CALL FOR PAPERS – EDITED BOOK : « MIGRATION, SPACE AND BORDERS IN THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN – A POST ARAB SPRING ASSESSMENT »
Editors: Hassan Bousetta – University of Liège (Ulg), Laure-Anne Bernes (Ulg), Caroline Zickgraf (Ulg)
Migration within the Western Mediterranean, particularly in the wake of the Arab Spring, comes as a hotly debated issue. The ripples of the initial protests in Tunisia have extended beyond the Arab world and have taken center stage in European-Mediterranean relations. The populations displaced by these uprisings have become one of the immediately visible and most discussed repercussions of the Arab Spring. Metaphors drawing on the maritime or martial lexical field saturate the media and political coverage of events, tending to distort views of the migratory phenomenon and blur its complex features. Some of the aims of this timely edited book are to look into the concerns raised by these events from the perspectives of borders, migration control and transit migration. In particular, it will seek to highlight the impact of the Arab Spring on migration, to address the complex nature of borders and their evolving relationship with control, and to take into account the multiplicity of actors involved in migration in the region. The editors hope to incorporate both theoretical and empirical works, as to present a holistic publication and a diversity of approaches.
The book would be placed in the migration studies realm and promoted both as a migration text but also as a contribution to regional studies of the Western Mediterranean. It will draw on previous contributions stemming from an international conference held in Brussels in November 2011, co-organized by the University of Liège (Ulg) and the Free University of Brussels (ULB). The editors welcome contributions to this edited volume from geographically-diverse scholars. Potential themes for submission: contemporary Mediterranean migration strategies (including, but not limited to, transit, circulatory and return migration); actors located at the intersection between mobility and borders; and border control as practice, policy, representation and discourse in the Mediterranean. We encourage interdisciplinary approaches to the topic including regional studies, border studies and migration studies.
Papers are accepted in English only and should maintain a high academic standard.
Abstracts (approximately 500 words) and author’s CV should be sent to :
laure-anne.bernes(at)ulg.ac.be; Caroline.Zickgraf(at)ulg.ac.be
Deadline for sending abstracts: August 15th, 2012
Laure-Anne Bernes & Caroline Zickgraf
Email: caroline.zickgraf(at)ulg.ac.be