Dear all,
this may be of interest to members:
Subject: [BSA-RACE] Migration and the Gender/Race Nexus: CERS Sumposium,
University of Leeds
Migration and the Gender/Race Nexus:
Methodologies, Epistemologies and Normative Commitments
5 September 2008
Recent debates on migration and the (re)production of global inequalities
have contributed significantly to the deconstruction of some social myths
that plagued academic scholarship in the past. Commonplace perceptions of
migrants as young and male have been challenged. It has been acknowledged
that the interplay of various social factors in the decision of
individuals to migrate affect the two genders in different ways. Gender
roles and relations overdetermine who migrates and why, and the impacts
the phenomenon has both on policy-making in the 'host' country and the
newcomers. The academic feminisms of the 1980s and the 1990s were
complemented by activist work; the two together contributed to a better
understanding of how migration can cement traditional roles and
inequalities - or even expose women to new dangers. At the same time, a
new wave of feminist critique moved away from the myth of 'victimisation',
suggesting that women are not passive recipients but active agents in
migration processes.
'Colour' and ethnicity (as well as a wilful conflation of the two) also
matter, of course. 'Race' remains essential in the production of local,
national and global hierarchies of cultural and political value,
sanctioning and naturalising ideas of 'second' and 'third' class
citizenships. Such changes in the political and academic arenas led to a
better understanding of migration and settlement processes in different
political, economic and cultural contexts, and according to factors such
as gender, class, and, most importantly, race/ethnicity. Gendered and
racialised migrations invite questions concerning citizenship rights and
duties, the future and nature of 'cosmopolitan identities' and the battle
for recognition of social and cultural 'difference' in receiving
countries. Finally, they introduce questions of power, knowledge and
relationality in the field of social research: how can these issues be
addressed?
This workshop will explore methodological questions and epistemological
challenges in migration research on the gender/race nexus. Suggested
themes for discussion include:
1. Research methods (interview sampling, structured/unstructured
interviews, focus groups, auto/biographical narratives, archival research)
2. Methodological innovations in the field
3. Questions of knowledge in research on gender/race and migration
4. Emerging themes and theoretical approaches
5. Normative commitments in research and the role of academic work in
the making of alternative socio-political futures
Provisional programme
Stratification and global migrations: gender, class and race (Eleonore
Kofman, Middlesex)
Producing the norm: modernity, technology and migrant women (Parvati
Raghuram, Open University)
Cultural capital of second generation migrant women in the UK:
reconstructing gendered experiences through biographical narratives (Eleni
Hatzidimitriadou, MASC, Kent)
Power, knowledge and resistance: researching the relationship between
generation, gender and ethnicity in the context of British Bangladeshi
settlers and recent Polish migrants (John Eade, Roehampton)
Making the connections: arts, politics and policy (Maggie O'Neil,
Loughborough)
Centre for Ethnicity and Racism Studies at the University of Leeds has a
history of critical interdisciplinary engagement with the origins,
production and conditions of racism. This symposium forms part of CERS'
Racialised Hostilities programme of activities for 2008 in celebration of
its tenth year of existence.
REGISTRATION: Early registration is advised as participant spaces are
strictly limited. Registration fees: £30 (Academics and unwaged)
£60 (others)
Registration includes morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea.
For registration or further details contact:
Ms Marie Ross
Research Support Officer
Tel: 0113 343 4407.
Email: [log in to unmask]
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