21st IMISCOE Annual Conference
2-5 July 2024, Lisbon and Online
+ Info HERE!
Submissions for contributions are open until October 16, 2023 (Extended).
The formation of nation-states was an uneven process, occurring as it did, at a time when the inequalities and inequities of colonialism and imperialism were played out through varieties of national and local bordering practices. As a result, a number of categories, distinctions and hierarchies between citizens and foreigners, nationals and non-nationals, “we” and “others” has been constructed, where non-nationals are framed into further categories through civic stratification. The use of these categories enforced and materialised by laws, policies and institutions impacts the way that migration is taught, theorized and spoken of, neglecting that migration is socially constructed. This conference focuses on the social processes through which (some) individuals on the move become socially transformed into migrants, how even some non-mobile individuals (descendants of migrants, for example) become categorized as migrants, and the way some people are categorized as illegal and irregular whilst other mobile citizens evade similar categorizations.
The conference showcases and extends a wave of critical ontological and conceptual reflection that has been labelled as the reflexive turn in current migration research. We seek to explore the interplay between migration law and policy, public debate, rights access, social movements and civil society, and migrants’ experiences and actions in destination, transition and origin countries and their transnational impact across different global regions. The social construction of migration intersects with other topics of social research such as gender, class, race and ethnicity, identity, ideology, colonialism, global inequalities, climate/environment. Building upon the intersectional character of migration research, the aim is to draw on empirical studies to contribute to the conceptual understanding of the processes of the social construction of migration and its impact on social reality and in migration studies. Such a focus can contribute to promoting interdisciplinarity in migration studies and highlight the interdependence of different social dimensions, structures and process that characterize this social phenomenon.
For the 21st IMISCOE Annual Conference in Lisbon, we invite submissions of Individual Paper Proposals, Workshop Proposals, and Panel Proposals that relate to the broad topic of migration as a social construction. Panels should be either fully in-person (with all participants at the venue) or fully online (with participants joining remotely). A very limited number of hybrid panels (up to a maximum of 5 sessions per timeslot) could potentially be accommodated in exceptional circumstances (health issues, visa restrictions, special care needs), when duly justified and notified to the IMISCOE Network Office prior to the finalisation of the registration process.
Organizers
Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES-ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon)