Call for Papers: Europe divided? Perceptions of migrants in public discourses in sending and receiving countries
Migration has been a major social consequence of 1989 and is also one of the most controversial European topics. We propose to investigate the perception of migrants as manifest in discursive shifts. Before 1989 migrants from the East were received mostly sympathetically as political refugees in the West - although economic motives were often present too.
Conversely, in much of Central and Eastern Europe idealized
perceptions about life in the West existed. Since 1989 perceptions about
migration to the West have shifted - both in ending and receiving countries. To
stimulate debate, we raise the following questions:
- What might we gain by comparing public discourse on the (earlier) South-North migration with (later) East-West migration? Can we say something about similarities and differences?
- In how far is public discourse interrelated or disconnected if we were to observe the intersection of discourses, for example on skills shortage and labour markets, education and welfare, or freedom of movement and crime?
- What is the variance in public discourse in the sending countries? Does it vary systematically with membership or non-membership in the European Union? Are earlier historical divisions of relevance?
- At the European level: What can we say about the intersection of political, legal and economic discourse?
- Is the ethnic migration of millions of Germans from eastern Europe to Germany just a special case or does it have a broader significance for Europe?
- After 2004, particularly Britain and Ireland have received migrants in large numbers, but recently more EU countries have liberalized their labor markets: What has been the public discourse on the issue?
The long-term consequences of 1989 for Europe are still emerging and are, as
yet, not very well understood beyond the regional trajectories of the former
Eastern Europe. Our conjecture is that the transformative period from 1989 to
2004 has resulted in increasing levels of institutional integration across the
wider Europe (i.e. Council of Europe, European Higher Education Area, European
Union), but has also led to ideational divergence along regional lines that
seems to spring from the divided Europe as it existed in the early 1980s. We
surmise that while intra-European migration, especially education migration and
mobility of the highly skilled, has fostered structural integration, the public
discourses on the topic point to ideational divergence. What would be evidence
to support or refute this conjecture? This is an open call for expression of
interest to investigate this topic. Contributions from the social and political
sciences, law, economics, anthropology and history are welcome. The CfP is part
of a major conference project on the impact of the revolutions of 1989 in
Europe as well as part of a trans-national network of the post-1989 EastWest
generation. Publication is envisaged. Please send an expression of interest in
the form of an abstract with contact details by 24
September 2007 to Chris Armbruster, Executive Director, Research Network 1989 - chris.armbruster@eui.eu
September 2007 to Chris Armbruster, Executive Director, Research Network 1989 - chris.armbruster@eui.eu
14. 9. 07