The contemporary world is increasingly defined by mobility – of people, memory, information, services, cultural and social practices – to the extent that more fluid, mobile and transnational belonging trajectories and identification frameworks are becoming an increasing trend. However, such positioning possibility is a privilege that cannot be extended to the current migration crises involving millions of people of different nationalities forced to leave their homelands.
Scholarly interest in migration and diaspora can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century. It is worth considering how the constantly evolving ranges of critical approaches and methodological frameworks of the field can be productively applied to the current situation.
Centre of Excellence in Estonian Studies welcomes international scholars from different fields to reflect on the issues of migration and diasporas, incl. questions of exile. Topics addressed include but are not limited to
- the concept of the diaspora and modifications and changes in its use
- transnationalism
- othering and xenophobia
- different waves of migration and remigration: causes, countries of destination, similarities and differences, migration journeys
- the current migration crisis
- migration as life-style
- social and cultural adoption in host countries
- identity-building processes, incl. hyphenated and transnational identities
- home-making practices in diaspora communities
- changes in the usages of languages of origin, bi- and multilingualism
- communication networks of migrants
- the contacts of diaspora communities with countries of origin
- sources and methods of migration and diaspora research, incl. life writing and oral history interviews
- representation of migration and diaspora in literature and visual arts; the poetics of exile
The conference working language is English. Papers should not exceed 20 minutes in presentation. Please submit your proposal of up to 300 words via online form on the conference webpage. All accepted abstracts will be included in the books of abstracts of the conference.