CfP: ‘The “Others” amongst “Us”: Thoughts on Western Societies, Otherness, and the Law’

The conference ‘The “Others” amongst “Us”: Thoughts on Western Societies, Otherness, and the Law’ will take place on Friday 8 December and Saturday 9 December 2017 at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. Background and Ambition

In a time of crisis, social divides become particularly visible. They affect notably minorities including immigrants. Looking at the area of immigration, the conference will focus on the Law and how it relates to social divides. Underlying is the notion that minorities at large and immigrants in particular tend to be conceived of as ‘others’ in society, which naturally raises questions on the construction and effect of ‘otherness’ in ‘our’ Western societies. There are many ways how ‘otherness’ could be approached. Likewise, there are as many ways as one could describe the society which characterizes the ‘other’. The conference and this call for papers seeks to bring together many perspectives, approaches, and ideas on ‘otherness’ in the context of migration. The ambition is to find commonalities and differences in  the construction of ‘otherness’ in different political settings. While the conference will focus on otherness and the law, it is by no means open only to legal scholars. Ideally, the conference will be multidisciplinary and allow for ample discussion of the issues at hand across the boundaries of scientific disciplines, such as history, social and political sciences, anthropology, social geography, or law. 

Link to the call for papers: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2017/07/call-for-papers-conference-the-others-amongst-us-thoughts-on-western-societies-otherness-and-the-law

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