Paper abstracts are invited for a proposed panel at the IMISCOE Annual Conference 2027, which will be held under the theme “Human Rights and Global Equity.” The proposed panel will focus on new research examining how individuals and communities make decisions about migration and immobility.
The IMISCOE Annual Conference 2027 is scheduled to take place from July 6 to 9, 2027, in Brussels, Belgium. The deadline for submitting abstracts for the proposed panel is September 23, 2026.
About the Panel
The proposed panel is titled “Deciding to Move, Deciding to Stay: New Research on (Non)Migration Decision-Making.” It seeks innovative theoretical, conceptual, methodological and empirical research examining the processes through which people decide whether to migrate, remain in place or potentially return.
The panel approaches migration decision-making as a dynamic, temporal and relational process rather than as a straightforward or linear choice. Contributions may examine how aspirations, structural conditions, uncertainty, emotions, family and social relationships, opportunities, risks and institutional environments influence decisions concerning migration and immobility.
Themes for Submission
Contributions may explore a range of questions concerning migration and non-migration decision-making. The organisers particularly welcome research on ambivalence and contradictory aspirations, including conflicting desires, emotions, uncertainty, discrimination, insecurity and the effects of restrictive migration policies.
Research may also examine the movement from migration aspirations to actual decisions, including how aspirations to migrate or remain develop and change over time. Another area of interest is the relationship between capabilities and mobility, including capabilities to stay, migrate and return and the factors influencing the translation of migration aspirations into actual mobility.
The panel also welcomes research on migration regimes and decision-making, particularly how legal and institutional frameworks shape aspirations, expectations, perceptions of risk and future imaginaries.
Contributions connecting migration and immobility decision-making with human rights, social justice, political values and global equity are also encouraged. The organisers particularly welcome interdisciplinary and geographically diverse perspectives that connect migration decision-making with broader debates on inequality, rights and global equity.
Submission Requirements
Interested researchers are required to submit an abstract of no more than 250 words.
The submission should include the title of the paper, author or authors, institutional affiliations, correspondence email addresses and the abstract.
The proposed panel will be held in person in Brussels. Contributors should therefore confirm that they plan to attend the conference in person if their paper is selected for the panel proposal.
Important Dates
The deadline for submitting abstracts is September 23, 2026. Selected contributors are expected to be notified on September 25, 2026.
The panel proposal will subsequently be submitted to IMISCOE on September 28, 2026. The IMISCOE Annual Conference 2027 will take place from July 6 to 9, 2027, in Brussels, Belgium.
Selection for the proposed panel does not guarantee final acceptance at the IMISCOE Annual Conference, as the complete panel proposal will subsequently undergo the conference’s review process.
Panel Organizers
The proposed panel is organised by Naiara Rodríguez-Peña, University of Deusto / University for Continuing Education Krems, and Josef Neubauer, University for Continuing Education Krems.
The call may be relevant to researchers and scholars working in migration studies, human rights, international law, social justice, mobility studies, political science, sociology and related interdisciplinary fields.
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