Home

 "Migrating World": International Conference

on Migration, Identity and Belonging

5-6 July 2025 - London/Online

organised by

London Centre for Interdisciplinary Research

and

Academic LAB

“History in its broadest aspect is a record of man’s migrations from one environment to another.” –

Ellsworth Huntington

The concepts of migration, identity and belonging are increasingly central to understanding contemporary societies. As people move across borders — whether driven by conflict, economic opportunities, climate change or personal aspirations — migration becomes a transformative force that redefines notions of home, community and identity. This interdisciplinary conference invites scholars, researchers and practitioners from a wide range of fields to explore how migration shapes and reshapes cultural, social and individual identities and how it influences the construction of belonging in different contexts.

Migration is not just the movement of people; it is the movement of ideas, traditions, languages and practices that challenge and enrich the social worlds of host and origin communities. The conference seeks to engage with questions such as: How do migrants navigate and negotiate their identities in new cultural landscapes? How do societies respond to the influx of diverse communities? What role do memory, history and heritage play in the formation of diasporic identities? In a world increasingly marked by global interconnectedness and heightened border controls, how are concepts of inclusion, exclusion and belonging redefined?

We invite contributions from across disciplines, including but not limited to sociology, anthropology, history, cultural studies, political science, geography, psychology, literature, and media studies, to foster a dialogue on the complexities of migration and its impact on individual and collective identities.

Join us in examining how migration not only transforms individuals and communities but also compels us to rethink the boundaries of identity, citizenship and belonging.

Potential topics of interest include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Perspectives on Migration in Societies
  • Cultural Integration and Social Cohesion
  • The Role of Citizenship and National Identity in Integration
  • Transnationalism and Hybrid Identities
  • Generational Experiences of Migration: Children and Youth
  • The Politics of Memory and Belonging in Migrant Communities
  • Cultural Diversity and the Politics of Integration
  • Identity and Belonging in a Globalised World
  • Intergenerational and Intercultural Dialogue
  • Migration, Identity and the Environment
  • The Impact of Migration on Urban and Rural Spaces
  • Asylum policy and treatment of refugees
  • Asylum seekers, refugees, migrants – understanding immigration systems
  • Border services and management
  • Comparative migration policies
  • Migration and migration history
  • The importance of the linguistic integration of immigrants
  • Illegal migration and security threats
  • Migration and human rights
  • Human trafficking and exploitation
  • Policing ethnicity: between the rhetoric of inclusion and the practices and policies of exclusion
  • Sociology of migration: differences, inequalities and sociological imagination
  • Migration in Media and Arts
  • Migration in literature

We invite proposals from various disciplines including political science, sociology, economics, history, law, philosophy, anthropology, public administration, demography, social geography, literature, linguistics, etc.

Paper proposals up to 250 words and a brief biographical note should be sent by 31 March 2025 to: integration@lcir.co.uk

Please download Paper proposal form

Registration fee (online participation) – 90 GBP

Registration fee (physical participation) – 150 GBP

Provisional conference venue: Birkbeck, University of London