Call for papers: CESSMIR conference ‘Looking back, moving forward: Migration Studies in times of societal transformation’
We would like to inform you about the CESSMIR conference ‘Looking back, moving forward: Migration Studies in times of societal transformation’ that will take place from 14 to 16 September 2026 in Ghent. You can find the call attached, a short version is at the end of this e-mail.
It would be very helpful if you could spread the conference call through your networks, academic and non-academic?
o The conference webpage is here, with a small summary in Dutch here
o There is a LinkedIn post and event that you can share here
In a context of rapid and often turbulent societal transformation, migration researchers are increasingly called upon to reflect on how their work engages with and responds to shifting global and local dynamics. This conference invites contributions that critically explore how migration intersects with key sites of inequality, contestation, and change. Across education and healthcare systems, persistent ethnoracial disparities reveal how structural and interpersonal forms of discrimination continue to shape migrant experiences. Language and religion, meanwhile, emerge as potent boundaries in processes of racialisation and exclusion. At the borders, the intensification of violence, the erosion of legal protection, and the criminalization of mobility challenge the principles of solidarity and justice. In response, scholars and activists are developing alternative, community-based approaches to migration and border governance. Simultaneously, calls to decenter and decolonize migration studies are gaining ground.
To deepen these discussions, the conference will be structured around six thematic streams that offer spaces to look back at critical debates in migration research, while moving forward in dialogue with ongoing societal transformations, with a focus on areas where CESSMIR researchers brought significant contributions. Furthermore, the conference also seeks to explore the dynamic interplay between migration research and policy, practice and activism, reflecting on the role of scholars and the impact of their work in this interplay.
- Ethnoracial inequalities in education
- Health at the Intersections: migration, race, and inequality
- Multilingual borders of migration
- Entanglements of religion, race and migration
- Rethinking borders, solidarity and migration law
- Decolonial approaches to migration studies, narratives, practices
In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Centre for the Social Study of Migration and Refugees (CESSMIR) at Ghent University invites researchers, practitioners, NGO representatives, volunteers, activists, and policymakers to join us for a conference exploring migration studies in a changing societal landscape.
This conference not only marks a decade of CESSMIR’s dedication to advancing the study of migration and refugees, but also aims to create a vibrant space for dialogue, reflection, and collaboration. Join us as we look back at the major changes in the last ten years, and envision new paths forward, strengthening the links between research, practice, and societal impact.