Jun 26, 2025 – Jun 27, 2025 | Sofia, Bulgaria
Organized by: Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Submission Deadline: Mar 10, 2025
In today’s interconnected world, transnational families embody the dynamic interplay between mobility, technology, and the enduring human need for familial bonds. These families, spanning national borders, are often conceptualised in the broader context of labour migration, where mobility is typically framed as the pursuit of better economic opportunities and the search for material improvements in livelihoods. However, many families in different parts of the world are increasingly exposed to the destabilising effects of armed conflicts and socio-political crises. Unlike migration motivated by voluntary aspirations, conflict-driven migration is often sudden, involuntary, and precarious by definition. It involves not only geographical displacement but also profound emotional, social, and cultural dislocation, and losses.
Taking into consideration all the diversity of family constellations, families who are separated by war or political instability often face unique challenges, such as navigating legal and logistical barriers for reunification, dealing with the trauma of separation, and rebuilding lives under conditions of uncertainty. Bonds within such families are often strained by distance and exacerbated by a lack of stable communication channels or the ability to provide mutual support. Furthermore, these families are disproportionately affected by global inequalities, intersecting with issues of citizenship, asylum policies, and systemic discrimination. Efforts to adopt a common international and European policy for separated families seeking asylum from armed conflicts often face obstacles such as national prejudices, xenophobia, poorly functioning institutions in individual countries, and rejection by local communities.
The conference aims to explore the intersections of forced migration, resilience, social support/care (also with regard to traumatic experiences), and settling, while situating the experiences and trajectories of transnational families within broader discussions of power, agency, and social justice. At the same time, it invites reflection on how concepts such as belonging, care, and solidarity are renegotiated and expressed across distance in crisis contexts. The focus is not only on how crises disrupt existing family practices, but also on how they catalyse transformation and innovation in sustaining family life transnationally. This includes understanding the role of transnational practices including the use of technology in bridging distances, the interplay of cultural and institutional factors in supporting or impeding families, and the emergence of new forms of collective agency and advocacy among transnational families and their diasporic networks. By addressing these issues, the conference aims to advance theoretical and empirical insights that deepen our understanding of how families survive, adapt, and reimagine themselves in the face of profound challenges.
Submit abstracts to: tnf.sofia2025@gmail.com
Submission Deadline: Mar 10, 2025
Financial conditions
There is no participation fee, the expenses for the coffee breaks and materials provided during the two days of the conference will be covered by the organisers. However, the participants should financially ensure their travel and accommodation (if attending in person).
Application
To apply for the conference, please send an abstract (200–250 words) with a title and up to 5
keywords, as well as name of the author(s), institutional affiliation, contact email and a brief
biographical note (up to 150 words). Please also indicate your preferred option of participation – inperson or online (this has no bearing on the selection process).