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Engaging migration: Community and collaboration in restrictive times

The 23rd Nordic Migration Research (NMR) conference will take place in-person at the Södertörn University, Sweden on 12-14 August 2026.

The 23rd Nordic Migration Research conference explores the opportunities and obstacles for multicultural society by highlighting how communities, authorities and civil society intersect in local everyday life: How are the rights and experiences of migrants and minorities shaped, and what social, cultural and political factors influence their living conditions? The theme highlights both barriers and possibilities for collaboration, resilience, and social justice in an era of increasing restriction.

Over the past decades, migration and diversity have become highly contested across Europe and the Nordic countries. Restrictive policies, narrowing definitions of national identity, and hostile public debates have profoundly affected the lives of migrants and minorities and the communities they live in. States have tightened access to legal residence and migrants have been increasingly framed as economic burdens and threats to security and cohesion in public discourse. In this context, cultural symbols and social values are used to determine who belongs, or not, by using negative perceptions of migrants and refugees, albeit shrouded in obscurity and misrepresentation through terms such as second-generation immigrants, foreign background and ‘disadvantaged’ areas. Yet these legal and discursive changes are themselves contested. Local and migrant communities, families, and organisations continue to create new spaces of solidarity, participation, and belonging.

Call for papers

This conference welcomes contributions that address these dynamics from multiple perspectives, disciplines, and methodologies. We invite research that examines migrants, minorities, and refugees not only as objects of policy but as active participants who build communities, challenge exclusions, and contribute to social change. We are especially interested in work that sheds light on how collaboration takes shape across different scales – local, national, transnational – and diverse actors, from schools and neighborhood associations to digital networks, workplaces, and welfare institutions.

Submit your abstract via this form. Länk till annan webbplats.

IMER-förbundet, Junior Scholars' Network
Florenica Fernandez (Malmö University), florencia.fernandez@mau.se

Co-convenors: Joel Persson (Umeå University) Shahab Mirbabaei (Karlstad University)

This workshop brings together junior migration scholars from the Nordic region to critically reflect on the challenges of conducting research in an era of increasingly restrictive migration policies. Recent governmental measures—such as return migration initiatives, the establishment of a link between migration and gang-related crime, and proposals to lower the age of criminal responsibility—shape both public discourse and research conditions.

Through small-group and plenary discussions, participants will explore three key questions: How does the current political climate influence research agendas, interests, and opportunities? How can scholars collaborate to navigate emerging constraints? And what strategies can sustain critical perspectives within migration research? By fostering dialogue and mutual support, the workshop aims to strengthen scholarly networks in the face of shifting political landscapes.

The workshop on the 11th starts at 16:30, and from 18:00 there will be a pizza-night – you can sign up for this when you register for the conference.

  • Transnational networks and local collaborations
  • Local, active resistance to mainstream culture among migrated children and youth
  • Labour market participation and community organising
  • The multicultural school as a hub in the local community
  • Housing and neighbourhood change
  • Civil society, religious and immigrant centres as actors in the local community
  • Street level collaboration with and between local communities, authorities and civil society
  • Rural spaces of inclusion
  • Local collaboration between community police, schools and social workers
  • Historical and contemporary struggles for the rights of national minorities
  • The creation and use of minorities own media channels, in a local or wider context
  • Links between local communities and welfare institutions
  • Collaboration between local communities and (widened) families
  • Unlearning colonial oppression and learning collaboration in local communities
  • Climate change and migration-related community responses

Presentation types besides invited keynote speakers:

  • Poster
  • Paper

Abstract should be 300-500 words and should include research topic/aim, theoretical framework, methodology/research design, expected results/findings and relevance to Nordic Migration Research.

Timeline

December 15th 2025 - Deadline to submit panel abstracts.
April 15th 2026 - Extended deadline to April 24th to submit paper abstracts, via this link Länk till annan webbplats, öppnas i nytt fönster..
May 17th 2026 - Final decisions on papers.
June 8th 2026 - Deadline for registration.

Conference fee: 300 Euro (PhD-students 250 Euro).

Contact: nmr2026@sh.se.