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- Convenors:
-
Karim Zafer
(University of Cologne)
Souleymane Diallo (University of Münster)
Friedemann Yi-Neumann (University of Helsinki)
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- Discussant:
-
Amira Ahmed
(The American University in Cairo)
- Format:
- Roundtable
- Transfers:
- Open for transfers
- Working groups:
- Migration
Short Abstract:
Following the theme of (un)commoning, we believe that sharing a common planet should “utopiacally” mean abolishing migration studies. Inspired by attempts at proposing new concepts striving for creating a global conversation on social theory, we ask how should migration studies look like?
Long Abstract:
Over the last decades, one of the most discussed questions in social sciences has been what does decolonising knowledge production means and how we can achieve this. Following the overarching theme of (un)commoning, we believe that sharing a common planet should “utopiacally” mean abolishing migration studies since without borders, there will be no migration, only mobility (De Genova 2017). However, doing away with migration studies is not a new argument, as dominant patterns in the field (un)consciously frame migrants and refugees as a crisis. Additionally, anthropologically speaking, (illegalized) migrants and/or refugees per se should not be an anthropological inquiry, as this could lead to dehumanising and dehistoricising them (Malkki 1995, De Genevo 2007). Yet, recent migration patterns, violence induced displacements as well as current and anticipated environmental crises leading to (forced) (im)mobilities, keep migration studies on the top of the agendas of social scientists, state- and non-state actors. It is therefore needed to develop new answers to these challenges.
We are inspired by attempts at proposing new concepts and theories from the South striving for creating a global conversation on social theory which should be multilingual (Menon 2022). We ask how should migration studies look like? How narratives of migration challenge each other? What analytical and methodological approaches do vernacular concepts/terms about migration offer us? What do we learn from these to promote a multilingual and decolonial approach in migration research?
We invite migration researchers to this roundtable to address these questions in situated empirically grounded arguments.
Accepted contributions:
Session 1Contribution short abstract:
This paper seeks to investigate the intersections of human mobility, migration, refugee integration, and agency, with a focus on comparing the divergent concepts of “integration,” inclusion, and exclusion through a decolonizing perspective.
Contribution long abstract:
The main objective of this paper is to explore and decolonize the concept of “integration”, and analyze it in relation to how it is being understood and practiced within the countries of the Global South where the majority of the world’s migrants and refugees reside, and where they develop their own impromptu integration paradigms in increasingly protracted displacement situations in transit countries; which to a great extent resulting from the borders securitization and heavily restricted migration policies imposed by Europe, most notably in the aftermath of the Khartoum Process. Despite the absence of local integration policies in many of the countries of the Global South, migrants and refugees find themselves in situations in which they must develop their own strategies and navigate ways for a de facto self-integration. These integration models, despite their significance to the survival of overwhelming numbers of migrants and refugees, are typically informal and unrecognized in both scholarly and policy debates. The findings of the paper are based on field research undertaken under an ongoing research project led by the author; and focusing on tracing migrants’ cultural heritage and their collective memories of motilities, violence and struggle and their networks of solidarity in urban neighborhoods of Egypt.
Contribution short abstract:
This contribution not only attempts to re-imagine the field of migration studies, but also attempts to re-imagine how all actors interested in decolonizing and de-constructing the long-standing colonial structures inherent in the field have a seat at the table to push us past our own boundaries.
Contribution long abstract:
A recent article asked if, as academics, we should move away from forced migration studies to general displacement (Owen, 2024). However, this is the wrong question and does little to decolonize and re-think ‘the field’. Many African scholars and scholars from the so-named ‘global South’ have been arguing for years that it is high time to decolonize and re-imagine migration studies. Sharam Khosravi (2024) talks about the need in doing migration studies ‘with an accent’. Patricia Daley (2021) speaks to reclaiming mobility using a Pan-Africanist approach as our understanding of migration is Euro-centric and holds political limits to human mobility. Finally, Kudakwashe Vanyoro (2024) argues that chronopolitics posits that one should study movement while abandoning essential terms like ‘border’ or ‘migrant’.
In addition, Amelung et al (2024) question how we can reinvent the politics of knowledge production in migration studies as many non-academic actors produce authoritative knowledge, which has proliferated over the last decade. Also, such knowledge production, whether by academics or non-academic actors is being challenged by social movements and digital information which need to be taken seriously (Amelung et al, 2024).
Therefore, this contribution questions how we can use our imagination not only to re-imagine ‘migration studies’ in the future, but who can be included and how all such actors can participate in a meaningful way. This includes social movements and refugee and community-based organizations which are more likely to contest the colonial history, power structures, and euro-centric bias inherent in the field.
Contribution short abstract:
Mobility research has often been limited by the migrant/ non-migrant categories used, suggesting clear distinctions between sedentary and mobile lives. This paper argues for reimagining migration/mobility research beyond the binaries using arts-based methods to centre participants' voices.
Contribution long abstract:
Research into mobility has often been limited by the categories that we use, such as ‘migrant’/‘non-migrant suggesting clear distinctions between sedentary and mobile lives. Starting from the idea of a ‘spectrum of mobility’, research can explore rather than assume the impact that different forms of movement have on people’s social, economic and political networks, and their sense of belonging. Furthermore, research is usually written up in academic genres which exclude many of those written about. As such in this paper I present research that explored the sense of being and belonging to the city of Johannesburg, South Africa from the perspective of women living in the city, occupying different positions accross the mobility spectrum; women born in the city, those who migrated from other cities and provinces, and from outside South Africa, from an intersectionality theory informed lens. Using arts-based research methods in the form of poetry writing workshops, visits to art exhibitions, museums, and the city’s recreational spaces to prompt women’s discussions and writing about the city. The paper shows that by starting from the mobility spectrum, the project considered being and belonging to the city, outside of the binary frames of migrant/non-migrant, allowing for the exploration of the significance of migration status. Arts-based methodologies shift power from a ventriloquist researcher, centering the participants' voices in the artworks/ poetry produced. The paper argues for a reimagining of the ways we conceptualize migration and mobility research beyond the binaries including shifting the researcher/participant relationships.
Contribution short abstract:
In this presentation, I explore the (im)possibilities of anthropological writing in two languages, based on my thesis (Patriarca, 2023) both in italian and portuguese, while simultaneously attempting to communicate with the two cultural contexts, diverse and unequally marked in global geopolitics
Contribution long abstract:
I explore the discussion on how to present a bilingual thesis, starting from and discussing the effects of my lived experience in academic and working contexts, while also officially holding Italian and Brazilian citizenship. In an attempt to communicate with the two cultural contexts, diverse and unequally marked in global geopolitics, I discuss the (im)possibilities of anthropological writing in two languages. Since my lived experience allows me to start from a multiple circulation, I reflect on the possibilities of academic writings and dialogues that are also multiple and simultaneous. Ispired in Gloria Alnzadúa's work, I situate my production as a form of knowledge that is intended to be between, as a bridge that allows for multiple and simultaneous communications and dialogues with different audiences. In addition to placing myself between knowledges and cultural contexts, arises a decolonial and counter perspective in the attempt to write in Italian (and also in English) with a Brazilian bibliography that is not translated - highlighting coloniality of knowledge and epistemic violence. Therefore, through my knowledge located between, I go through methodological discussions about textual fabrication and the formal presentation of a work that intends to communicate, at the same time, with different cultural contexts, without losing their disputes and specificities, which often require a different contextualization. I also discuss the possibilities of elaborations and fabrications in formats plastered by a necessarily written academic tradition and in the face of tacit or implicit norms that limit the (textual) presentation of knowledge.
Contribution short abstract:
This study evaluates the impact of Germany's 2015 refugee policy on the healthcare sector using a Differences-in-Differences approach. By comparing regional variations in refugee influx, it identifies causal effects on healthcare workforce capacity and service delivery.
Contribution long abstract:
The 2015 refugee crisis, fueled by conflict in Syria, prompted Germany to adopt a historic "open-door" policy under Chancellor Angela Merkel, allowing hundreds of thousands of refugees to seek asylum. While this policy has been the subject of intense debate, its economic and social implications, particularly within critical sectors such as healthcare, require further empirical investigation. This study aims to evaluate the potential impact of the refugee influx on Germany's healthcare sector, focusing on workforce dynamics, service quality, and capacity expansion.
Employing a Differences-in-Differences (DID) regression framework, the research will analyze variations in healthcare outcomes across German regions that experienced differing levels of refugee settlement. By leveraging publicly available data on healthcare performance metrics, demographic trends, and refugee distributions between 2014 and 2017, the study seeks to establish a causal link between refugee settlement patterns and sectoral changes in healthcare delivery.
This research is expected to provide insights into whether and how migration, even in its extreme forms such as forced displacement, can address labor shortages and enhance sectoral performance. The findings will contribute to academic and policy discussions on migration by reframing the narrative from one of crisis to one of opportunity. Ultimately, this study aspires to inform future migration and integration policies by demonstrating the potential for inclusive approaches to foster economic and social resilience.