Events

Jointly organized by the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore and the International Panel on Migration,

CHAIRPERSON

Prof Brenda S.A. Yeoh, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore

PROGRAMME

ABSTRACT

This panel, “Rethinking Migration and Social Inclusion in Asia”, kicks off the International Panel on Migration’s (IPM) programme of work. Comprising a global network of migration researchers, the IPM conducts evidence-based analysis and provides rigorous, independent scientific assessments on migration and displacement to inform policymakers, the media, and the public.

Jointly organised by the Asia Research Institute and the IPM, this panel addresses one of the most pressing challenges in migration and society today: how to conceptualise and advance social inclusion amid continued immigration and the maturation of settled migrant populations into second- and later-generation cohorts. Social inclusion has become a central policy goal across Asia, yet it also carries a “Janus-faced” quality: it can enable meaningful participation, recognition, and belonging, or it can operate as a mechanism that reinforces dominant norms and social hierarchies, depending on the political framework in which it is pursued.

This ambiguity is sharpened by migration dynamics specific to Asia, particularly where economic inequalities compound social distance between migrants and host communities. The panel will critically reassess dominant frameworks of social inclusion in light of Asia’s temporary, circular, and multi-generational migration systems. It will examine how policies and institutions can promote migrants’ access to rights, opportunities, participation, and recognition, while identifying interventions that foster constructive relationships between new and settled migrants and host societies.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Gracia Liu-Farrer is Professor of Sociology at Waseda University’s Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies and Director of its Institute of Asian Migration. Holding a PhD in Sociology from the University of Chicago, her research focuses on international migration, social inequality, race and ethnicity, citizenship, and the evolving experiences of migrants in Japan and across Asia.

Laavanya Kathiravelu is Associate Professor at Nanyang Technological University and a professor at the University of Oslo. She is a sociologist whose research examines international migration, race and ethnicity, citizenship, and urban diversity, with a focus on Asia and the Persian Gulf.

Tianlong You is Associate Professor at Sun Yat-sen University. An immigration sociologist, his research explores migration, borders, transnational connections, and immigrant entrepreneurship, particularly in emerging economic hubs and the digital economy.