submission.
Where to
Send
Abstracts
should be submitted simultaneously to the Organising Chair and the Project
Administrator:
Dr William
Arrocha: warrocha@miis.edu
Project
Administrator: praguemigrations@progressiveconnexions.net
What’s so
Special About Progressive Connexions Events?
A fresh,
friendly, dynamic format – at Progressive Connexions we are dedicated to
breaking away from the stuffy, old-fashion conference formats, where endless
presentations are read aloud off PowerPoints. We work to bring you an
interactive format, where exchange of experience and information is alternated
with captivating workshops, engaging debates and round tables, time set aside
for getting to know each other and for discussing common future projects and
initiatives, all in a warm, relaxed, egalitarian atmosphere.
A chance to
network with international professionals – the beauty of our interdisciplinary
events is that they bring together professionals from all over the world and
from various fields of activity, all joined together by a shared passion. Not
only will the exchange of experience, knowledge and stories be extremely
valuable in itself, but we seek to create lasting, ever-growing communities
around our projects, which will become a valuable resource for those belonging
to them.
A chance to
be part of constructing change – There is only one thing we love as much as
promoting knowledge: promoting real, lasting social change by encouraging our
participants to take collective action, under whichever form is most suited to
their needs and expertise (policy proposals, measuring instruments, research
projects, educational materials, etc.) We will support all such actions in the
aftermath of the event as well, providing a platform for further discussions,
advice from the experts on our Project Advisory Team and various other tools
and intellectual resources, as needed.
An
opportunity to discuss things that matter to you – Our events are not only
about discussing how things work in the respective field, but also about how
people work in that field – what are the struggles, problems and solutions
professionals have found in their line of work, what are the areas where better
communication among specialists is needed and how the interdisciplinary
approach can help bridge those gaps and help provide answers to questions from
specific areas of activity.
An
unforgettable experience – When participating in a Progressive Connexions
event, there is a good chance you will make some long-time friends. Our group
sizes are intimate, our venues are comfortable and relaxing and our event
locations are suited to the history and culture of the event.
Ethos
Progressive Connexions believes it is a mark of personal courtesy and professional respect
to your colleagues that all delegates should attend for the full duration of
the meeting. If you are unable to make this commitment, please do not submit an
abstract or proposal for presentation.
Please
note: Progressive Connexions is a not-for-profit network and we are not in a
position to be able to assist with conference travel or subsistence, nor can we
offer discounts off published rates and fees.
praguemigrations@progressiveconnexions.net
Dr. William
Arrocha
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