Events

This workshop is jointly organized by Asia Research Institute, the Migration Cluster of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore, and Humboldt University of Berlin.

In recent years the impact (new) migrants make on the multicultural and multiracial dimensions of cities in Europe and Asia has featured prominently on the research agenda. While this has led to an efflorescence of highly insightful publications little effort has been made to develop a collaborative perspective. The East-West divide, in that sense, sees itself replicated in research agendas which all too easily agree on ‘difference’ and ‘otherness’. With this workshop we wish to argue differently. Its main goal is to bring together researchers from two prominent universities, one located in the East (National University of Singapore) and one in the West (Humboldt University) and to have them enter into dialogue about what we can learn from each other’s findings. The focus will be on ‘migrant encounters’, especially where it concerns new or recent migrants and their arrival and subsequent integration into cities. How do migrants encounter each other and the local population in Eastern and Western contexts? How do these encounters take shape and what direction do they take? What can be learned from these encounters with respect to the development of the study of migration in Asia and Europe?

This half-day NUS-Humboldt Joint Workshop is a first step in a longer-term commitment to develop an integrated perspective on what Asian and European studies of migration can learn from each other and how they can benefit from each other. The workshop will be followed by an international conference in Berlin hosted by the Humboldt University in May 2016.

The following questions will frame the workshop:

• How do migrant encounters take shape in European and Asian contexts?
• What synergy, overlap and difference exist in the way public discourse engages with questions of migration, encounters and diversity?
• What conceptual, theoretical differences exist between Asian and European approaches to migration?

REGISTRATION

Admission is free, and seats are available on a first come, first served basis. We would greatly appreciate if you register your interest in attending to Ms Tay Minghua via email: minghua.tay@nus.edu.sg.

CONTACT DETAILS

Workshop Convenors

Dr Michiel BAAS
Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore
E | arimba@nus.edu.sg

Prof Brenda S.A. YEOH
Asia Research Institute, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences,
and Department of Geography, National University of Singapore
E | geoysa@nus.edu.sg

Secretariat

Ms TAY Minghua
Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore
E | minghua.tay@nus.edu.sg