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Migration and Transmission

Migrations et transmissions

Migraciones y transmisiones

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Published on Thursday, October 24, 2024

Abstract

The transmission of scientific and academic knowledge on migration cannot be envisaged today without a plurality of research, socio-economic and civil society actors. This calls for a reflection on the ways in which research is carried out and presented in the light of the circulation of knowledge. It also raises the question of “transmission in migration”, i.e. everything that is transferred between different groups in society (migrants/descendants of migrants/non-migrants) at different levels. What are the legacies and discontinuities from a family and intergenerational perspective, from one migrant group to another, from one institutional practice to another? The aim is to examine the practices and uses, as well as the purposes, of the transmission of political, economic, cultural and social forms in “migrant worlds”.

Announcement

International Symposium Migration & transmission

17, 18 and 19 June 2025 Migrinter, CNRS/University of Poitiers

The international symposium “Migration and Transmission”, which will celebrate Migrinter’s fortieth anniversary, aims to bring together the different forms of multidisciplinary scientific production and to foster dialogue between scientists, individuals from non-scientific backgrounds and from different professional fields.

Argument

The structuring of research and the transmission of knowledge on international migration have evolved considerably over the last twenty years, and now take a variety of forms within institutions and organisations (IMISCOE, Institut Convergences Migrations, national and international programmes devoted specifically to this field, Migreurop, Observatoire de la Migration des Mineurs, etc.). Research into international migration, which began relatively early in France, has now been “globalised”. While Migrinter has been one of the incubators of this dynamic for over forty years (Dubus, Ma Mung and Miranda, 2024), collective action in migration research now draws on a large number of networks. The emergence of laboratories specialising in this field, or incorporating these issues into their projects, has also given rise to numerous scientific, institutional and/or associative meetings, and to the development of research programmes, training courses and journals on the study of migratory processes.

Over the last four decades, Migrinter, in synergy with its partners, has explored a wide range of research fields: circulation, diasporas, the geodynamics of migratory flows and their place in globalisation and local spaces, categorisation by migratory policies, borders and bordering, individual and collective resources in migration, and the transmission of know-how through social networks. More specifically, Migrinter has focused on the spatial dimension of migratory processes, in particular the trajectories, habitats and encampments of exiles, the effects of migration in urban and low-density areas, and the representations of migration (Ma Mung, Hily, Scioldo-Zürcher, 2019; Daghmi et al., 2020). These are all areas that have contributed to building an understanding of the social and spatial complexity of international migration.

The transmission of scientific and academic knowledge on migration cannot be envisaged today without a plurality of research, socio-economic and civil society actors. This calls for a reflection on the ways in which research is carried out and presented in the light of the circulation of knowledge. It also raises the question of “transmission in migration”, i.e. everything that is transferred between different groups in society (migrants/descendants of migrants/non-migrants) at different levels. What are the legacies and discontinuities from a family and intergenerational perspective, from one migrant group to another, from one institutional practice to another? The aim is to examine the practices and uses, as well as the purposes, of the transmission of political, economic, cultural and social forms in “migrant worlds”. We propose to structure this discussion around three  sub-themes:  1 - Circulation  and  transmission;  2 - Transmission  of  social  and  legal  norms;  3 - Transmission of migration representations.

Circulation and transmission

Migration studies are unanimous on the unequal nature of people’s opportunities to move (Owen, 2019; Schmoll, 2020; Migreurop, 2022). Inequality in circulation can be examined on different scales and from different perspectives. Firstly, particular attention will be paid to the spatial dimensions of the production of inequalities in circulation. How do relations of domination inherent in local, regional or international contexts impact on travel? How do forms of institutional categorisation reshape migratory trajectories and routes? How are certain places marked by these relations of domination (camps, neighbourhoods, borders), and how is memory transmitted, or not?

We then propose to study these inequalities through the various processes of transmission and the agentivity that results from them. We hope to receive proposals that take account of temporalities in migration, either

through the prism of “family time” (Imbert, Lelièvre and Lessault, 2018), considering the challenge of approaches of successive generations (Delcroix, Le Gall and Pape, 2022 ; Rosental, 2024) to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of migration and how they are reflected in spaces and in their relationship to places (daily life, holidays, festivities, work); or through “territorial time”, more specifically through the role of contexts and the memory of migration in the settlement and presence of migrant populations. The aim is to historicise and locate forms of transmission. How is transmission structured over individual and collective timeframes? In what way do social, cultural and religious contexts, in their construction and diachronic continuity, contribute (or have they contributed) to the creation or abandonment of individual and collective roots? The long-term perspective is sought here to understand, on the one hand, the attractive and/or repellent dynamics of territories in terms of the settlement of migrants and, on the other hand, the historical depth of current migratory processes. How do migratory movements settle and overlap?

Transmission of social and legal norms

Proposals under the second heading may follow two lines of approach: processes relating to social norms and those relating to legal norms.

Through migration, social relations are sometimes shaken up. They are partly produced by categories of race, class and gender (Collet and Santelli, 2012; Fillod-Chabaud and Odasso, 2020; Rosental, 2024), and issues of domination (Martiniello and Simon, 2005). Social norms evolve compared to societies of origin or those previously experienced, but also in the light of co-presence in societies of arrival. Based on past and present migratory trajectories, we aim to examine the ways in which people transmit situations based on norms. How do people seek to escape these rules? Conversely, to what extent do people maintain normative prospects that are stigmatised in the country of settlement? How do “displaced families” (Sayad, 1999) and/or “mutilated kinship relationships” (Barou, 1991) restore meaning to lives that have become more precarious? In what ways do these normative changes transform the societies they pass through? The aim here is to look more closely at class/gender/race dynamics, in order to grasp the ways in which social relations are constructed/negotiated in situations of transmission and the adjustments that take place between generations, and between men and women.

Taking individual situations as a starting point, and analysing migration “from the base”, it is also interesting to consider the role of legislation in shaping marital and family ties and social relations in general, and the way in which these policies and their effects are transmitted. In their new environment, people are confronted with changes in legal status and administrative categories. How do changes in migration policies affect the lives of actors?

Through the prism of various disciplines (political science, law, sociology, geography, history), the aim is also to examine the ways in which the various actors are involved in the creation of political and legal norms. For example, in countries experiencing conflict or areas of tension, some actors do not apply international conventions on the displacement of populations and create their own normative categories, like the Kurdish or European authorities, who have both set up camps for the identification of people, each using their own methods. Can we see links, forms of transmission, in the evolution of legislation and systems put in place by countries of departure, transit and arrival? Are these various modes of normative migration management,

which sometimes reproduce (counter-)power relations and North-South tensions, at the centre of geopolitical issues? In what ways and at what levels is knowledge of migration policies disseminated? What role do major international organisations and private companies play in the technocratic development of migration management? How do institutional knowledge and know-how derived from migration control circulate between actors involved in migration management? Faced with these processes, what are the normative issues at stake in relation to the various citizen mobilisations?

Transmission of migration representations

Migration systems have evolved considerably since the 1980s, while the ways in which they are represented – particularly in visual terms – have been changing. As a result of technical developments, and in particular the widespread use of digital networks, their spatial and social representation has grown and taken on different forms. The social sciences, associations, international organisations, state-linked bodies, artists and even migrants themselves use maps, graphs, drawings, photographs, fiction films, documentaries and performances to construct their own representations of the migratory experience. Consequently, since the early 2000s, there has been an almost exponential increase in the number of such creations. How do they circulate? What new perceptions do they transmit?

While geomatics, cartography, drawing and the arts are used as a means of presentation, they are also tools for producing knowledge (Migreurop, 2022). For example, through participatory science (Sciences Avec et Pour la Société), practices bringing together the various actors mentioned above can present innovative and original aspects. Nevertheless, we should ask ourselves whether these representations offer real alternatives for understanding international migration, enabling us to consider the role of states, the various actors in society, and individual or collective identities. How do they contribute to the transmission of knowledge?

These processes open a series of questions about the limits and advantages of representation (Bacon, Clochard, Honoré et al., 2016) and about the authors of these productions. At an educational level, do these representations contribute to a better understanding of migration? What media and political issues are raised by the dissemination and circulation of these different outputs? How far do we go in disclosing information, and what ethical issues does this raise? How can we transcribe migratory trajectories, expose and lay bare personal stories that are sometimes intimate and difficult to put into words? How do the productions of migrants themselves contribute to the construction of a narrative or counter-narrative about migration?

The aim of this sub-theme is therefore to understand why the results of many scientific studies, sometimes carried out in conjunction with various institutions (associations, international organisations, public entities, artists), have little or no impact in certain areas, particularly political spheres. We aim to look at how scientific knowledge about migration can be transmitted more effectively to professional and political circles in order towards a more respectful welcome for the people concerned.

The international symposium “Migration and Transmission”, which will celebrate Migrinter’s fortieth anniversary, aims to bring together the different forms of multidisciplinary scientific production and to foster dialogue between scientists, individuals from non-scientific backgrounds and from different professional fields, in order to meet the challenges of research into migration and its modes of transmission.

Submission guidelines

To submit your contribution, please send a summary of your proposed paper in French, Spanish or English (maximum 3,000 characters) to migrinter.40ans@gmail.com

by 15 December 2024.

Please indicate the sub-theme (see above) of your proposal.

The Scientific Committee also welcomes proposals for original presentations, both in terms of subject and form. It will inform the authors of the selected proposals by 31 January 2025.

Scientific committee

Fabio Amato, géographe, L’Orientale (Université de Naples - Italie) ; Maïtena Armagnague, sociologue, Département des Sciences de l’Éducation (Université de Genève - Suisse) ; Florence Boyer, géographe, Urmis (CNRS, IRD, Université Paris Cité, Université Côte d’Azur - France) ; Olivier Clochard, géographe, Migrinter (CNRS / Université de Poitiers - France) ; Mickaël Collyer, géographe, University of Sussex (Royaume-Uni) ; Didem Danış, sociologue, Université de Galatasaray (Turquie) ; Kamel Doraï, géographe, Migrinter (CNRS / Université de Poitiers - France) ; Jasmin Lilian Diab, Migration studies, Institute for Migration Studies (Lebanease American University - Liban) ; Philippe Lagrange, juriste, CECOJI (Université de Poitiers - France) ; Emmanuel Ma Mung, géographe, Migrinter (CNRS / Université de Poitiers - France) ; Adelina Miranda, anthropologue, Migrinter (CNRS / Université de Poitiers - France) ; Naïk Miret, géographe, Migrinter (CNRS / Université de Poitiers - France) ; Mareme Niang Ndiaye, géographe, Cheikh Anta Diop University (Dakar, UCAD - Sénégal) ; Anna Péraudin, anthroplogue, Citères (CNRS / Université de Tours - France) ; Leyla Sall, sociologue, Département de sociologie et de criminologie (Université de Moncton - Canada)

Bibliography

  • Ahmed Mohamed (2000) Les transmissions intergénérationnelles en situation migratoire : le cas des Maghrébins, Diversité, n° 120, pp. 68-98.
  • Autant Claire (2000) La parenté, cadre et objet de la transmission dans les familles turques en migration, Diversité, n° 120, pp. 52-67.
  • Bacon Lucie, Clochard Olivier, Honoré Thomas, Lambert Nicolas, Mekdjian Sarah and Rekacewicz Philippe (2016) Mapping the Migratory Movements, Revue européenne des migrations internationales, Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 185-214.
  • Barou Jacques (1991) Familles africaines en France : de la parenté mutilée à la parenté reconstituée, in Segalen Martine Dir.,
  • Jeux de familles, Paris, CNRS Éditions, pp. 157-171.
  • Collet Beate et Santelli Emmanuelle (2012) Couples d’ici, parents d’ailleurs, Paris, Presses universitaires de France, 372 p. Daghmi Fathallah, Dureau Françoise, Lacroix Thomas, Robin Nelly et Scioldo-Zürcher Yann (Dir.) (2020) Penser les migrations : pour repenser la société, Tours, Presses universitaires François-Rabelais, 316 p.
  • Delcroix Catherine, Le Gall Josiane et Pape Élise (Dir.) (2022) Stratégies familiales et accès aux droits, Enfances Familles Générations, n° 41, pp. 1-190.
  • Dubus Gilles, Ma Mung Emmanuel et Miranda Adelina (Dir.) (2024) La création du champ d’étude des migrations internationales. Rencontre autour de Gildas Simon, Paris, L’Harmattan, 206 p.
  • Fillod-Chabaud Aurélie et Odasso Laura (Dir.) (2020) Faire et défaire les liens familiaux. Usages et pratiques du droit en contexte migratoire, Rennes, Presses universitaires de Rennes, 212 p.
  • Fogel Frédérique (2007) Transmission de la parenté chez les migrants, Ethnologie française, vol. 37, n° 3, pp. 509-516.
  • Imbert Christophe, Eva Lelièvre et David Lessault (Dir.) (2018) La famille à distance. Mobilités, territoires et liens familiaux, Paris, INED éditions, 373 p.
  • Ma Mung Emmanuel, Hily Marie-Antoinette et Scioldo-Zürcher Yann (Dir.) (2019) Étudier les migrations internationales, Tours, Presses universitaires François-Rabelais, 388 p.
  • Martiniello Marco et Simon Patrick (2005) Les enjeux de la catégorisation. Rapports de domination et luttes autour de la représentation dans les sociétés post-migratoires, Revue Européenne des Migrations Internationales, vol. 21, n° 2, pp. 7-18.
  • Migreurop (2022) Atlas des migrations dans le monde : libertés de circulation, frontières, inégalités, Paris, Armand Colin, 160 p. Owen David (2019) Migration, structural injustice and domination on “race”, mobility and transnational positional difference, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 46, pp. 2585-2601.
  • Rosental Paul-André (2024) Les sentiers invisibles. Familles et migrations. France, XIXe siècle, Paris, CNRS édition, 384 p. Sayad Abdelmalek (1999) Immigration et « pensée d’État », Actes de la Recherche en Sciences Sociales, n° 129, pp. 5-14. Schmoll Camille (2020) Les damnées de la mer. Femmes et frontières en Méditerranée, Paris, La Découverte.

Event attendance modalities

Full on-site event


Date(s)

  • Sunday, December 15, 2024

Keywords

  • migrations internationales

Information source

  • Olivier Clochard
    courriel : olivier [dot] clochard [at] univ-poitiers [dot] fr

License

CC0-1.0 This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.

To cite this announcement

Théodore , « Migration and Transmission », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Thursday, October 24, 2024, https://doi.org/10.58079/12kgd

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