The workshop takes place at the Institute for Migration and Intercultural Studies (IMIS) at Osnabrück University, in Osnabrück (GER) on 26 and 27th November, 2026, and is organized by ›FuturMig‹ (Futures of Migration)
About the workshop
Despite the growing prominence of migration as a topic in politics, education, arts, and public debate, both scholarship and public discourse appear focused on how migration shapes societies and space in the present. Our international workshop shifts attention to the futures of migration and to questions of how, by whom and with what consequences these are envisioned.
Our point of departure is that futures are contingent of the past and present, and can be understood as product of ongoing negotiations. In the context of migration and futures, these negotiations carry sometimes conflicting visions of how migration shapes (or should shape) societies in the time to come. Some actors’ practices are explicitly future-oriented: educational institutions provide language courses, street-level bureaucrats shape access to resources, civic initiatives foster political participation and inclusion in post-migrant societies, and urban planners and policy makers shape where and how migranticized individuals live. Other actors influence migration futures more
indirectly through narratives and policies that define belonging and diversity. As researchers, we also shape how migration futures are imagined. Therefore, the workshop aims at a reflexive discussion of our own role in producing knowledges and imaginaries of futures shaped by migration.
Raising the question of how an alternative future-oriented migration research practice that seeks to challenge dominant, often Eurocentric paradigms might be concretely designed, the workshop brings together theoretical reflection and a critical examination of the participants’ own research practice. In doing so, it contributes to a broader debate that foregrounds not only the what and how of futures studies in migration research and its neighboring disciplines, but also their ethical and political implications.
This paves the way for an interdisciplinary dialogue that centers migration futures along three interconnected thematic lines:
- Epistemologies and ways of knowing, learning and teaching about migration and futures;
- Locally and spatially embedded perspectives on migration and futures; and
- Future-oriented practices and imaginaries of migrant communities.
We are particularly looking forward to contributions that aim to open new avenues for collaborative and future-oriented research on migration-related matters, and that address (but are not limited to) the following themes:
- Power dynamics in producing narratives and policies on migration futures
- Alternative frameworks that de-center dominant narratives on migration futures
- Collaborative practices of future-making for inclusive migration futures
- The role of context in shaping how migration futures are imagined
- Community engagement and (co-)production of migration futures in different settings
- The role of educators and institutions in shaping narratives and scenarios of migration futures
A collective publication that builds on the contributions presented at the workshop is planned. The conference will be held in person; remote participation options are available for those unable to attend on site. We may be able to provide financial assistance for travel and accommodation costs subject to availability of funding. To best support early career colleagues, however, we ask colleagues to inquire about funding possibilities at their home institutions before requesting travel funds from the organizers.
Submission Guidelines
If you are interested in submitting a paper (or other form of contribution) for the workshop, please send a max. 300 word abstract and a short bio to Norma Schemschat ( norma.schemschat@uni-osnabrueck.de) by July 1st. Acceptance will be sent by July 30th.
