Call for Papers and Participation for
In Search of Solutions: Methods, Movements and Undocumented Migrants
in Africa
Research and Training Workshops,
Date:1-4th of July, 2008
Location: University
of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Deadline for initial submissions 22nd of February 2008
Background
The Wilberforce Institute for the study
of Slavery and Emancipation, University of Hull, and the Forced Migration
Studies Programme, University
of the Witwatersrand, invite submissions for a two part colloquium
on methods and informal migration.
This event is designed to strengthen
and further refine the strategies used to analyse and understand
migration patterns in Africa. Since many migrants operate outside
official channels,
conventional methods and government statistics can often be of
limited value in coming to terms with this contentious issue.
In the absence
of empirically reliable and theoretically sophisticated research methods,
speculation and hyperbole have regularly filled the void. Researchers
in this challenging field can only go so far by raising doubts about
exaggerated figures and tenuous claims. What is required is a deeper
and broader understanding of migration, incorporating both i) improved
research heuristics, methods and procedures for generating data; and
ii) the capacity to effectively and sensitively integrate available
data within larger political and sociological perspectives.
With this
in mind, the colloquium brings together researchers for two separate
yet related events:
1 Research Workshop (3rd and 4th of July 2008)
Scholars
of migration are continually refining the methods used to study various
aspects of informal migration. This workshop seeks to
capitalise upon this ongoing innovation and methodological experimentation,
providing researchers with a targeted forum to disseminate their findings,
further refine their techniques, and reflect upon the larger relationship
between methodology and informal migration in an African context.
Both
scholars and practitioners are invited to submit paper proposals
addressing one or more of the following themes:
- The Moving Target: sampling mobile populations;
- Revealing the Illicit: corrupt immigration enforcement
and subterranean migrant economies;
- Enumeration and Extrapolation: connecting anecdotal and
case specific evidence to larger patterns;
- Weapons of the Weak: conceptualising and documenting resistance;
- The Vulnerable Researcher: working in threatening and insecure
field sites;
- The Past in the Present: linking historical and contemporary
migration;
- Documenting the Undocumented: ethical quandaries in migration
research;
- Methodology and Public Policy: research, activism and political
change.
The complete proceedings from the workshop will be edited and published
online in late 2008. Selected workshop participants will be invited
to revise their papers for submission to a special issue of a peer
reviewed journal.
Interested researchers should send abstracts of
up to 300 words, together with a current curriculum vitae [by email
only to darshan.vigneswaran@wits.ac.za]
by the 22nd of February 2008. Applicants will be notified by the
10th of March whether they have been accepted. Final papers of around
6000
words will be expected by the 1st of June 2008. The organisers
have secured funds through the British Academy to cover travel and
maintenance
for eight scholars and practitioners. Priority funding for attendance
will go to early career researchers from and/or based in Africa.
2 Training Workshop (1st and 2nd of July 2008)
In order to address the
longer term challenges of research on undocumented migration, we
need to develop a new generation of skilled researchers.
With this in mind, the research workshop will be preceded by a
two day training workshop focusing upon methodology and migration.
This workshop, which includes a visit to a field site in Johannesburg,
has been designed to help emerging scholars develop the specialized
strategies and skills required to conduct first-class research
in this challenging field.
The training programme is designed for
postgraduate students who are currently designing research proposals,
implementing
fieldwork strategies and analysing data.
The main topics that will
be explored are:
- Sampling and survey design;
- Qualitative and key informant interviews;
- Freedom of information
legislation and archival research;
- Participant observation procedures;
- Comparative analysis and historical context.
Interested applicants
should submit an outline of around 400 words explaining how the workshop
would benefit their research plans, together
with a CV and a short reference from a supervisor - to be delivered
separately - [by email only to darshan.vigneswaran@wits.ac.za]-
before the 22nd of February 2008. Applicants will be notified by the
10th
of March whether they have
been accepted.
In order to prepare for the workshop, students will be asked to write
a brief paper of around 1500 words reflecting upon the influence of
methodological issues upon their research. These will be expected by
the 1st of June 2008.
The best papers will be published online through
the FMSP Methods and Field Notes series. Doctoral candidates are
invited to apply to attend both workshops. Ten bursaries are available
to cover/contribute
to the cost of travel and accommodation for participants from Southern
Africa.
Submission Information
Please send submissions by email - with
subject heading either:'Research
Workshop Submission' or 'Training Workshop Submission' - to:
darshan.vigneswaran@wits.ac.za.
Requests for additional information should be directed to Dr Joel Quirk
(j.quirk@hull.ac.uk ).
Additional Information
The Forced Migration Studies Programme is Southern Africa's premier centre for the academic study of migration.
This workshop will form a part of a multifaceted training and dissemination
agenda for 2008, including a conference on the State of Migration in
Southern Africa in March, and a Statistics Institute later in the year.
The Wilberforce Institute is
dedicated to the pursuit of world class research in the areas of slavery,
emancipation,
human rights, and social justice. The institute seeks to improve
academic knowledge and public understanding of both historical practices
and
contemporary problems, and to inform public policy and political
activism.
This event has been made possible through a UK-Africa partnership
grant from the British Academy. The Wilberforce Institute and Forced
Migration
Studies Programme have also received support for two further colloquia.
Over time, the best submissions will be compiled into an edited collection
focusing on Migration and Forced Labour in Africa.
