23/05/2024 – Centre for Migration Studies webinar series (Adam Mickiewicz University)
Centre for Migration Studies at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań invites you to this month’s webinar given by dr Morgan Lans titled “Understanding migrants reception in France, Spain and Denmark. Between societal structuring and political work of associations.” The webinar is organised in cooperation with the Committee on Migration Research, Polish Academy of Sciences.
Date: 23rd of May 2024, Thursday, 17.00 to 18.30 (CET), online (zoom).
Everyone is welcome and you can register here: https://forms.gle/Hg3jEoGya25CDFvt8
Abstract:
In the academic literature, migrant logic of integration are often understood in terms of “national models of integration” or “convergence” through repressive liberalism. But these two ways of understanding what determines the reception of foreigners are not sufficient. In order to understand integration logics of migrants in Europe, I will compare how they are implemented in French, Spanish and Danish societies before and after the “refugee crisis”. I will first show how the state shapes this reception through its national imaginary, its history of migration and colonisation, and its migration policies. Then I will show that we cannot limit our understanding to state logics. In fact, on the ground, the work of civil societies, especially non-profit organisations, is central. Over a year, I conducted almost 130 semi-structured interviews and studied the activities of a dozen migrant associations in the cities of Bordeaux, Bilbao and Aarhus in order to understand this work. I will show how grassroots organization helping migrants conceive their reception and how they relate to the public authorities. Finally, I will argue that migrant integration modalities cannot be reduced to ‘national models of integration’ or ‘convergence’ towards a liberal repressive form. It is clear that state policies on immigration are crucial to the way actors understand their relationship with foreigners. However, they are not sufficient to understand the nuances at the level of urban spaces. In addition to local and supranational dynamics, other elements such as the degree of decentralisation of societies, civic-political cultures and social system configurations play a key role in shaping the way foreigners are received and integrated. In order to understand the dynamics of the reception of foreigners in Europe, it is then crucial to take into account both the social structures that influence the practical and mental dispositions of the actors involved in the reception of migrants, and the political work that these same actors produce within them.
Bio:
Morgan Lans is Phd in sociology from the University of Bordeaux. In 2022, he defended his thesis entitled “Les dynamiques de l’intégration” (The Dynamics of Integration), which examines the logics of reception in France, Spain and Denmark, based on a socio-historical analysis of public policies and the work of associations, and published several papers on this topic. Today, he continues to tackle these subjects, but is also interested in the repression of associative freedoms in Europe, as well as the anti-racism sector.
Facebook page for the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/819512953386903/
The meeting will be led in English and will be recorded. By participating in this webinar hosted by the Centre for Migration Studies, you automatically agree to authorize recording of audio and visual content presented during the live event and consent to subsequent use of the recording in the public domain.
This webinar is a part of the CeBaM webinar series, where every month we invite you to a meeting with migration scholars from Poland and abroad.