Panels and Workshops

Chaired by Manuela Pinto (Utrecht University)

• Fabricating the American Dream in US media portrayals of Syrian refugees - Christopher Jenks (Utrecht University)
• The EDINA Project: European support for emancipatory migrant education - Marie Steffens (Utrecht University) and Sergio Baauw (Utrecht University)
• Effects of a Research-Based Intervention to Improve Language - and Cultural Barriers of Syrian Refugees and Moroccan Migrants with Access to Mental Healthcare - Houda al Kalaf (Utrecht University) and Rena Zendedel (Utrecht University)
• Assessing Young Newcomers’ Language Competence - Manuela Pinto (Utrecht University), Shalom Zuckerman (Utrecht University), Mirjam Lentz (Radboud University Nijmegen) and Sanne Ditewig (University of Graz)
• Experiences with Community Engaged Learning (CEL) in the course “Migrazioni al plurale”: Participation and Inclusion of Italian Migrants in the Netherlands and Newcomers in Italy - Monica Jansen (Utrecht University) and Manuela Pinto (Utrecht University)

Despite its importance in understanding migration and societal change, many language issues remain overlooked and under-researched. To this end, the current panel explores the language of migration and societal change by bringing together scholars working in a range of contexts and using diverse methodological principles. The goal of the panel is to showcase how language offers a lens though which to understand the complex lives of migrants

Chaired by Ilse van Liempt (Utrecht University)

• Young Refugees: The Lived Experiences and Self-Identification of Syrian Youth in the Netherlands - Abduhalim Albakkor (University of Groningen)
• Transnationalism and Identities of Post-Soviet Migrants in Portugal - Elena Bulakh (University of Lisbon)
•  “It’s not that I don’t like it here, but I eventually want to live somewhere else”: Young refugees, place identity and emergent future selves in Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Rik Huizinga (Utrecht University) and Ilse van Liempt (Utrecht University)
• “Physically here, with soul in Kurdistan”: The Experience of Suspension among Political Identities; Kurdish Nationality and Aspiration for Kurdistani Citizenship among Kurdish Immigrants in Western Europe - Sabah Mofidi (University of Amsterdam)
• ‘My Homeland Is Where My Family Lives!’: Nostalgia, Conventional Masculinity and Displacement of Syrian Men, a Case Study from Istanbul - Muhammed Zeyn (Ibn Haldun University Istanbul)

This panel explores the lived experiences of refugees and migrants in various countries and examines the challenges they face, including asylum procedures, access to services and employment, and the re-establishment of social and cultural capital. The significance of space, place, and identity in shaping the experiences of refugees and migrants is highlighted, and the multi-dimensional nature of migrant experiences is emphasized. The panel contributes to a nuanced understanding of the lives of refugees and migrants in their new homes.

Chaired by Dina Siegel (Utrecht University)

• (De)refugeeisation to Neosecuritisation: a case of North Korean refugee sur place - Dosol Nissi Lee (University of Copenhagen)
• Encampment as invisibilisation: the legal exclusion of third parties from access to the “informal” settlements of Calais - Isabella Leroy (Free University Amsterdam)
• "Illegal immigrants from the East". Foreign refugees on the northeastern Italian border between the 1960s and 1970s - Benedetta Fabrucci (University of Trieste)
• Predictors of immigrant mental wellbeing: Results of a cross-sectional study in three EU countries - Ia Shekriladze (Ilia State University)

This panel will present research papers that shed light on the complexities of migration and migrant experiences and their relationship with power, mobility, space, and historical representations. Overall, this panel will offer valuable insights into the dynamics of refugee situations, including border crossing in North Korea, immigration mental wellbeing, refugees camps and legal exclusion in France, and foreign refugees and asylum seekers in Italian relocation camps during the Cold War.

Chaired by Valentina di Stasio (Utrecht University)

• Dutch integration policies and labor market integration policies - Swantje Falcke (Utrecht University), Floris Peters (Utrecht University) and Meta van der Linden (Utrecht University)
• Determinants of migrant integration policy change (2014-2019): the impact of refugee crises - Giacomo Solano (Radboud University Nijmegen)
• Syrian refugee entrepreneurship in the Netherlands from an intersectional approach - Samaneh Khademi (Radboud University Nijmegen)
• Masculinity, Migration and Labour: Highly skilled Nepalis in Denmark - Malte Skov (University of Manchester)
• East-West Migration, Knowledge, and Innovation - Evidence from the Iron Curtain - Maria Greve (Utrecht University)

The papers presented in this panel share a common theme of migration, integration, and policies related to the health and care workforce and refugees in different countries. They explore issues such as international recruitment of health and care workers in the UK, Dutch integration policies and their impact on labor market integration for refugees, determinants of migrant integration policy change in response to refugee crises, the agency of Syrian refugee entrepreneurship in the Netherlands from an intersectional perspective and migration in relation to labor, masculinity and innovation. These texts collectively highlight the complexities and challenges associated with migration and integration policies in different contexts.

Chaired by Bishawijt Mallick (Utrecht University)

• Digital Tuvalu: State sovereignty and im/mobility in a warmer world - Ingrid Boas (Wageningen University)
• Tracing colonial roots of present-day climate (im) mobilities in Bengal borderland - Madhurima Majumder (Wageningen University)
• Navigating Climate Change and Mobility Regimes: The Case of the Historical Mobilities of the Fante Fisherfolk in West Africa - Iddrisu Amadu (Wageningen University)
• Moving through landscapes of multiple risks in the West African rangelands - Ademola Olayiwola (Wageningen University)

This panel discussion aims to examine the linkages between colonial legacies, environment, and human mobility in the Global South. While discussions on the impact of colonialism on human mobility usually revolve around people immigrating to Europe from the Global South, this panel focuses on the impacts within the Global South itself. The discussion will focus on three regions: Tuvalu and the Oceania borderlands, India and Bangladesh in the Bengal borderlands, and the region of Western Africa. The speakers will relate the influence of colonialism on the current realities of mobility, both forced and voluntary, and social identities that are emerging in light of environmental and climate risk.

Chaired by Veronika Nagy (Utrecht University)

• Crises at the Borders of the EU - Dina Siegel (Utrecht University)
• The Regulation of Emergencies under EU asylum law - Salvo Nicolosi (Utrecht University)
• The impact of Crisis on the Regulation of Labor Migration to the EU - Paul Minderhoud (Utrecht University)

The migration and asylum policies of the EU have been a topic of heavy debate, with emergency situations in recent years shaping the approaches taken. The EU’s response to the migratory crisis of 2015 has resulted in the expansion of international arrangements and a reorganisation of enforcement competences. The 2020 New Pact on Migration and Asylum has sparked discussions surrounding the ongoing reform of EU migration and asylum policies. The Utrecht Law Review published a special issue in 2022 addressing some of the challenges presented by the emergency-driven approach. To further engage with this debate, this panel will discuss the influence of emergency on the law-making and enforcement processes. Presentations will cover crisis at the EU borders, regulation of emergencies under EU asylum law, impact of crisis on regulation of labor migration, and FRONTEX and EU enforcement powers in times of crisis. The lack of transparency in these processes will also be addressed.

Chaired by Anouk Smeekes (Utrecht University)

***This panel was merged with the panel session 14 on Racism and Discrimination

• Homemaking and belonging within experiences of prejudice and racism: The case of Eritrean refugees in Italy - Amanuel Tewolde (University of Johannesburg)
• Entangled in crisis: an exceptional path in legitimizing othering - Vassilis Gerasopoulos (Utrecht University)
• Recent immigrants’ knowledge about the radical right’s representation and its impact on perceived group discrimination - Marcel Lubbers (Utrecht University)

In this panel there will be three researchers presenting their research related to Xenophobia and Marginalization. First, Amanuel Tewolde will present his research on Eriterean refugees in Italy. He argues that even though Eritrea was a former colony of Italy (1890s to 1941), Eritreans did not feel a sense of commonality, belonging or attachment to Italy and that instead of their Eritreanness their Black Africannes was more visible and emphasized by the host society. Second, Vassilis Gerasopoulos will present his research on the legal and policy nexus that came into effect during the years of the refugee ‘crisis’. His aim is to expose and substantiate the links between policy, controversial implementation, and the subsequent mobilization of negative and hostile sentiment towards migrants. Last but not least, Marcel Lubbers will discuss the awareness recent immigrants have about how the political radical right represents them and this is related to their perception of group discrimination. 

Chaired by Karin Geuijen (Utrecht University)

• Time and Punishment: The Pre-emptive Turn in Marriage Migration Control - Steph Hanlon (Carlow College)
• Return migration as a tentative intergenerational project: migrant legal status and waiting on both ends - Dora Sampaio (Utrecht University)
• The new norm(ality) - immigrants' adaptation strategies in the pandemic and post-pandemic reality - Joanna Kulpińska (Jagiellonian University), Katarzyna Gorska (Jagiellonian University) and Anne Wyrwisz (Jagiellonian University)
• Recurring Deportations: Deportability of EU citizens problematizing citizenship understandings in Europe - Ioana Vrabiescu (Free University Amsterdam)

In this panel, four speakers will present their research on migration control and policies. First, Steph Hanlon will discuss the pre-emptive turn in marriage migration control in Ireland, which criminalizes marriages of convenience. Second, Dora Sampaio will talk about the non-linearity of return migration and the challenges faced by migrants in terms of waiting, legal uncertainty, family dislocations, and multidirectional care relations. Thrid, Joanna Kulpińska will discuss the changes and limitations that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in the adaptation strategies of immigrants. Lastly, Ioana Vrabiescu will show how policing and surveillance of racialized EU citizens shift our understandings of citizenship in Europe.

Chaired by Daan van Uhm (Utrecht University)

• Climate Migration and the European Art of the Anthropocene - Jesse van Amelsvoort (University of Amsterdam)
• “Where have the structure gone?”:  A Postcolonial Reflection on Climate-Induced Migration - Arslan Aysegül (Firat University) and İlhan Oğuz Akdemir (Firat University)
• Eco-eco migration: beyond the paradigm of the climate refugee - Samuel Ballin (Radboud University Nijmegen)
• Making space for evidence, perceptions and values of climate displaced people - Anna Berti Suman (European Commission Joint Research Centre)

This panel presents cutting-edge research on the intersection of migration and climate change. The studies presented will explore a range of issues, including the possibility of Europeans becoming climate migrants, the unequal impact of climate change on different regions and societies, and the importance of postcolonial approaches in understanding the links between climate change and migration. Scholars will also discuss the intersection of economic and ecological factors in driving migration, as well as the need to address knowledge and data gaps, involving local communities' perceptions and values

Chaired by Ajay Bailey (Utrecht University)

• Understanding postmigrant societies through a postcolonial lens? - Alexander Böttcher (Leopold-Franz University Innsbruck)
• Social rights in a (post-)colonial welfare state: the political construction of exclusion - Eline Westra (University of Amsterdam) and Franca van Hooren (University of Amsterdam)
• Migratory Cartographic Anxiety - Anna Sejbaek Torp-Pedersen (Catholic University Leuven)
• Planetary Europe? Challenges and perspectives - Isabella D’Angelo (University of Bologna)
• Decoloniality, border abolitionism, and situated counter-archives: unpacking resistance in and around migrant detention centres in Europe - Sergio Calderón Harker (Birkbeck, University of London)

The papers presented in the panel discuss topics such as postmigrant societies, decoloniality in business studies, social rights in (post-)colonial welfare states, and migratory cartographic anxiety. They delve into issues such as social constructions of "natives" vs. "migrants," historical relationships between welfare states, colonialism, and migration, and contestations over social rights and citizenship. The papers also reflect on decolonial methodologies, exclusionary policies, and intersections of migration, identity, and cartography, contributing to our understanding of post migrant and postcolonial perspectives in various contexts.

Chaired by Ajay Bailey (Utrecht University)

• Complex pathways of climate mobility for children and youth in Ethiopia (PATHWAYS) - Ninna Nyberg Sørensen (Danish Institute or International Studies) and Aklilu Amsalu (Addis Ababa University)
• Relations to place, intergenerational practices, and immobility in coastal Bangladesh - Zakia Sultana (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University), Bishawjit Mallick (Utrecht University) and Ajay Bailey (Utrecht University)
• Reclaiming open adaptation futures - Ingrid Boas (Wageningen University)
• Environmental Non-Migration Choices in the Cameroon Coast - Nwune Constantine Alusoh (University of Bamenda), Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi (Technical University Dresden), Gideon Nginyu Giyoh (University of Bamenda) and Tata Emmanuel Sunjo (University of Buea)
• Policy discourses on environmental non-migration. - Mostafa Naser (Edith Cowan University)
• Against the violent coloniality and cultural-insensitivity of resource enclosure and sedentarization in environmental policies: contextualizing the climate-related (im)mobilities of pastoralist groups (in Abyei) - Caitlin Burrows (SOAS University of London) and Lauren Grant (SOAS University of London)

Climate change is becoming an increasing threat to the lives and wellbeing of billions of people, with human migration being one of its most serious consequences. According to the World Bank, there will be an estimated 200 million climate migrants globally by the end of 2050, potentially leading to the displacement of almost 3% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. While there is discussion around migration to alleviate risk from climate change, the decision to migrate or stay in high-risk areas is not well understood. This panel will focus on insights related to decisions to remain in place despite climate risks, including the relationship between local adaptation approaches and decisions to stay, gendered dimensions of non-migration, and intergenerational livelihood resilience. The panel encourages contributions that address gaps in our understanding of the impacts of climate change on marginalized and disadvantaged populations, including those who identify as LGBTQI and gender diverse.

Chaired by Sebastian Meyer (Utrecht University)

• The Right to Family Reunification of Beneficiaries of International Protection in the EU - Carmine Conte (Migration Policy Group Brussels)
• Admission and Integration to the labour market in the Netherlands - Paul Minderhoud (Utrecht University)
• The past, present and future role of local governments in refugee sponsorship programs - Tihomir Sabchev (Utrecht University) and Sara Miellet (Utrecht University)

The edited collection, “The Admission and Integration of Beneficiaries of International Protection in the EU: Legal and Policy Perspectives” - will form the basis of this panel. During this panel we will consider the admission and integration of refugees and other beneficiaries of international protection (BIPs) into EU member countries, as well as laws and policies that target those seeking asylum. The panel will examine the right to family reunification and identify standards that restrict facilitated procedures, impeding integration. It will also address the recent developments concerning the labour market position of refugees, which has historically been weak, with high percentages of social assistance dependence. And finally, the panel will analyse the role of local government in refugee sponsorship programs, which are crucial in the nexus of refugee admission and integration.

Chaired by Marcel Lubbers (Utrecht University)

***This panel was merged with the panel session 8 on Xenophobia and Marginalization

• Racism and Discrimination During the Pandemic: Offline and Online Experiences of Turkish Migrant Women in the Netherlands - Ayse Aldemir (Utrecht University)
• Welfare chauvinism among established outsiders in Belgium: Perceived discrimination and Ethnic identification - Guido Priem (Catholic University Leuven), Koen Abts (Catholic University Leuven), Bart Meulemann (Catholic University Leuven), Cecile Meeusen (Catholic University Leuven) and Jolien Galle (Catholic University Leuven)

The panel presentation will explore issues surrounding racism and discrimination. The first presentation by Ayse Aldemir will focus on the experiences of Turkish migrant women in the Netherlands during the pandemic. Guido Priem will present research on welfare chauvinism among established outsiders in Belgium, stressing the need for scholars to consider the unique positioning of established immigrants and their descendants when researching welfare chauvinism. Together, the presentations provide insight into how societies perceive and treat marginalized groups.

Chaired by Vasileios Gerasopoulos (Utrecht University)

• Amsterdam City Rights: Undocumented Migrant Rights-making and New Political Demography - Jordan Dez (Free University Amsterdam)
• From Lisbon to Brazil, the street as a public transnational sphere- the fight for democracy by Brazilian activist groups in Portugal - Maria Cardoso (CRIA/NOVA)
• Claiming to be Normal: Everyday experiences of irregular migrant activists in two European cities - Minke Hajer (University of Groningen)
• Support for refugees declines when helping groups are asymmetric - Milan van Steenvoort (Maastricht University), Hannes Rusch (Maastricht University), Robert Böhm (University of Vienna) and Paul van Lange (Free University Amsterdam)

This panel focuses on migration, solidarity, and protest with four presenters sharing their research findings. Jordan Dez will discuss Amsterdam City Rights and how engaging human rights legal regimes can protect and engender rights-making practices. Maria Cardoso's research explores the relationship between Brazilian activist groups and transnational political action that starts in Lisbon, analyzing the groups' relationship with Portugal and Brazil. Minke Hajer's research looks at the everyday experiences of irregular migrant activists and how their social context influences similar political struggles. Finally, Milan van Steenvoort will be present on how support for refugees declines when helping groups have asymmetrical endowments, with early and late-positioned groups helping less.

Chaired by Salvatore Nicolosi (Utrecht University)

• Nationality-based distinctions in EU migration law: Blindspots of nondiscrimination law? - Jonas Bornemann (University of Lusanne) and Marie-Louise Reuter (University of Konstanz)
• EU migration policy as a system of “differentiated integration” par excellence between crisis, challenges and opportunities - Silvia Rizzuto (University of Luxembourg)
• Fair-weather presumptions in international protection: the notion of safe country of origin in the EU - Agostina Pirello (Utrecht University)

This panel will present research around the topic of law and migration. First, research by Bornemann and Marie-Lousie Reuter will be presented that is about the nationality-based distinctions in EU migration law. This legal analysis will assess the prospects and potential added value of engaging EU equality guarantees in EU migration law. Second, Timothy William Waters will present his research on The Antinomies of Global Migration Law. He will show that the system is defined by the interactions between entrenched and coherent interests in territory and sovereignty, and equally coherent and assertive human rights claims. Third, Silvia Rizzuto will present her research on the prospects and critics of differentiated integration in EU migration law. She aims to clarify the role that a 'differentiated integration' model plays within the European migration governance. Third, Agostina Pirello will present her research on fair-weather presumptions in international protection: the notion of safe country of origin in the EU.

Chaired by Koen Leurs (Utrecht University)

• Hide and Seek: Migrant Domestic Workers in the Platform-Based Gig Economy - Guanqin He (Utrecht University)
• Data sharing and digital litter of humanitarian aid organizations - Veronika Nagy (Utrecht University)
• The Somatechnics of Dutchness: Colonial Aphasia through Datafication in the Dutch Art of Governance - Gerwin van Schie (Utrecht University)
• Developing indicators of migration and migrant mobility using mobile phone data - Bilgecag Aydogdu (Utrecht University)
• A fair digital asylum procedure? Evaluating the Athene pilot of the Dutch border police - Rianne Dekker (Utrecht University), Koen Leurs (Utrecht University) and Kinan Alajak (Utrecht University)

What is the impact of digital technologies on migration, and how does migration impact on digital technologies? Digital migration studies are an interdisciplinary research area emerging at the intersections of media, migration and technology studies. Bringing together scholars from different disciplines, this panel explores 1) how digital migration includes some and excludes other mobile subjects; 2) how different scholarly disciplines address migration and the digital and 3) what methodological concerns and ethical questions emerge when studying mobility through the digital.

Chaired by Sawitri Saharso (Free University Amsterdam)

• "You don't want to be perceived as a wild, unruly woman": How women with a migration background experience and negotiate their autonomy within honor settings - Menal Ahmad (Free University Amsterdam)
• Virginity Certificates: Agency and the Construction of the Racialised and Gendered Other - Saartje Tack (Free University Amsterdam)
• Between norm and desire: young people of migrant backgrounds' experiences of romance and premarital sex - Sawitri Saharso (Free University Amsterdam) and Jort van Hoogstraaten (Free University Amsterdam)

Harmful Cultural Practices (HCPs) describe cultural practices that harm women's rights and wellbeing. Coined by the UN in 1995, HCPs include forced marriage and female genital cutting. These practices are becoming more prevalent in the Global North due to migration. Public policymakers face challenges in taking a stance on HCPs, but the concept is controversial since its inception. For example, grassroots organizations challenge the assumption of passive victimhood. The panel papers explore questions related to HCPs, gender, agency, and public policy.

Chaired by Bishawijt Mallick (Utrecht University)

• A whole-of society approach to climate induced migration - Anna Berti Suman (The European Commission Joint Research Centre) and Erika Moranduzzo (University of Leeds)
• Climate migration and the migration policies of the global north despite its colonial past - Marília Gagliardi (Pontifica Universidade Catolica de Sao Paulo)
• Terminological debates in emerging governance frameworks in climate change migration - Sushmita Chowdhury (Radboud University Nijmegen) and Jeremias Herberg (Radboud University Nijmegen)

This panel discusses the intersection of migration and the environment, highlighting the significant implications for vulnerable populations. The papers presented cover a diverse range of topics including civil society's role, migration policies, land grabbing, and terminological debates. Through these presentations, the panel aims to provide insights for further research, policy-making, and action to address the challenges of climate-induced migration.

Chaired by Christoph Baumgartner (Utrecht University)

• Essay: Nomadic art – Decolonising the human and the posthuman. - Andrea Barcaro (University of Lisbon)
• Sanctuary of Arts, Belonging Beyond Borders in Works of Monir Farmanfarmaian - Delaram Hosseinioun (Utrecht University)
• (Co-)creative contact in marginal spaces: young refugees’ encounters in solidarity arts workshops in Thessaloniki, Greece - Lucy Hunt (Oxford University)
• Juxtaposing Histories of Race and Migration in Contemporary Diasporic Novels - Gabriele Lazzari (University of Surrey)

This panel explores the intersection of art, migration, identity, and social issues. The papers delve into the creation of posthuman nomadic subjectivities as a response to populism and neo-fascism, the exploration of art as a medium for expressing belonging and self-identity amidst socio-political upheavals and gender narratives, the examination of arts workshops as inclusive spaces for young refugees, and the exploration of contemporary diasporic novels as narratives that offer equitable visions of the future while delving into histories of race and migration

Chaired by Floris Peters (Utrecht University)

• Political Horizons, Festive Protest and Forms of Belonging shaped by Migrant Communities in Chile - Tamara Hernández Araya (Utrecht University)
• Integrating like Turkish coffee: The Gulen Movement members in Finland after 2016 - Emine Neval (Helsinki University)
• Support for radical political behavior as an outcome of acculturation (mis)fit and symbolic threat of Belgian majority members - Rosa Lee van Valkenberg (Catholic University Leuven)
• Positional Military Enlistment Logics: The South Lebanon Youth Decision to Join the Israeli Military - A Phenomenological Study - Udi Lebel (Bar Ilan University Ramat Gan) and Miryam Younnes (Bar Ilan University Ramat Gan)

This panel session will focus on the intersection of politics and migration in different contexts. The first paper examines how migrant communities in Chile utilize performative art as a means of political participation during the process of democratization. The second presentation investigates the impact of the post-2016 diaspora of Gulen Movement members on Finnish society. The third paper delves into the relationship between Belgian majority members' acculturation attitudes and their support for the exclusion or inclusion of Moroccan and Turkish minority members, including the potential endorsement of violent protests. Lastly, the final presentation presents a phenomenological study on the "enlistment logics" among youths from the South Lebanon Army community in Israel, shedding light on their motivations for joining the military.

Chaired by Willy Sier (Utrecht University)

• Transnational kin networks: an analysis based on crowdsourced online genealogy - Andrea Colasurdo (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research) and Diego Alburez-Gutierrez (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research)
• Distance to kin – On the importance of transnational and local family ties in the social support network of refugees - Ellen Heidinger (German Institute for Economic Research)
• Black hawkers. A case of race management in Naples' street markets - Andrea Ruben Pomella (University of Naples)

This panel presents research around the topic of migration networks. First, current research by Colasurdo et al will be presented about Transnational kin networks. Second, Ellen Heidinger will present her research on the importance of transnational and local family ties in the social support network of refugees. And last but not least, Andrea Ruben Pomella will present her research on race management in Naples ‘street markets.

Chaired by Verena Seibel & Meta van der Linden (Utrecht University)

• The role of social networks among migrant populations in acquiring knowledge about the healthcare system - Verena Seibel (Utrecht University)
• National and transnational social connections to overcome loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic: Refugee experiences in Belgium and the Netherlands - Meta van der Linden (Utrecht University)
• Predictors of Loneliness among International Chinese Students in Germany: Personal Networks and Experienced Discrimination - Basak Bilecen (University of Groningen)
• The joint effects of positive and negative intergroup contact on minority support for social change: The role of system-fairness beliefs - Katrín Árnadóttir (Catholic University Leuven)
• Supportive networks capitalized by asylum seekers outside collective accommodation centers: A mixed-methods ego-centered social network approach - Emanuele Politi (Catholic University Leuven)

This panel present the latest research on migrants’ and refugees’ usage of their social resources in order to improve their access to healthcare, buffer loneliness, navigate the asylum process and as a facilitator of supporting social change for equality. The studies presented thereby cross several disciplines from sociology to social psychology and make use of a number of methods including quantitative analyses of panel data and qualitative interview data.

Chaired by Claudia Minchilli (Utrecht University) and Sandra Ponzanesi (Utrecht University)

• Digital literacy from the margins: Cosmopolitan aspirations and informal learning on social media - Elisabetta Costa (University of Antwerp) and Cigdem Bozdag (University of Groningen)
• Emotional Geographies of Migration: Perspectives from the EU's Outermost Regions - Silvia Almenera-Niebla (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
• Against data invisibilities: Thinking from the margins - Stefania Milan (University of Amsterdam)
• Non-Western Journalism as a Source of Knowledge - Bruce Mutsvairo (Utrecht University)

This panel has a looks at (digital) techniques, theories and methodologies in the South(s) with a broad scope. The first presentation reflects on the positionality of researchers from the outermost regions of the EU in relation to migration. Specifically, through a situated and embodied perspective, it analyzes how studying emotional processes related to migration in these spaces becomes essential given the geographical reality itself. In the second paper it is shown that what counts as digital literacy can vary significantly from one context to another, and calls for a more culturally sensitive approach to the study of digital literacy that foregrounds migrants and marginalized people’s digital practices. Third, a proposal is made t to counter data (in)visibilities by thinking from the margins of the datafied society. Thinking from the margins is a quest that has epistemic, ontological, and analytical consequences. Lastly, ways through which non-Western journalism practices could act as a source of knowledge and inspiration to journalism in the Global North are discussed. To do so, the author will identify and discuss innovative and traditional methods that have helped keep journalism in the Global South afloat.

Chaired by Jordan Dez (Free University Amsterdam)

• Beyond Persecution: Refugeehood and abandonment - Shahin Nasiri (Wageningen University)
• From (non)deportability to disposability: Migrant illegality in Europe - Leila Faghfouri Azar (University of Amsterdam)
• Race, Anticolonialism, and the Political Agency of Migrants - Michiel Bot (Tilburg University)
• Who is invited to stay? A Dutch case study of policy regimes for refugees and for Ukrainian displaced persons - Tamar de Waal (University of Amsterdam)

The dominating discourse and regulatory regime of migration control in Europe is explored in four presentations, offering critical legal and philosophical reflections. In this panel, Shahin Nasiri argues that the conventional model of refugeehood cannot sufficiently explain the root causes of the mass flight of refugees on a global scale. Leila Faghfouri Azar highlights that severe exploitation of illegal migrants is an integral element of the EU-wide legal apparatus that forms a new category of labour force. Michiel Bot explores political agency of migrants that is occluded by the lack of attention given to race in political theory. Tamar de Waal suggests that EU member states should not implement refugee reception policies that rest on forms of “conditional belonging”.

Chaired by Jos Philips (Utrecht University)

• Understanding causes of adolescents’ ascriptions of peers’ dual ethnic and national belonging in the classroom - Anniek Schlette (Utrecht University), Tobias Stark (Utrecht University), Anouk Smeekes (Utrecht University) and Marcel Lubbers (Utrecht University)
• Education of Afghan refugee children in Iran: A structured review of policies - Hamed Seddighi (University of Groningen)
• Migrant Children’s experience of inclusion and integration in schools In Ireland: the importance of the relational - Shirley Martin (University College Cork)
• Life locked up in immigration detention: the experience of education for children held in Australian offshore refugee prisons - Carly Hawkins (University of New South Wales)

The panel discussion focuses on migration and education, with four presenters sharing their research findings. Anniek Schlette and her team examined how vocational school students in the Netherlands perceive their classmates' dual ethnic and national identity. Hamed Seddighi's research explores the education of Afghan refugee children in Iran, finding that while primary education has improved, higher education remains heavily restricted. Shirley Martin discusses migrant children's experiences of inclusion and integration in schools in Ireland, focusing on relationships with peers and teachers. Finally, Carly Hawkins presents her research on education in Australian refugee prisons, highlighting the negative effects of a lack of belonging and agency on school engagement and motivation.

Chaired by Laura Candidatu (Utrecht University)

• Survival strategies of queer refugees in states of liminality and marginality: experience from Beirut, Istanbul, and Athens - Shirin Heidari (Geneva Graduate Institute)
• Gender Persecution in Refugee Law - Türkan Lagrand (Utrecht University)
• The Asylum Apparatus: NGO maneuvering of uncertainty, ambivalence and cooperation in preparing LGBTI asylum seekers in the Netherlands - Irma Lammers (Utrecht University)

This panel discusses research on migration and gender with four presenters sharing their findings. Shirin Heidari explores the survival strategies of queer refugees in liminal and marginal states. Türkan Lagrand discusses gender persecution in refugee law and argues that it requires a reflection on established perceptions of refugee categories. Lastly, Irma Lammers shares their research on NGO maneuvering of uncertainty, ambivalence, and cooperation in preparing LGBTI asylum seekers in the Netherlands, which further incorporates organizations into the asylum system and migration control.

Chaired by Veronika Nagy (Utrecht University)

• Ukrainian refugees in Lithuania: discourses of safety and crime prevention - Aleksandras Dobryninas (Vilnius University)
• Helping Ukrainian refugees: collective forms of solidarity and social relations - Andras Kovats (Hungarian Association of Migration)
• The role of Social Media in the process of forced migration from Ukraine: benefits and threats - Taisiia Ratushna (Zaporizhzhia National University)
• Taking roots: The making of Ukrainian refugees in depopulating areas in the Netherlands and Poland - Jofelle Tesorio (Utrecht University)
• Displaced Language: Ukrainian in Linguistic Landscapes of German Cities - Nadiya Kiss (Justus Liebig University Giessen)
• Exploitation and War, online investigation on human traffickers luring Ukrainian refugees on the web - Szonja Szabo (Europol)

This panel will adopt an interdisciplinary approach to examine the reception of refugees from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, specifically in host contexts such as Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, and Lithuania. The presentations will cover a range of topics including discourses on safety and crime prevention, the formation of collective solidarity and social support, the impact of Ukrainian refugees on depopulated areas, the linguistic effects of refugees on host societies, and the utilization of social media by forced migrants, exploring both its benefits and potential threats.

Chaired by Kaja Warnke (Utrecht University) and Valentina di Stasio (Utrecht University)

• Education or Integration? The integration paradox among majority members and immigrant descendants in France - Chloe Lavest (Utrecht University)
• Educational Attainment and Perceived Discrimination Among Ethnic Minorities in the European Union: A Multilevel Analysis of the Discrimination Paradox - Ben van Enk (University of Amsterdam)
• A fair recruitment process? Mismatch between people’s perceptions and evidence from field experiments on hiring discrimination - Valentina Di Stasio (Utrecht University)
• The Impact of Situational Characteristics on Discrimination Attributions Among Different Actors - A Systematic Review - Kaja Warnke (Utrecht University)
• Corona-racism as social exclusion and othering: An intersectional analysis of Chinese immigrants’ experiences in the Netherlands - Özge Bilgili (Utrecht University)

Despite relative stability in international migration rates, societies have become increasingly diverse, but with a fundamental unequal distribution of socio-economic resources. Migrants and ethnic minority populations often face significant disadvantages in education, labour markets, housing, access to services and healthcare, culminating in discrimination, both overt and implicit, and limited cultural or political recognition. This panel examines the various reasons behind discrimination attributions, the settings and conditions under which they occur and the means of rebutting or combating them. Panelists present their arguments through qualitative and quantitative analysis of anti-Chinese discrimination related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands, a multi-level study of ethnic minority discrimination in the EU and a nationwide analysis of immigrant integration issues in France. The intersectional and multi-actor perspectives in the panel contribute to a rounded and comprehensive understanding of the causes behind discrimination, its effects on minority groups, and its political and public consequences.

Chaired by Afke Berger (Institute for War, Holocaust & Genocide Studies)

• ‘Forced’ Migrations in the Aftermath of Fascism: Strategies for Writing Postmemory and Exile in Helena Janeczek and Włodek Goldkorn - Rachelle Gloudemans (Catholic University Leuven)
• Narrating World War II Jewish Refugee Experiences in Cuba - Rosa de Jong (University of Amsterdam)

This session will explore individual experiences of forced migration after fascism. The papers will examine personal accounts of exile and draw attention to overlooked individuals. Scholars from various fields aim to foster dialogue on methodological and theoretical perspectives, examining both textual and visual translations of the impact of exile on individual lives. They will study how individuals express their experiences through various sources, such as diaries, letters, photographs, drawings, paintings, essays, novels, and journals, to identify different identities.

Chaired by Karin Geuijen (Utrecht University)

***This panel was merged with the panel session 33 on Migration in art and Literature #2

• Urban Commas: Encountering through Confrontation - Ilinur Can (Abdullah Gul University) and Burak Asiliskender (Abdullah Gul University)
• Local Migration Governance in European Shrinking Areas: a German and an Italian Case - Ricardo Martins (Utrecht University)

The panel will focus on the relationship between migration and space, understood from a human geography perspective, providing insights into the complexities of migrant integration. The papers explore themes of migration and integration, highlighting the positive impacts of social interaction and a sense of belonging for migrants. They also discuss  interventions and the role of urban environments in societal relations. The papers further delve into local migration governance in European shrinking areas. Finally, they address the impact of the representation of migration on those traveling at the borders in Italy.

Chaired by Bilgecag Aydogdu (Utrecht University)

• Using OpenStreetMap, Census and Survey Data to Predict Interethnic Group Relations in Belgium: A Machine Learning Approach - Daria Dementeva (Catholic University Leuven), Cecil Meeusen (Catholic University Leuven), and Bart Meuleman (Catholic University Leuven)
• Asylum Seekers and Refugees Inclusion in Europe: the Importance of Social Innovation - Emanuela Dal Zotto (University of Bologna) and Morena Cuconato (University of Bologna)
• Technical support or designing protection? understanding the role of consultancy firms in the administration of asylum applications - Connie Hodgkinson Lahiff (University of East Anglia)

The panel focus on the potential of technology, particularly predictive modeling, in understanding and addressing social dynamics related to migration and integration. The papers emphasize the role of social innovation and local/community-level efforts in facilitating the inclusion of migrants and refugees in European communities. The involvement of the private sector in shaping migration and asylum policies is also explored. The papers implicitly or explicitly acknowledge the social dynamics associated with migration, asylum, and integration, and highlight the need for innovative approaches that consider local contexts and actors to promote social cohesion and effective policy implementation.

Chaired by Sandra Ponzanesi (Utrecht University)

***This panel was merged with the panel session 31 on Migration Spaces

• Beyond a Literature of Belonging: Migratory Internationalisms in Yara Rodrigues Fowler’s there are more things - Leila Essa (Utrecht University)
• Migrating through the empires, the cities, and the moving images: The work of Nilbar Güreş - Lora Sariaslan (University of Amsterdam)

This panel brings together papers that focus on migration and mobility, exploring identity politics and belonging in the context of migration. The interdisciplinary approach of combining literature, art, and theory is used to examine the complexities of migratory experiences. The papers share a focus on migration as a complex and multifaceted phenomenon and explore the intersection of literature, art, and theory in understanding the experiences of migrants, challenges of post-migrational belonging, and potential for creatives.

Chaired by Vasileios Gerasopoulos (Utrecht University)

• How does the media report on refugees? - A comparative analysis of British news coverage of Syrian and Ukrainian refugees - Jiseon Baek (University of St. Andrews) and Athnia Anastasiadou (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research)
• Caring for Others Who Look Just Like Us: The Representation of Ukrainian Refugees on Dutch Television - Andrea Meuzelaar (University of Amsterdam)
• Impact of Digital Media on Well-being of Refugees: The Role of identity and Positionality - Noemi Mena Montes (Radboud University Nijmegen) and Jiefan Jennifer Zhang (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
• Producing “Migrant” Identities through Indian Digital Publics during COVID-19 - Radhika Gajjala (Bowling Green State University)

This panel features four presentations on the topic of migration and media. Baek and Anatasiadou present their research on media reportage on refugees in the UK and reveal different narratives and sentiments towards Syrian and Ukrainian refugees in the British news media. Andrea Meuzelaar discusses the representation of Ukrainian refugees on Dutch television and argues that the coverage assumes the neoliberal trope of economic value of citizenship and reaffirms the myth of a white Judeo-Christian Europe. Noemi Mena Montes and Jiefan Jennifer Zhang present their study on the impact of digital media on the well-being of refugees and demonstrate the differential effects from varied communicative behaviours. Finally, Radhika Gajjala presents her research on producing "migrant" identities through Indian digital publics during COVID-19. The presentations shed light on the role of media in shaping public perceptions and attitudes towards migrants and refugees, and highlight the need for more responsible and nuanced reporting.

Chaired by Dina Siegel (Utrecht University)

• Intra- and Intergroup relations among different newcomers - Meta van der Linden (Utrecht University)
• Linguistic communities of war refugees in Germany - Nadiya Kiss (University of Giessen)
• Ukrainian Refugees' use of social media and social networks in the Netherlands - Noemi Mena (Radboud University Nijmegen)
• Knowledge Dissemination & Community Engaged Learning - Manuela Pinto (Utrecht University)
• Governing newcomers, differentiation of refugees in the Dutch migration framework - Kinan Alajak (Utrecht University)
• Digitalisation and the fear of social visibility - Veronika Nagy (Utrecht University)
• Mediatization of public and political discourse on migration - Aleksandras Dobryninas (Vilnius University)

This roundtable discussion of the Special Interest Group `Inclusion of refugees of the Russia Ukraine conflict` will raise questions about the interrelations of language use, media representations and social inclusion of conflict refugees in different host countries.

The speakers of this roundtable will shortly introduce their current projects and expertise on this topic and based on a selection of critical statements they will debate the challenges and needs of refugees and migrants in the domain of communication, language education and safety. It will be emphasized how specific platforms can meet the communicative needs of refugees and migrants and how specific forms of support, like trainings and integration projects, might contribute to or interrupt the access to local networks. By underlining some urgent issues of refugees from an interdisciplinary approach, this panel highlights the contextual challenges of migration integration, and explore the ways policy normativities shape the multilingual environment of European refugee groups. Most importantly, this panel aims to highlight the needs of marginalized refugee communities in culturally dissimilar communication environments.

Chaired by Ilse van Liempt (Utrecht University)

The Production of Irregular Migration - Joris Schapendonk (Radboud University Nijmegen) & Narges Mohammadi (Independent Artist)

Beach encounters: migrant death and forensic as an art of paying attention - Amade M’Charek (Free University Amsterdam)

Invisible, vulnerable, heroic and criminal: A gendered history of migration labelling - Marlou Schrover (Leiden University)

The irregularity maze: investigating asymmetries and discontinuities in the interaction between migrants’ geographic mobility and regulatory frameworks - Milena Belloni (University of Antwerp)

This roundtable celebrates the handbook on irregular migration that was published in March 2023 with Edward Elgar. Moving away from state categorizations on irregular migration, the handbook critically examines processes and dynamics that generate and reproduce irregularity and discusses who may count as an irregular migrant. Five contributors will present their chapter and there will be time to discuss the book.