__________________________________________________
Call for Papers Theme: Migrations Type: 4th Global Inclusive Interdisciplinary Conference Institution: Progressive Connexions Location: Athens (Greece) Date: 10.–11.7.2022 Deadline: 11.2.2022 __________________________________________________ Although COVID-19 has disrupted all forms of human mobility, including the closing of borders, and the halting of travel worldwide, according to the UN International Migration 2020 Highlights, growth in the number of international migrants has been robust over the last two decades, reaching 281 million people living outside their country of origin in 2020, up from 173 million in 2000 and 221 million in 2010. According to the IOM, before the COVID-19 pandemic, international migrants, who made up 3.5 percent of the world's population in 2019, contributed nearly 10 per cent of global GDP (roughly $ 6.7 trillion to global GDP). Moreover, according to the UNHCR, 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 82.4 million people worldwide. At the same time, receiving and transit states keep closing their borders, forcing economic migrants and refugees to look for new routes and ways in search of a better life or a safe haven. Governments are struggling to balance their immigration and asylum policies between their obligations to uphold the fundamental human rights of migrants and the growing domestic pressures of xenophobic sentiments and nativist attitudes, including the increase in "white supremacist", "far-right" or "extreme right-wing" groups around the world. One thing is certain: international migrations will continue to increase and reshape the world as we know it. The way governments and societies decide to deal with the causes of migrations and their social, economic and political impacts will open new debates on redefining the existing international human rights instruments to protect the most vulnerable of our humanity. Key Topics Our fourth 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. We aim to discuss and explore the main issues, pressing matters, and recent developments in this field of research and practice, 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. Some of the suggested issues to be approached include (but are not limited to): - The impacts of Covid-19 on Migration Covid-19 impacted the flow of regular migration, causing severe economic and social effects. However, remittances remained high. These impacts are still being measured, and it is of much interest to explore the methodologies and results from such studies. Added to the former, states closed borders causing refugees, and economic and survival migrants to look for more dangerous routes or remain stranded at borders in unbearable conditions. Covid-19 also made the work of those who assist refugees or those in a protracted situation very challenging, causing more profound humanitarian crises in refugee camps or transit routes. - Defining and Measuring Migration Identifying past, present, and new push-and-pull factors for migration, analyzing 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 situations, struggles, profiles, stories, efforts at integration, international responses, conditions in refugee camps, requirements 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 the 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 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 their host communities. - Sex, Gender and Sexual Orientation The significance of these factors in the experience of the migrant. How is migration (regular and irregular) experienced by women, trans and non-binary individuals, and those identifying as queer during their migration journeys, resettlement, and integration process? - 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. - Professing 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. What To Send This interdisciplinary conference and collaborative networking event aim to bring together academics, professionals, practitioners, NGOs, voluntary sector workers, etc., in the context of a variety of formats: presentations, seminars, workshops, panels, performances, etc. 300-word reviews of your proposed contribution (paper abstracts, proposals for workshops, collaborative works or round tables, overviews of artistic projects, or any other relevant forms of participation you are interested in) should be submitted by Friday 11th February 2022. All submissions will be minimally double reviewed, under anonymous (blind) conditions, by an international panel drawn from the Project Advisory 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 25th February 2022. If your submission is accepted for the conference, a complete draft of your contribution should be submitted by Friday, 20th May 2022. Proposals may be in Word, PDF, RTF, or Notepad formats with the following information and in this order: a) author(s), b) affiliation as you would like it to appear in the programme, c) email address, d) title of proposal, e) body of the proposal, f) up to 10 keywords. Emails should be entitled: Migrations Submission Where To Send Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to the Organising Chair and the Project Administrator: Dr. William Arrocha (Organising Chair): warro...@miis.edu Len Capuli (Project Administrator): athensmigrati...@progressiveconnexions.net 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. Please send all enquiries to th eproject email: athensmigrati...@progressiveconnexions.net For further details and information please visit the project web page: https://www.progressiveconnexions.net/interdisciplinary-projects/cultures-and-societies/migrations/conferences/ __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: https://interphil.polylog.org InterPhil List Archive: https://www.mail-archive.com/interphil@list.polylog.org/ __________________________________________________
