CALL FOR PAPERS

FORCED MIGRATION: CHALLENGES AND CHANGE

3rd Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced 
Migration Studies (CARFMS)

Hosted by the Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
May 6-8, 2010


In recent years, the idea of change has charged political debate in 
countries around the world and has, in some cases, catalyzed the 
election of new governments and the creation of innovative programs and 
policies. This period has also been one of significant change for the 
field of forced migration.  New policies and increasingly securitized 
perceptions of forced migration have created new practices such as 
interdiction, detention and expedited deportation that have changed the 
protection landscape in both the global North and South. At the same 
time as scholars have questioned the labelling and bureaucratic 
categorization of forced migrants, the United Nations has piloted new 
approaches to improve the protection and assistance available to members 
of traditionally marginalized ?categories?, particularly internally 
displaced persons. Massive displacement in the wake of Hurricane Katrina 
and Cyclone Nargis raised the profile of ?environmental refugees? as an 
issue predicted to grow in importance as the impacts of climate change 
become increasingly evident. In Canada, the government has recently 
announced that it is preparing a package of changes to the refugee 
determination system, including the fast-tracking of claims from 
countries that are generally considered safe. As a precursor to more 
sweeping anticipated changes, the government has already imposed visa 
requirements on Mexico and the Czech Republic in an attempt to stem the 
flow of refugee claimants from those countries.

The 2010 CARFMS Conference will bring together researchers, 
policymakers, displaced persons and advocates from diverse disciplinary 
and regional backgrounds to discuss the changes and challenges faced in 
the field of forced migration.  We invite participants from a wide range 
of perspectives to explore the practical, experiential, policy-oriented, 
legal and theoretical questions raised by different processes of change 
affecting forced migrants at the local, national, regional and 
international levels.  The conference will feature keynote and plenary 
speeches from leaders in the field, and we welcome proposals for 
individual papers and organized panels structured around the following 
broad sub-themes:


Asylum, protection and durable solutions: Needs, current practices and 
prospects for reform Calls for reform of national and international 
refugee protection systems have been raised in different quarters, with 
dramatically diverse visions for change.  What are the key challenges 
facing advocates, policymakers and displaced communities and 
individuals?  How have trends in the interception, interdiction, 
processing, detention, deportation, protection, settlement and 
integration of forced migrants shaped prospects for reform? What models 
might inform the productive reform of the Canadian refugee system? What 
role might scholars play in efforts to strengthen the protection of 
forced migrants and the effective resolution of displacement?

Theorizing the changing field of forced migration

Past decades have seen rapid development ? domestically and 
internationally ? in the study of refugee protection and forced 
migration both within traditional disciplines and across disciplinary 
lines.  With such significant change in research and policy in recent 
years, the longer view ? both to the past and to the future ? cannot be 
neglected.  What is the nature of refugee protection in a globalized 
world, and how is it important (or not) to consider the ?new? era?  What 
have been the historical trajectories of laws, policies and practices in 
forced migration, and how can the historicization of the field advance 
understandings of change and contemporary challenges?  How have 
different disciplines, methodologies and approaches affected our 
understandings? Finally, what role is there for actors outside of 
academia, from policymakers and refugee advocates to displaced persons 
themselves?


Experiencing displacement: Changes and challenges How have recent 
political and social changes, and changes in the structure and operation 
of the refugee regime affected the lives of displaced persons? What can 
scholars of forced migration learn about the contemporary reality of the 
refugee regime by focusing on the lived experience of displaced 
individuals and communities? In this section, we particularly welcome 
presentations by displaced individuals, advocates, and organizations 
working directly with forced migrants.

Pre-conference workshops/networking A number of pre-conference workshops 
and networking sessions will take place on the afternoon of May 5. More 
information on pre-conference workshops/session will be available on 
conference website shortly.


SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS Individuals wishing to present a paper at the 
conference must submit a 250-word abstract by January 29, 2010.  The 
conference organizers welcome submissions of both individual papers and 
proposals for panels.

Please submit your abstract via the conference website: 
http://carfmsconference.yorku.ca/.  For more information, please contact 
Heather Johnson [log in to unmask]


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