Second Generation Research Dialogues in Berlin

Call for Papers for two day workshop in Berlin:

*Second Generation Research Dialogues: Comparative Perspectives on Children of Immigrants

*Berlin, 16|17 January 2009

Within integration debates across Europe, focus has shifted from the first to the so called second generation of immigrants in recent years. Their performance in educational systems and on the job markets is tied to success or failure of integration policies and scrutinized with concern, as is their cultural, social and religious orientation. In many places a very contested group, the second generation symbolizes permanency of migration and growing diversity while raising questions about the concept and mechanisms of “integration” today.

In this workshop, current work on second generation immigrants will be discussed along two main themes:

• the second generation and the city
• the second generation in school

Central questions and concerns include

• the impact of cities on processes of second generation identity construction, self representation and negotiation between cultural spheres
• its role as arena for political participation, claim making and social positioning
• its role as living and working environment and space of opportunity or restraint
• as social space and place of belonging
• the educational participation of second generation immigrants in comparative perspective
• inequalities within educational systems
• linkages between educational settings, policies and attainment
• the role of teachers, friends, families and other factors impacting educational careers 

The workshop offers internationally comparative perspectives on second generation research in Europe and the US, featuring keynote presentations by:

*Philip Kasinitz*, chair of Dept. of Sociology at CUNY, NYC, USA on the New Second Generation in metropolitan New York; *Jens Schneider*, Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies (IMES), Amsterdam introducing the EU- research project TIES on the European second generation covering fifteen cities in eight European countries

Workshop format:

The workshop aims at facilitating intense dialogue and exchange among doctoral students and junior researchers involved in work on second generation immigrants. This will be reflected in the amount of time in the program allocated for discussion in a constructive, supportive setting.

We invite papers presenting theoretical and/or empirical contributions from a variety of methodological perspectives and different disciplines on second generation immigrants, regarding one of the central themes:

• the second generation and the city
• the second generation in school

Papers should not exceed length of 7,000 words and include an abstract (no more than 700 words). It is expected that collected papers will be published in some form after the workshop.

Nakba 60 Oral History Day

www.nakba60.org.uk

in association with SOAS Palestine Society and LSE SU Palestine Society

Present

ORAL HISTORY DAY

Saturday 1 MARCH 2008

(free admission)

Please book in advance at: rsvp@nakba60.org.uk

The Eye of the Spoken Word: Oral History and The 1948 Nakba

The Oral History Day event brings together scholars, filmmakers and oral history specialists to reflect on the narratives of the 1948 Nakba. Presenting the people’s voices, the speakers will further discuss the importance of oral history as an instrument for preserving the Palestinian collective memory and relaying the events that surrounded the 1948 Nakba and beyond. We will hear and see stories of both the survivors and the perpetrators throughout the day.

Registration: 11:00

Room G2

SOAS – School of Oriental and African Studies – Thornhaugh Street , Russell Square , London WC1H 0XG

Weapons of Massive Laughter

I am a connoisseur of humor and satire. In fact, on those days that I feel blue and find life a bit overwhelming, I retreat into my room and watch a few YouTube clips of stand-up by Dave Chapelle (famous for his Comedy Central show, Chapelle Show), Margaret Cho, and Russell Peters among others. Sometimes, I’ll look up old Saturday Night Live skits from Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman. Friend have witnessed me on my own hilarious musings and I know that if a person is down in the dumps, nothing gets one out of their doldrums better than deep, belly-filled laughs!

I’ve decided to combine my love of humor into my own examination of the Iranian Diaspora, specifically how 1.5 and second generation Iranian diasporics utilize photoshopping to create digitally altered and humorous images poking fun of Iranian and US/UK politics, and Iranian culture in Iran and in the diaspora among other themes. I first presented a rough version of this at the Third Annual BRISMES Graduate Conference at Wolfson College, Oxford, and will expand the theme to explore how diasporic Iranians are also utilizing Youtube to make their own home-grown humor exploring such things as dating, inter-generational issues (i.e.: 1.5 and second generation Iranians versus how their parents act in daily life), and double standards in how parents treat young women and men in the diaspora. I’ll be presenting my findings at the Moving Borders: The Aesthetics of Migration, part of the Mellon Lecture Series at UCL. My colleague, Dr. Federica Mazzara has been marvelous in organizing the entire event and I am excited by all the interesting papers that will be presented, especially one by my friend Alpesh!

Perhaps another motivation for my recent interest into humor and parody in the diasporic Iranian landscape has a lot to do with how Middle Easterners are portrayed and essentialized as being either overly sensual/sexual or barbarically violent. In between these two massive stereotypes is the picture that Middle Easteners are also devoid of any humor or parody. Well, take away the stereotypical images usually presented and there is a very rich history of humor, especially in the Iranian context. I grew up on the parody short stories of Mulla Nasruddine. For the diasporic Iranian community, there is a plethora of talented stand-up comedians, such as Omid Djalili, Shappi Khorsandi, and Maz Jobrani to name a few. These comedians are answering back to many years of bigoted assumptions through the use of wit and humor. Who says that Iranians can’t appreciate a good laugh?

To drop you all a good WML (Weapons of Massive Laughter), I have included a few links to my favorite stand-up by Djalili, Jobrani, and Khorsandi.

Enjoy!

Sanaz

Migration and Literature in Contemporary Europe

International Conference to be held at
the University of Copenhagen
8-10 November 2007

Literature by migrants – those not at home where they write – foregrounds many questions concerning cultural and linguistic identity, not least the relationships between identity, language and territory. Fundamentally, such literature challenges the categories according to which literary disciplines have traditionally (that is, since the late nineteenth century) organised their research.

This conference on “Migration and Literature in Contemporary Europe” aims to bring together scholars researching within this field and to establish or negotiate the sense of a shared discipline with common paradigms and problematics.

See more information about the conference programme and registration at http://migrationandliterature.engerom.ku.dk/

CFP: Conference on Museums and Refugees

Museum in Docklands, London, 13-14 March 2008

Deadline for call of papers:  17 October 2007

How do museums and more broadly the heritage sector engage with refugees and asylum seekers and the increased global focus on forced migration?  The collective and individual voices of the people are rarely heard and often misrepresented in the media.  Museums, academic research centres, non-government organisations and government departments/agencies now see the need to explore the cultural contributions to and impact of refugee and asylum seeker groups on urban and regional centres.

The conference aims to explore how museums and other heritage agencies are responding to complex ethical, legal, social and political issues.  How can museums inform debate and, given recent trends in immigration and asylum polices, highlight international and national obligations to protect people from persecution? 

These issues impact on the work practices of museums in terms of curatorial decisions, collecting strategies, partnerships, approaches to programming, as well as shared decision making in collaborative exhibitions and public events.  Are museums agents and forums of cultural change or do they reflect social change?  Is there a new role for museums in terms of cultural facilitation and mediation?  Should museums be more proactive as places for cross-cultural exchange and developing understanding between ‘new’ communities and peoples of diverse backgrounds?  Are there appropriate ethical codes of practice in place to facilitate these new agendas?

Europe and its Established & Emerging Immigrant Communities:

10 and 11 November 2007, De Montfort University, Leicester

This conference will focus on Europe and will draw on perspectives beyond Europe in an attempt to discuss, analyse and critique European policy response to post World War 11 established and emerging immigrant communities as well as share good practice in the areas of health, security, social cohesion and education amongst other things.

Speakers include:

-Doudou Diene United Nations Special Rapporteur in Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, TBC

-Karen Chouhan 1990 Trust/JRCT “Visionary”

-Prof Gus John Institute of Education

-Tariq Ramadan TBC

-Halifa Sallah People’s Centre for Social Science Research Civic Awareness and Community Initiative, Gambia

-Anastasia Crickley European Monitoring Centre on racism and Xenophobia

-Doug Nicholls Community and Youth Workers Union CYWU

-Ted Cantle Improvement and Development Agency for local government (IDeA)

-Prof Chris Gaine University of Chichester

–Arun Kundnani Institute of Race Relations

-Mark RD Johnson Mary Seacole Centre, De Montfort University

World Conference of Humanitarian Studies

World Conference of Humanitarian Studies,
Groningen, The Netherlands, 4-8 February 2009

Billed as the first world conference focusing on this field of study

Participants and occasion:
An estimated number of 500 participants from a variety of institutions, universities, NGOs and other relevant organisations, associations, governmental departments and intergovernmental agencies.

For more information see: http://www.humanitarianstudies2009.org/

Literary Representations of “British Muslims”

Thursday 8 November 2007, Senate House, University of London, Malet St., London WC1E

Hosted by the Institute of English Studies in association with Goldsmith’s College, University of London, and Leeds Metropolitan University.

Deadline for handing in proposals was 30 July 2007.

In the current political climate, an increasingly complex debate is emerging about what it means to be “British Muslim”.  Yet criticism of the UK ‘s migrant writing still tends to subsume religious identity under such categories  as ethnicity, nationality, hybridity and “race”. In an effort to develop a more appropriate critical vocabulary, this colloquium will examine representations of Islam and specific Muslim communities in recent British  writing. It will explore the diversity of Islam, both as a religion and a civilization, as it is represented in a rich and often contestatory body of writing.

An End to History? Climate Change, the Past and the Future

3 and 4 April 2008, Birmingham and Midland Institute, Birmingham
 
Deadline for papers and contributions: 30 November 2007
 
This conference might be of interest to everyone working in the area of climate change and forced migration (‘Intersections’ theme of the months of July and August).

The premise of this conference is that human society has had a potentially catastrophic effect on the earth’s climate. For some commentators it is not out of the question that we will bring about our own extinction unless we modify our behaviour. And while the scientific community has had a major influence on governments’ and the public’s understanding of climate change, the contribution of the humanities has been less significant. With that in view, this conference seeks contributions from across the humanities, from historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, human geographers, demographers, philosophers, writers, and from students of politics, economics, international relations, religion, literature and culture.

3rd Global Conference: Pluralism, Inclusion and Citizenship

3rd Global Conference
Pluralism, Inclusion and Citizenship Friday 16th November – Sunday 18th November 2007
Salzburg, Austria

Call for Papers

With this inter- and multi-disciplinary project we seek to explore the new developments and changes of the idea of pluralism and the implications those have for social and political processes of inclusion and citizenship in contemporary societies. The project will also assess the larger context of major world transformations, for example, new forms of migration and the massive movements of people across the globe, as well as the impact and contribution of globalisation on tensions, conflicts and the sense of acceptance, rootedness and membership. Looking to encourage innovative trans-disciplinary dialogues, we warmly welcome papers from all disciplines, professions and vocations which struggle to understand what it means for people, the world over, to be a citizen in rapidly changing national, social and political contexts.

In particular papers, workshops and presentations are invited on any of the following themes: