Welcome Message to the 11th edition of the IMISCOE Bulletin

The Bulletin is a key communication channel connecting IMISCOE’s 68 Member Institutes, the individual members of the network, and the wider community interested in our activities. It is built around contributions from the IMISCOE External Affairs Committee (EAC) and the Network Office based at the Centre for Ethnic and Migration Studies (CEDEM) of the University of Liège.

Since the last Bulletin in the Fall 2024, the IMISCOE network has continued to support a wide range of research activities driven by the incredible work of our community- whether it’s the IMISCOE Network Office, the Board of Directors, the Executive Board, the IMISCOE Standing and Executive Committees, our community of PhD students, or the individual members of our Network.

We therefore seized the opportunity offered by this new edition of the Bulletin to spotlight some of these significant achievements. We caught up with the coordinators of IMISCOE Standing Committees, who shared insights into their recent activities and upcoming plans for the academic year. We also had a conversation with Billie Martiniello, Agnese Pacciardi, and Silvia Talavera Lodos, who revealed the theme of the IMISCOE PhD Network’s events for this year - happiness and joy in academia. From the IMISCOE PhD Academy, Cosmin Nada and Marta Bivand Erdal also offered a glimpse into the interactive session ‘Succeeding with publishing peer-reviewed journal articles: Lived experiences of failure and success’, held earlier this year by the IMISCOE Training Committee.

This edition of the Bulletin also brings updates from Anna Triandafyllidou and Irina Isaakyan on IMISCOE’s book series, featuring essential contributions to migration studies. And for podcast enthusiasts, Season 5 of the IMISCOE Migration Podcast has just launched! Be sure to check out Asya Pisarevskaya’ piece, where she highlights the exciting episodes included in this new season.

We also had the pleasure of sitting down with Mathias Czaika and Albert Kraler to discuss the upcoming IMISCOE Spring Conference in Krems. With its thought-provoking theme (The Regularity of Irregularity: Rethinking Migration Paradigms), this conference promises a very rich and dynamic program. During our conversation, Mathias and Albert also shared valuable tips from their colleague Sabina Ertl on how conference participants can make the most of their time in Krems- both during and outside the event.

This edition of the Bulletin also features a compelling editorial by Tuba Bircan, who reflect on the role of big data in migration research. As part of the exchanges regarding IMISCOE’s global engagement, we also invite you to read the insightful section written by Goranka Lalić Novak and Petra Banicevic, showcasing the cutting-edge migration research conducted at the University of Zagreb, an IMISCOE Member Institute offering valuable research insights into migration from a Central and Southeast European perspective. Furthermore, we also encourage you to explore Anila Noor’ critical reflection on the role of refugees and displaced communities in policymaking.

On behalf of IMISCOE’s Network Office and External Affairs Committee, our heartfelt thanks to all the contributors to this edition of the Bulletin! We deeply appreciate the ongoing dedication of the IMISCOE Standing and Executive Committees, as well as the active involvement of all individual and institutional members of our Network. Your contributions and support are essential to the vibrant activities and growth of our international research community.

We hope you enjoy this edition and encourage you to share it widely to help us spread the word about our IMISCOE community.

Daniela Vintila and Jean-Michel Lafleur (IMISCOE Coordinators)

Ricard Zapata-Barrero (Chair of the IMISCOE External Affairs Committee)

Carole Wenger and Angeliki Konstantinidou (IMISCOE Network Officers)