CONFERENCE: THE IMPOSSIBLE ORDER

Berlin, Germany – The conference “The Impossible Order. Europe, Power, and the Search for a New Migration Regime,” brings together international migration researchers, journalists, historians, artists, activists, and students who discuss the European migration regime since 1989. The event is organized by the Centre for Contemporary History Potsdam (ZZF), supported by the Federal Agency for Civic Education, the Andrea von Braun Foundation, and Bard College Berlin. Cooperation partners are the American Academy in Berlin, the Berlin Wall Foundation, the Centre Marc Bloch, and the Institute for Migration and Intercultural Studies, Osnabrück. An exhibition of works by migrant and refugee students from Bard College Berlin and the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, as well as a theater performance will frame the discussions. The conference, the exhibition and the performance will take place at the Berlin Wall Memorial, from Thursday May 11 through Saturday May 13.

Regulating migration is a topic that is heavily debated in Europe at the time. However, the real question remains whether migration really can be regulated. Not only the most recent arrival of refugees but also intra-European labor migration or questions about successful integration and diversity evoke social change and conflict. Are we today standing at the dawn of a new epoch, in the middle of a continuing process or in front of a gigantic pile of debris? How can we historicize these search movements of the recent past and learn from them for the present? How have decisions and debates changed not only the migration processes but also Europe’s identity? “

Europe's history in the last three decades has been fundamentally shaped by migration and the attempts to regulate it,” said Dr. Frank Wolff, co-organizer of the event and historian at the Institute for Migration and Intercultural Studies, Osnabrück. “We are only now beginning to understand the influence of Europe on migration flows and how continued migration shapes our image of Europe. These reciprocal effects are a central theme of this conference.”

“We are excited about the widespread response we have already received, even in the preliminary stages of the conference,” said Dr. Marion Detjen, co-organizer of the conference and historian at the ZZF. “This certainly is linked to the fact that the wide range of questions that will be brought about during these discussions are not only deeply interdisciplinary but can, and should, be discussed from various perspectives.”

Featured on the list of speakers are Peter Gatrell, Dieter Gosewinkel, Bashshar Haydar, Sabine Hess, Sergey Lagodinsky, Bediz Yilmaz, Orwa Nyrabia, Maxi Obexer, Jochen Oltmer, Joseph Vogl, and others. Together they will seek to determine the consequences of the never-ending search for a “migration order.” A search that, because of different plans of action, power structures and interest of all involved, including institutions, politicians, academics, and migrants, is truly impossible to conclude. Migration always confirms the prevalent power structures as much as it challenges them. The dynamic caused by the tension between the political will to establish order and control on the one hand, and creative human action that disrupts such attempts on the other will play a central role in these discussions.

The conference will be held in English and German, with simultaneous translations. Please note that the event will be recorded audio-visually. The conference program is attached and further information can be found on www.zeitgeschichte-online.de/thema/internationalemigrationskonferenz.

Venue: Berlin Wall Memorial, Bernauer Strasse 119, 13355 Berlin

Times:
Thursday May 11, Keynote Speech at 7pm followed by a reception
Friday May 12, from 9 am to 9 pm
Saturday May 13, from 9am to 6pm

Contact:
+49 30 43733 118

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This event was last updated on 07-31-2018