CfP Panel 'Exploring Narratives of Migration through Visual Approaches', 2025 ECPR General Conference

CfP Panel 'Exploring Narratives of Migration through Visual Approaches', 2025 ECPR General Conference, 26 – 29 August, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Section S30: International Migration: Policies and Practices

Panel description:

In the face of global turbulence and the resulting rise in human (im)mobility, it is

vital to explore innovative and multidisciplinary approaches to understanding and

addressing the challenges faced by those who have experienced it. Transcending distinctions such as

forced/voluntary, legal/irregular, and internal/external migration, this panel seeks to explore

how visual approaches can be utilized to unpack narratives of migration and empower

marginalized individuals and communities to claim their political rights from the bottom

up. By centering the experiences and voices of those who directly experienced migration, we

aim to challenge dominant discourses and amplify alternative narratives of longing,

belonging, safety, and agency. Topics may include:

1. The role of visual methods in understanding and representing the experiences of individuals and

communities who have faced displacement, exile, (im)mobility, etc.;

2. Researcher positionality and reflexivity in visual approaches, their implications for

knowledge production and ethical engagement;

3. Collaborative and participatory approaches to visual storytelling with migrants, including

displaced communities;

4. The role of visual methods in challenging populist and nationalist discourses and

reshaping public discourse on migration and minority rights;

5. Ethical considerations in using visual methods within migration research. 

We welcome contributions from researchers, artists, activists, and practitioners working at

the intersection of borders, migration, peace and conflict, and visual and film studies. We

encourage diverse perspectives and methodologies, including academic presentations,

visual exhibitions, film screenings, and interactive engagements.

Please submit your abstract (up to 250 words) via email to panel chair Gintare Kudzmaite (gintare.kudzmaite@tuni.fi) by 27 December 2024.