The research group Translations of Migration is committed to the interdisciplinary study and discussion of the many ways that migration and mobility have been translated. We as researchers can “see” migration only through narratives and discourses, institutions, norms, regulations and categorizations. We therefore wish to interrogate this process of meaning-making by those who regulate, discuss, and engage in migration.
To address this phenomenon, we will bring together scholars from history and cultural studies. We understand interdisciplinary study and research not as a mere combination of individual subjects, but as a continuous conversation and a mutual learning experience. In order to get such a conversation started in this time of restricted travel possibilities, we are initiating a series of “tiny desk conferences.” Inspired by NPR’s tiny desk concerts, we want to establish a video conference format where scholars from across the world can present their work from a location we all share when we work: our desk.
As we conceive it, the “tiny desk conference” will be an open and creative space for interested scholars to meet, share and exchange their interests and thoughts without being constrained by a classic “presentation followed by a Q&A section”format. The idea is to become familiar with each other’s work, whether by discussing ideas about research topics, questions of theory and methodology, or reading pre-circulated articles, working papers or other texts that relate to the broad spectrum of “translations of migration.”
The “tiny desk conferences” will be kick-started by inviting a few selected scholars – who in turn are encouraged to invite other scholars into this ongoing discussion. The idea is to gradually grow and expand a research group that is interested in further exploring the various forms of translations of migration.