Dear all,



Due to some technical problems with our internet-server, it has not been 

possible to register online for our upcoming conference on forced 

migration: /House: loss, refuge and belonging. /



These problems are now solved, and we have extended our deadline by one 

week so that everyone who is still interested will be able to register on:



http://www.idp.ntnu.no/conference



We would also like to emphasise that the conference starts after lunch 

on the 16th , for those of you who may have other commitments the same 

week.



Our apologies for any inconvenience.



Best of regards,



Tale Baadsvik



**CONFERENCE INVITATION**



Researching Internal Displacement: House: loss, refuge and belonging



The research group on Forced Migration at NTNU in cooperation with the 

Norwegian Refugee Council's Global IDP Project have the pleasure of inviting 

you to this international conference on displacement and house. We invite 

researchers and doctoral fellows to present papers on finished and ongoing 

work about the meaning of 'house' for forced migrants.



The issues of home and belonging have received much attention in forced 

migration studies in recent years. The house may be considered an embodiment 

of aspects of home, identity and belonging and a symbol of the status of 

displaced populations in a given context. The relationship between 

displacement and house has material, cultural, social, economic, legal and 

political dimensions; the house as a physical structure, the house and 

property rights, the house as shelter and security and the house as a symbol 

of belonging and identity.



Sessions:



Some possible sessions for paper presenters will be (depending on papers 

submitted):

- Housing and global processes

- Housing: challenges for the humanitarian community

- Rights and legal dimensions to housing and properties

- Housing in reconstruction and planning

- Camps: temporary protection and housing

- Public/private: the symbolic meaning of housing for policies and individuals



Questions to be addressed:



We would like to open up for a variety of approaches.

Some questions of interest would be:



- What is the role of the house in processes of displacement and for the 

understanding of home and belonging for displaced populations?

- How can the house be applied as an analytical tool for under-standing 

processes of displacement?

- What is the significance of house with regard to finding a solution to 

displacement; upon return; in resettlement and local integration?

- How should displaced who cannot return to their former homes be compensated 

for the loss of house and property?

- What are their rights to return to their house if return becomes a 

possibility?

- How should the understanding of culturally and socially accepted standards of housing be integrated in assistance to the displaced?

- What is the relationship between displaced people’s status and rights and 

housing?



We would like to challenge researchers and practitioners from different 

academic disciplines and fields to discuss the magnitude of these and other 

dimensions of house for the experience and policies of displacement.



Keynote presentations by:

Dr. Francis M. Deng, UN Representative on IDPs and the Brookings-SAIS Project

on Internal Displacement

Dr. Tone Bringa, Chr. Michelsen Institute

Associate Professor Jennifer Hyndman, Simon Fraser University

Professor Roger Zetter, Oxford Brookes University

Research Fellow Hans Skotte, NTNU

Dr. Lex Takkenberg, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian 

Refugees (UNRWA)



Dr. Rosemary Sayigh, independent researcher, Beirut

Dr. Gaim Kibreab, London South Banks University (not confirmed)



The Secretariat:



NTNU Research Group on Forced Migration

Department of Geography, SVT

NTNU, Dragvoll, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway

Web: www.idp.ntnu.no

E-mail: [log in to unmask]

Telefax: + 47 73 59 18 78

Telephone: + 47 73 59 50 00



Contact persons:

Tale Baadsvik and Cathrine Brun



Conference venue:

Britannia Hotel

Dronningensgt. 5, Postboks 191, NO-7401 Trondheim, Norway



Deadlines:

June 1st 2004: Registration with paper and early registration

August 15th 2004: Late registration



For more information about the conference:

http://www.idp.ntnu.no/Conference/



Online registration available from the homepage.





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