CfP “Migration and Late Capitalism. Critical Intersections with the Asia-Pacific and Beyond”

The Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives’ Migration and Mobility Program seeks paper proposals for an interdisciplinary conference to be held in June 2015. Deadline for submissions is February 27, 2015.

In 2013, the global migrant population was estimated at 232 million people or 3.2 per cent of the world population, up from 175 million in 2000 and 154 million in 1990. In the last two decades, scholars and policymakers have theorized and analyzed the causes, necessities, and consequences of this steady growth in transnational and regional mobile populations within the context of late capitalism, neo-colonialism, intensifying global circuits of power, and national security regimes. Migrant justice activists have simultaneously exposed and mobilized around transforming the punitive, dehumanizing, and exploitative laws and policies as they affect various categories of migrants—documented, undocumented, refugees, and asylum seekers.

The Migration and Mobility Program in the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives at the University of Victoria is pleased to host a three-day conference, which will bring together researchers, policymakers, and activists from diverse disciplinary and regional locations, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and North America. The purpose is to discuss new theoretical directions, interdisciplinary approaches, and critical dialogues on migration and mobility in the context of late capitalism with a particular, but not exclusive focus, on the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific region. We are pleased to announce that we have received a $25,000 SSHRC Connection Grant to support our plans to make this a dynamic and diverse conference.

Key themes to be explored include:

  • Policy Advocacy, Activism, and Mobilization
  • Border Security and Surveillance
  • Colonialisms, Imperialisms, and Late Capitalisms
  • Indigenous Displacement and Mobility
  • Environmental Degradation
  • Migration Flows, Experiences, and Strategies
  • Religion and Migration

We especially welcome proposals for papers, presentations and workshops from civil society and community members, and ones that do not necessarily conform to typical academic conventions.

Submission Instructions

To submit a proposal for a paper, workshop or complete panel, please send the following information to: MigrationConference@uvic.ca

  • Name of presenter(s)
  • Institutional affiliation(s) or Organization(s)
  • Contact Information (email)
  • Title of paper, workshop, or panel
  • Short abstract or description (no more than 200 words)
  • For panel proposals please include a rationale for the panel as well as a title and brief description of each paper.

Submission Deadline: Friday, February 27, 2015