Conference Theme: Migrants at the Margins: Roots, Routes, Belonging, and Language
Contemporary migration is a phenomenon shaped by histories of displacement, changing work opportunities, geopolitical shifts, global inequalities, and the climate emergency. As people migrate, they navigate new social, cultural, political, and linguistic terrains. A large proportion of people who migrate for better opportunities elsewhere tend to be at the mercy of forces of power both at the origin and in the destination. In the process, their identities are reshaped across roots (heritage and origin), routes (journeys, mobilities, border crossings), belonging (integration, exclusion), and language (communication, identity, power, survival).
This conference places special attention on migrants situated at the margins. It seeks to illuminate the complex linguistic, cultural, and social experiences of migrant individuals and communities whose voices often remain unheard in dominant narratives. We welcome contributions that engage with the intersections of migration and language from diverse theoretical, methodological, creative, and community-based lenses.
We welcome proposals for paper presentations, panels, workshops, and creative formats that engage with the following (but not limited to) sub-themes:
Roots: Histories, Heritage, and Language Maintenance
Heritage language preservation and intergenerational transmission
Narratives of homeland, displacement, and ancestral ties
Linguistic revitalization among migrant or diasporic communities
Linguistic traces in Migration Histories
Routes: Journeys, Transits, and Mobilities
Language use in transit, borderlands, and temporary settlements
Communication challenges in mobility
Linguistic landscapes across migratory routes
New mobilities in digital migration and transnational networks
Belonging: Identity, Integration, and Exclusion
Language policies and migrant inclusion/exclusion
Accent discrimination and linguistic prejudice
Language learning and social integration in migration contexts
Multilingualism and translingual practices in diaspora
Language: Power, Agency, and Negotiation
Language as a tool for advocacy and resistance
Linguistic exploitation and rights in
Disaster communication and forced migration
Theories, methods, and innovations in migration linguistics
Migrant storytelling, performance, and language in the arts
