CONFERENCE REPORT NOW AVAILABLE:
In April 2018, a
two-day international conference was held at Columbia University, hosted by the
Heyman Center for the Humanities. The event was made possible through co-sponsorship
by many units at Columbia University, including the Division of Humanities and
the Department of English and Comparative Literature, and other universities in
NYC (NYU-MCC and New School-Zolberg Institute) along with European partners.
The conference, entitled “Migration and Mobility in a Digital Age: Paradoxes of
Connectivity and Belonging,” brought together many international scholars who
have been working at the intersection of media and migration for many years
from an interdisciplinary and international perspective. The conference was
opened with words of welcome by the Dean of Humanities Sarah Cole. The organizer Sandra
Ponzanesi introduced the themes and goals of the conference and highlighted
the major strands of the seven panels and closing two keynote addresses. READ THE FULL REPORT HERE
VISIT THE CONFERENCE PHOTOGALLERY HERE
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Migration and Mobility in a Digital Age: Paradoxes of Connectivity and Belonging
VISIT THE CONFERENCE PHOTOGALLERY HERE
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Columbia University
The Heyman Center for the Humanities
Migration and Mobility in a Digital Age: Paradoxes of Connectivity and Belonging
Tuesday, April 10, 2018 - Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Organizer
Sandra Ponzanesi- Visiting Professor, Department of English and Comparative LiteratureColumbia University/Professor Gender and Postcolonial Studies, Utrecht University.
Keynote Speakers
Arjun Appadurai- Paulette Goddard Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication, New York University
Mirca Madianou
- Professor in the Department of Media and Communications Goldsmiths, University of London
The image of Syrian refugees with a smartphone shooting ‘selfies’
upon reaching dry land has captured the international imagination
(Chouliaraki, 2017; Kunstman, 2017; Risam, forthcoming 2018). It
suggests an image of the ‘connected migrant’ (Diminescu, 2008), which is
shaped by a profound ambivalence: migrants are expected to be people
fleeing from war, violence, and poverty; they are not expected to be
‘digital natives’, equipped with technologies to navigate their
difficult journeys. While smartphones are accessible, affordable, and
easy to use, in the realm of the public imaginary the image of the
disenfranchised and disconnected migrant remains that of the ‘have
nots’, and therefore subject to ‘high tech orientalism’ (Chun, 2006, p.
73). This posits the figuration of the migrant as outside the realm of
development and modern forms of communication, disenfranchised and
vulnerable in order to be worthy of international aid and pity
(Boltanski, 20000; Ticktin, 2008). And yet smartphones are ubiquitous,
and migrants have been early adopters and heavy users of technologies
for the simple reason that these technologies are ingrained in their
daily practices and everyday lives, which often involve perilous
crossings but also the need to keep in touch with the home front and
their diasporic communities. The promise of connectivity that is
guaranteed even under duress becomes fraught with the profound
disconnection brought about by the disciplining gaze of Western media
and publics.
It is, therefore, crucial to focus on the specific way in which digital technologies bridge or magnify the gap in migration between geographical distance and digital proximity. How are affect, intimacy, and belonging negotiated online in the face of forced migration and expulsions (Sassen, 2012) but also of circular migration, expatriation, and transnational movements?
This conference aims to cover a broad range of conflict-related issues on migration in a digital age. Using the latest insights from a range of interdisciplinary fields, it will explore theories of displacement such as diaspora, cosmopolitanism, and nomadism, and the transformations brought about by the digital revolution, through the analysis of virtual communities, social media platforms, and digital activism. It will also focus on media production and the regulation of information on forced migrants in a ‘post-truth’ era: fake news; the humanitarianism-securitization nexus, migration management, social and political conflicts related to migrant and diaspora communities, radicalization and online counter-terrorism, hate speech and racism, but also solidarities, activism, and protest.
For more info e-mail Sandra Ponzanesi: sp3630@columbia.edu
Or follow the link updates on the programme and schedule:
http://heymancenter.org/events/migration-in-a-digital-age-paradoxes-of-connectivity-and-belonging/
The conference is a collaboration between Columbia University, Heyman Center for the Humanities, and the ERC project ConnectingEurope and other co-sponsors (Columbia University, Division of Humanities, New York University, The New School, IRWGS, Council for European Studies etc..)
It is, therefore, crucial to focus on the specific way in which digital technologies bridge or magnify the gap in migration between geographical distance and digital proximity. How are affect, intimacy, and belonging negotiated online in the face of forced migration and expulsions (Sassen, 2012) but also of circular migration, expatriation, and transnational movements?
This conference aims to cover a broad range of conflict-related issues on migration in a digital age. Using the latest insights from a range of interdisciplinary fields, it will explore theories of displacement such as diaspora, cosmopolitanism, and nomadism, and the transformations brought about by the digital revolution, through the analysis of virtual communities, social media platforms, and digital activism. It will also focus on media production and the regulation of information on forced migrants in a ‘post-truth’ era: fake news; the humanitarianism-securitization nexus, migration management, social and political conflicts related to migrant and diaspora communities, radicalization and online counter-terrorism, hate speech and racism, but also solidarities, activism, and protest.
For more info e-mail Sandra Ponzanesi: sp3630@columbia.edu
Or follow the link updates on the programme and schedule:
http://heymancenter.org/events/migration-in-a-digital-age-paradoxes-of-connectivity-and-belonging/
The conference is a collaboration between Columbia University, Heyman Center for the Humanities, and the ERC project ConnectingEurope and other co-sponsors (Columbia University, Division of Humanities, New York University, The New School, IRWGS, Council for European Studies etc..)
