Fourth Conference on Contemporary European Migration History

Organized by Network Migration in Europe e. V., http://www.network-migration.org

In cooperation with Deutsches Historisches Institut Paris, http://www.dhi-paris.fr Génériques (Paris), http://www.generiques.org

and

Centre Marc Bloch (Berlin), http://www.cmb.hu-berlin.de

Date: November 15-16, 2004

Location: Deutsches Historisches Institut Paris

Migration and memory have become key issues in contemporary European intellectual and political debates. In the wake of European societies’ ongoing social and economic incorporation of millions of migrants, questions pertaining to the representation of these processes have also emerged. Thus far, debates about migration and history/memory, as well as on commemorative practices, have occurred in splendid isolation. For the most part, the migration discourse has limited itself to considerations of migrants’ social, economic and political inclusion or exclusion and neglected questions of historical representation and memory. Conversely, debates about memory and collective identities have tended to privilege national frameworks, focussing in particular on national or master narratives that usually neglect migrants and their transnational historical experiences.

Migration and migrants have contributed considerably to shaping perceptions of immigrants and ‘Europeans’ alike. They have fundamentally transformed particular European societies and European society more generally, engendering radically new self-understandings which confront established patterns. The question of how this history can be written into a simultaneously emerging European history, as well as into changing national historiographies shall be explored at the conference. It will address questions of immigration in and to Europe in a comparative perspective. The emphasis will be on the intersection of history, memory and commemorative practices and strategies.

Topics of interest include:

• Migrant incorporation/exclusion and historical representation in both sending and receiving countries
• Writing migration history within the national, European or global context.
• Social and cultural practices and strategies of museums, exhibitions, media, schools/curricula and migrant communities to represent migrants and migration history
• Methodological and theoretical contributions with regard to writing and representing migration history

The workshop is open to scholars in the Humanities and the Social Sciences in the widest sense (anthropology, ethnology, geography, history, law, political sciences, sociology). Abstracts for papers will be considered on a competitive basis. The number of speakers will be limited to 25 (plus external participants/audience). Advanced Ph.D. candidates and recent post-docs are particularly invited to turn in applications. Half of the places will be reserved for young scholars. Accommodation can be provided at hotels or hostels at a rate of € 70 to € 100 per night. Financial support for the participants to cover or subsidize travel and accommodation expenses depends on successful applications for funding which are currently under consideration at various organizations.

Submissions of abstracts (max. of 600 words) and a short biographical note (not more than two pages) including a list of (selected) publications are welcomed until May 23, 2004. Papers are supposed to be circulated in advance and have to be received by September 12, 2004. Publication of the papers in an edited volume (English and French version) is intended.
For further information see under http://www.network-migration.org/workshop2004. or contact Paris_2004_ DHI@hotmail.com. Send your application to the given email address by May 15, 2004. The selection committee will choose and notify the participants by mid-June 2004.