Workshop: (CRRC) Comparative Research on Refugee ‘Crisis’

The Department of Media and Communication at Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Journalism and Political Communication Divisions of NeFCA are delighted to invite you to the “Workshop: (CRRC) Comparative Research on Refugee ‘Crisis’, targeting to debate the refugee crisis (and its different discourses) and integration processes from an interdisciplinary perspective.

The year 2015 was a milestone regarding migration and the EU. It was the year that manifested explosively deadlocks of the European policies on migration. The influx of Syrian refugees on European soil resulted in the collapse of the European border and a new challenge to the European political project. The ‘hot summer migration’ caused a reorganisation of European policies, which nevertheless remain trapped in the dilemma between border security and humanitarianism. Moreover, the absence of agreement on a collective EU resettlement programme contributed to further polarise the political scene and a society already divided over migration and integration issues.

It is extremely important to understand the role of media in shaping people’s perception of the crisis and avoiding narratives that link migration to negative threats. The scientific community is increasingly being called upon to provide evidence and advice to government policy-makers about this complex issue.

Considering the magnitude of the refugee crisis and the problem of integration for Europe, this workshop aims to link all the disciplines that contribute to an in-depth understanding of the refugee crisis and its political, economic, social and cultural consequences for European societies. We aim to bring together scholars from (but not limited to) the Humanities (e.g., media studies, cultural studies) and Social Sciences (e.g., Migration studies, political science and communication sciences), as well as experts and professionals in the field.

We cordially invite all those interested in recent developments in research on the Integration and Political Processes of refugees to attend this workshop. During the workshop, scholars and practitioners will present/discuss/debate their research/topics in subsequent thematic sessions. There are seven main suggested themes:

[if !supportLists]·      [endif]Politics and policy responses

[if !supportLists]·      [endif]Digital migration methods

[if !supportLists]·      [endif]Corporate responses to refugee crisis

[if !supportLists]·      [endif]Cultural geography/mapping the different stages of the refugee trajectory

[if !supportLists]·      [endif]Journalism and communication

[if !supportLists]·      [endif]Identity construction/rethinking refugees

[if !supportLists]·      [endif]Media intervention approaches to refugee resettlement processes

These will offer scholars from different research centres an excellent opportunity to discuss paper topics in an interdisciplinary setting. In addition, the programme will include a keynote lecture by Dimitris Skleparis from Glasgow University and Koen Leurs from Utrecht University.

Important date: The deadline for registration is September 1st, 2017.

Organisers: Amanda Alencar, Bernadette Kester and Vasiliki Tsagkroni (Department of Media and Communication, Erasmus University Rotterdam)

When: September 29th, 2017

Where: Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, Rotterdam

We kindly request you to fill in the following form, to provide us with the necessary information regarding your background and special interest on the subject in the following form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI7AQP4Wyf1SD8yG2d2FmX6dKf2j2ZwfDuGTVQb4rpT031Lg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Contact email: tsagkroni@eshcc.eur.nl or pazalencar@eshcc.eur.nl

Sponsored by Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication and The Netherlands – Flanders Communication Association/Journalism & Political Communication Division (NeFCA)