Date: June 6-7 2008
Place: Cluj, Romania
Organisers: Center for the Study of Democracy, Babes-Bolyai
University, Romania
Topics:
The workshop seeks to address the role played by international labor
migration on political culture of the migrants, their family members
and other people from the sending societies.
Labor migration has been investigated mostly from the point of view of
economic outcomes. The remittances, developing trade networks and
learning new skills have been shown to have a profound impact on the
living standards of people in donor societies. There are good
theoretical reasons that in addition to these economic and social
aspects the effects of migration include significant changes in
cultural variables, including attitudes, values, networks and norms
that are relevant for democratic processes.
Various studies have indicated the existing potential for social
learning from migration, especially regarding assimilation processes
among recent émigrés within consolidated democracies. However, these
studies seldom detail the exact nature or mechanisms of such learning
and often produce mixed or contradictory results. When compared to
other instances of re-socialization labor migration seems as one of
the strong contenders. Compared to civic involvement, for instance,
the length of exposure to a new social context tends to be longer and
exposure to diversity of a higher intensity in the case of migration.
On the other hand, it is not entirely clear what kind of effects
should be expected, given the vast variety of experiences that
migrants can have. Some people who work abroad experience an
environment with people who interact with and rely on efficient public
institutions. Others, who face hostile authorities or unsympathetic
local population, find support for their negative stereotypes about
strangers and the inefficiencies of democratic decision-making. In
addition to interaction with people from the receiving countries,
group interaction with other migrants can have equally important
social learning effects. Finally, the critical mass of migrants from
the same country may reach a point where migrants operate in a
self-contained, largely exclusive community skeptical of others.
We are looking for papers that aim to evaluate the outcomes of labor
migration on attitudes and behaviors that are relevant for democratic
processes. What are the effects of the migration experience on
political involvement, social capital, tolerance, left-right
orientations, institutional trust, civic engagement and political
participation on those who work abroad or have returned from working
abroad? What are the indirect effects on their family members and
acquaintances? What are the conditions under which these effects are
positive for both the involved individual and his or her family or
community? What are the mechanisms through which migration influence
political learning? In particular, what is the role of exposure to
diversity?
These questions will be at the heart of the discussions during this
two-day international workshop in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The aim of
this workshop is to assemble an interdisciplinary group of scholars
working on migration issues as they relate to changing attitudes and
behaviors and share new research results. We welcome proposals from
all disciplines including political science, sociology, economics,
psychology, geography and anthropology.
The workshop aims to present both empirical research and theoretical
work. The working language is English.
Proposals should be sent, before March 30, 2008 to Gabriel Badescu, at
the Babes-Bolyai University (badescu@msu.edu). The final program will
be sent out before April 15, 2008.
For more information, please contact the local organizing committee:
Toma Burean, Carmen Greab
(Contact: tomaburean@democracycenter.ro)
