Since the 1990s, studies on migration have operated a “transnational turn” (Monsutti 2010; Vertovec 1999, 2004). This framework has not been limited to “voluntary” migration but was also extended to the study of “forced” migration. Thanks to its dynamic dimension, the transnational perspective has mainly contributed to avoid considering displaced persons or refugees” as mere victims, but as individuals implementing strategies in their mobility (Chatelard and Doraï 2009; Monsutti 2008).
In this context, the concept of “forced migrant” was coined. It takes into account the structural dimension of displacement that is generated by a large-scale violent situation (Bakewell 2011). But it also recognizes the agency of the individual (Turton 2003). In this perspective, migration patterns are composed of complex and often circular paths between several countries (Schiller et al. 1992, 1995). However, the conventional “durable solutions” (Repatriation, Resettlement, Integration) on offer for forced migrants scarcely fit the mobility strategies that some individuals use which require them to be able to continue circulating between several locations, including sometimes their country of origin, and therefore to live a “mobile and multi-located life” (Long 2010; Van Hear 2006). In some cases, responses to forced migration have tried to include the human mobility dimension (Adepoju et al. 2010). Yet, the inclusion of mobility in responses to force migration, and the study of such initiatives, remain relatively under-developed (Zetter 2014). This session aims to open such questions to critical scrutiny by promoting conversations with academics or professionals.
Convenors: Lucas Oesch (University of Manchester) and Marion Fresia (University of Neuchâtel)
Deadline for application: January 11, 2015