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The fifth CODESRIA/SEPHIS Extended Workshop on New Theories and Methods in Social History that will be held in Dakar, Senegal, has been postponed to 3-21 March 2008.

CODESRIA - SEPHIS Collaborative Programme: Extended Workshop on Social History

Theme: Historicizing Migrations Venue: Dakar, Senegal Date: 3-21 March, 2008

The fifth CODESRIA/SEPHIS Extended Workshop on New Theories and Methods in Social History that will be held in Dakar, Senegal, has been postponed to 3-21 March 2008. The theme for the session is: Historicizing Migrations. The Workshop will be organised around the comparative experiences of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean andLatin America; it will bring together about 15 young historians for three weeks of joint reflection, knowledge building and training. The participants will follow a programme designed to permit them to share experiences, improve the theoretical and methodological quality of their work, and deepen their comparative insights.

Theme and Content of the Workshop Migration constitutes an old reality that is an integral part of human history. In recent years, it has become an expanding field of scholarly enquiry and policy analysis. However, it has rarely been adequately contextualized and conceptualized. While it is true that migration is a growing phenomenon that is also anchored deep in history, it is not very often understood longitudinally as a central element in the recomposition of human society. In this regard, the objective of the fifth Workshop is to propose a more historically-grounded, comparative and all-encompassing analysis of migration issues with a view to promoting reflections on the origins, direction, and long-term consequences of the different aspects of migratory movements taking place. Voluntary or forced displacements of peoples have an impact on the countries of origin, transit and destination. These movements, which have increased considerably because of economic and technological developments, generate various forms of adaptation to new economic, political and socio-cultural environments, including relations that are forged with the existing populations. Participants in the Workshop will be invited to analyse the different economic, political and social impacts of migratory flows. They will also be encouraged to examine neglected issues such as the religious practices of the migrants (Islam, Judaism, Christianism, Pentecostals and indigenous Churches etc.) and how they contribute to the construction of group identities. In addition, they will be supported to pay attention to the ways in which migration experiences are structured according to gender, given that immigration policies often differ according to gender. Specifically, the question of how migrations affect the ways in which gender relations are defined and played out in the society of origin as well as in the host communities will be covered both as independent concerns in their own right and as they pertain to the construction of new identities and the production of new citizenships. Furthermore, in a context where immigration is often considered as a source of conflicts between sections of the residents of the host countries and migrant communities, the workshop will examine the dynamics of the conflicts associated with voluntary or involuntary displacements. Various dimensions of migrations - such as clandestine immigration, human trafficking, and smuggling - and their impacts - such as the emergence of new forms of hybrid identities, the development of transnational networks and social spaces, and the emergence of Diasporas - will be analyzed. The Workshop will explore migrations as movements defying national boundaries and existing concepts of borders and the nation-state, challenging the theory and practice of democracy, and questioning the foreigner/citizen duality.

Among the sub-themes around which reflections will be organised are:

* Conceptualizations and Patterns of Migration;
* Migration Processes and Migrant Identities;
* Migrant Social Movements;
* Migration, Conflicts and Human rights;
* Migration, Ethnicity and Religion;
* Gendering Migration;
* Borders, Transnationalism and Security/Insecurity issues;
* Diasporas and New Forms of Migrant Identities; and
* Migration and New Forms of Citizenship.

Theoretical and empirically-grounded studies on each of these sub-themes will be encouraged in order to promote debate on recent methodological and theoretical developments in Social History as they bear on migration. To this end, participants will be encouraged to carry out their reflections in a comparative perspective. Participants will also be offered practical support in sharpening their skills on how to write an article, plan a research project, and submit a research proposal for funding. The discussions will be linked to the research interests of the participants and the progress of their work.

The Workshop will be led by a convenor who is a senior researcher with an established reputation in the field of migration studies and Social History. S/he will be responsible for the overall academic content of the workshop. Four main resource persons from various parts of the South will give multiple lectures and facilitate discussion and/or conduct seminars on different questions pertaining to the latest developments in Social History in their respective areas of competence. Several other historians from the host country will be invited to offer single lectures. The Workshop will be conducted in English.

Accommodation and Excursions The workshop will be held in Dakar, Senegal. CODESRIA will provide a stimulating and pleasant environment within which participants can work. The Council will also cover the air travel, accommodation, and local transport expenses of the participants. Furthermore, a subsistence allowance to cover living expenses will be provided. Local excursions will be organised for the laureates in order to make their stay as interesting as possible.

Eligibility and Applications procedures I. Convener CODESRIA appoints an external scholar as the Convener of the Workshop in order to assure the quality of the scientific leadership of the programme. Conveners are senior scholars known for their expertise in the theme of the Workshop and for the originality of their thinking on it. The Workshop Convener will be compensated for a six-month period, enabling him/her to prepare a full programme for the three-week period. The Convener is responsible for all the scientific aspects of the sessions. To this effect, the Convener, with the collaboration of CODESRIA and SEPHIS, will:

1. Help identify resource persons;
2. Participate in the selection of the laureates;
3. Prepare a detailed programme for the three-week duration of the workshop, in collaboration with the Workshop Coordinator;
4. Ensure that a course outline is prepared by the resource persons, in cooperation with CODESRIA;
5. Participate in the development of a bibliography for the workshop, in collaboration with the Workshop Coordinator and the CODESRIA Librarian;
6. Give lectures/seminars which relate to theoretical and methodological approaches in Social History;
7. Give lectures on how to write a research proposal / a book review;
8. Review and make comments on students' individual research proposals and/or research paper; and
9. Produce a final evaluation report of the workshop.

Applicants for the position of Course Convener should submit:

1. An application letter;
2. A curriculum vitae; and
3. A two-page proposal, indicating the course outline and showing in what ways the course would be original or responsive to the needs of prospective laureates, specifically focusing on the issues to be covered in each sub-theme.

CODESRIA will provide the Convener with a return ticket from her/his place of residence to Dakar. Accommodation in Dakar during this period will also be taken care of by CODESRIA. An honorarium will be paid to compensate the Convenor for his/her professional time.

II. Resource Persons The resource persons will participate in the workshop as specially invited experts who will be expected to give intensive three-day courses on the latest developments in Migration History in their respective areas. Lectures in the sessions of the workshop are not introductory courses, but think-pieces that are meant to help advance the reflections of participants on the Workshop theme, and on their own specific research topics. Resource persons are, therefore, senior scholars or scholars in their mid-career who have published extensively on the Workshop theme, and who have a significant contribution to make to the debates on it. Once selected, resource persons must:

1. Submit a copy of their lectures for reproduction and distribution to participants not later than two weeks before the lecture begins;
2. Identify tasks for seminars in advance and take responsibility for conducting the seminar; and
3. Deliver their lectures, participate in debates and comment on students' research proposals.

CODESRIA shall provide to the resource persons an economy class return ticket from their place of residence to Dakar. They will also be paid an honorarium for their services. Furthermore, CODESRIA will provide them with a daily per diem to cover their accommodation, food and travel expenses.

Applications for the position of a resource person should include:

1. An application letter;
2. A curriculum vitae; and
3. A one-page abstract of their proposed lectures.

The deadline for the submission of applications (to be written in English) is 10 December, 2007 for the position of convener or resource persons.

III. Laureates The workshop is open to PhD students registered in Southern universities, i.e., Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Applications should include the following:

1) A Curriculum Vitae (maximum of two pages);
2) A letter certifying that the candidate is enrolled in a PhD programme at a university in the South;
3) A research proposal outlining the candidate's current research project, including the methodology that is being employed or considered (at most four pages);
4) A sample of the applicant's work (a draft paper, a draft research proposal or a draft thesis chapter); and
5) A letter from the thesis supervisor indicating why this workshop will be of importance to the applicant.

Applications must be written in English. The deadline for the submission of applications is 10 December, 2007 for the position of laureates. An international scientific committee will examine the dossiers of all candidates by 10 January, 2008. Successful applicants will be notified immediately after the completion of the selection process. Incomplete and unnecessarily lengthy applications will not be taken into consideration. All faxed and e-mailed applications must also be accompanied by a hard copy original version sent by post if they are to be considered. Additional information about the Extended Workshop can be obtained via:

- the CODESRIA web site: http://www.codesria.org
- the SEPHIS web site: http://www.sephis.org All applications or requests for more information should be addressed to:

"Extended workshop on Social History" Programme CODESRIA/SEPHIS Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop, angle Canal IV B.P. 3304, Dakar, Senegal Fax: (221) 33 824 12 89 - Tel.: (221) 33 825 98 22/23 E-Mail: [email][email protected]