We hereby present the 7th Congress on International Migration in Spain, which will be held in Bilbao on April 11, 12 and 13, 2012. On this occasion Basque Country University- Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea will head the organization with the special cooperation of Ikuspegi-Immigration.
The purpose of this Congress is to carry on an initiative that took place for the first time in Madrid in 1997. Aware of the importance that international migration was attaining in our country, the Ortega y Gasset University Institute organized a meeting of scientists, academics and specialists in the field of international migration with the purpose of compiling the knowledge and experience that had been obtained thus far. The experience was so positive that it was decided to continue and reinforce the meetings in the form of scientific Congresses on the subject. As such, as of today the following Congresses on Migration have been held in Spain:
1997. Madrid. Ortega y Gasset University Institute. October 16-18
2000. Madrid. University Institute of Migration Studies Ortega y Gasset “Univ.” Inst. October 5-7
2002. Granada. Intercultural Studies Laboratory. Univ. Granada. November 6-9
2004. Girona. UdG, UAB and UPF. November 10-13. Citizenship and participation
2007. Valencia. University of Valencia and CEIM. March 21-24. Migration and human development
2009. A Coruña. ESOMI. University of A Coruña. September 17-19
These congresses have already become an academic, social and political point of reference, even reaching beyond Spanish borders.
With the organization of the seventh congress in Bilbao, we wish to uphold the primary objectives of previous congresses, as well as to highlight the most recent changes. We also seek to incorporate certain innovative aspects and/or accept others that are taking shape in the study and address if international migration and its social implications. In this sense, we can cite three relevant aspects that, although in some respect have always been present at all previous Congresses, we wish to lend particular importance.
1.- The opening of the Congress to researchers and experts from beyond our borders, according to the very nature of the phenomenon on which we focus our attention and without any requirement other than it center its focus on the phenomenon of international migration as it relates to Spain, as a country of origin, reception or transit in different migratory systems and in accordance with the different modern currents of human mobility.
2.- The opening of the Congress to other professionals associated with international migration and its social implications, such as associations, NGOs, politicians, officials, syndicalists, religious groups and any kind of institution that works in this area in one way or another. We realize that understanding this phenomenon is not possible without the knowledge and experience of those who work with leading people or are associated with them.
3.- Opening of new formats that focus on migration and migrants in their methods of understanding, observing and expressing themselves. We are referring to several overlaps between art and migration: cinema, painting, literature, games, concerts, etc… We wish to provide space for, according to the possible subjects, different methods of expression on the migratory world beyond the traditional scientific-academic approach.
The general objective of the Congress is to provide an interdisciplinary and multisectorial space for meeting, exchanging focuses and perspectives, dialogues and debates between the different agents, actors and leaders that deal with, in one way or another, knowledge, interpretation and administration of modern, international migratory processes. Specifically, the goal is to stress following aspects, as they are described below:
Internationalizing the meeting, making the attendance and participation of people from geographic areas other than Spain possible, given the transnational nature of the very phenomenon with which we are concerned.
Multidisciplinary representation, making attendance and participation possible for all academic fields that deal with knowledge of the modern migratory phenomenon.
Multisectorial representation. As we are aware of the fact that knowledge has no meaning by itself, but rather through social impact, the Congress also makes it possible for different sectors addressing all aspects of migratory phenomena to meet: academics, politics and society. In this sense, it favors the presence and participation of representatives of Public Administration, politics and different organized forms of civil society (NGOs and migrant associations, mainly).
Opening to different forms of expression, with the intention of providing space for cultural and artistic manifestations that use migration and migrants as a point of reference, in order to approach the phenomenon from different ways of seeing, feeling and expressing.
As a specific goal, the Congress intends to provide an opportunity to exhibit different focuses that exist with regard to social change that current migratory movements are producing on a global level; specifically, we are referring to the growing socio-cultural plurality of contemporary societies and to the corresponding decrease in homogeneity to which traditional Nation States were accustomed. In this sense, the growing socio-cultural diversity of politically organized societies generates tension that is necessary for correct administration. Even if the Congress focuses on this topic, it will not exclude other interesting contributions relating to international migratory movements; projects that will be especially welcomed are those which give way to an advancement in the method of addressing older topics and/or advancement with regard to the perception of future problematics.
