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PhD Summer School: “Between Centre and Peripheries: New Migration Landscapes, Methods and Challenges”

26 07 2023

PhD Summer School

“Between centre and peripheries: new migration landscapes, methods and challenges”

Warsaw, 11-13.09.2023

The University of Warsaw and the Migration Cluster Research Group invite PhD students in the field of Humanities and Social Sciences to apply for the three-day Summer School “Between centre and peripheries: new migration landscapes, methods and challenges”, which will take place in Warsaw from Monday, 11 September to Wednesday, 13 September 2023.

Summer School

The 2004 enlargement of the European Union followed by the accession of 10 new member states has integrated Poland, among others, more closely with the core of global capitalism. Free movement within the European Union made emigration easier than ever for Polish citizens. Estimates suggest that around 1.5 million Poles moved to other EU states in the first five years after accession. Accordingly, research on the changing processes of emigration from Poland has flourished in the last twenty years.

However, with the accession to the EU and significant economic development, with new job opportunities and a growing demand for labour, Poland and other countries in the region (such as the Czech Republic and Hungary) have become the immigration sub-centres of Europe, attracting immigrants mainly from countries outside the European Union. In recent years, we have witnessed an intensification of immigration flows, predominantly from selected countries of the former Soviet Union (Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia), but also from new spaces emerging in the migration landscape, such as India, Nepal, Bangladesh or the Philippines.

In addition, the current socio-political situation in Poland (which is inextricably linked to migration flows) on its eastern border – Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine and a large number of migrating refugees, as well as the ongoing humanitarian crisis on the border with Belarus – presents new challenges and dilemmas that require in-depth discussions, also among young researchers.

During the three days of Summer School, we would like to take a closer look at these changes and ongoing transformations of the migration landscape in Poland and its immediate neighbourhood. We intend to provide a space for in-depth discussions over the topics focused on (but not limited to):

  • new perspectives in research on migration to and from the region
  • changing trends, new migration infrastructures and trajectories
  • new methods applied in migration research, as well as the challenges and opportunities related to these methods
  • ethical issues, in particular (but not exclusively): researching vulnerable groups, conducting research in difficult terrain, using new technologies and conducting research in an international context
  • ethical dilemmas related to the publication of research results.

Programme*:

1. Seminars:

  • Seminar with Dr Bolaji Balogun (University of Sheffield – Problematising the category of race in migration research in the Polish context
  • Seminar with Prof. Anne White (University College London) – Poland as a country of immigration and emigration

2. Workshops:

  • Workshop with Dr Łukasz Szulc (University of Manchester) – Migration research in digital and social media
  • Workshop with Dr Helena Patzer (University of Warsaw) – The ethics of researching migration, refugeeness and mobility today – engagements, responsibilities, vulnerabilities.

Each seminar/workshop will last about 3 hours – so we can be sure that there will be enough time for discussion, questions, doubts and comments.

On the last day of the Summer School, participants will be invited to reflect on their own research in the context of the previous discussions and the issues raised during the Summer School. This will be the moment to share some more information about their PhD projects, to identify possible ways of applying the knowledge gained during the workshops in their individual doctoral research and to receive feedback from other participants and invited scholars.

There will be plenty of opportunities for networking during the event, including a film screening and a joint walk through Warsaw

Application

We invite PhD students at different stages of their training and from various disciplines who are currently working on their doctoral thesis on the topic of migration, broadly understood mobility or (im)mobilities.

In order to apply for the Summer School, please complete the questionnaire available at the link below:
https://bit.ly/450wiQj

In your application, please indicate the following:

  • A short bio (max. 200 words)
  • What makes you interested in participating in our Summer School? (max. 350 words)

The deadline for sending the applications is 13 August 2023. The accepted participants will be notified by 15 August 2023. Summer School will take place at the University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland on 11-13 September 2023. Participation in the School is free of charge.

Academic credit

For those interested, we can provide a certificate of participation.

If you have any questions regarding the application and/or the summer school, you can reach us by e-mail: migrations.phdschool@gmail.com

Scientific board:

Prof. Paweł Kaczmarczyk
Prof. Mikołaj Pawlak

Organizing committee:

Milena Błahuta
Aleksandra Szkudlarek
Olga Wanicka
Adam Suwiński

*Please note that the exact titles may be subject to change

Summer School is funded by the programme “Excellence Initiative: Research University”