ETHNICITY, MIGRATION, NATIONALISM
Economic Migrants
from Central Asia
Workshop (St.Petersburg, 13 March 2008)
The primary goal of the workshop was to
represent and discuss the findings of the project "Economic Migrants from Central Asia:
Research of Transformation of Identity, Norms of Behaviour and Types of Social Networks."
Topical questions discussed were: migrants' networks and the principles of their formation
and functioning; migrants' economic strategies; discrimination of economic migrants;
repatriated migrants and their impact on a local (Uzbek) community; methodological
problems of labor migration studies. Researchers from St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, and
Pskov participated in the workshop.
Organization and financial support: CISR, the Open Society Institute (OSI).
2nd Workshop of FEMINORE Network - Feminine
Migration in Northern Europe
(St.šPetersburg, 11-14šMay 2006)
Organisers: Coordinating committee of thešFEMINORE
network and CISR.
Among thešparticipants of thešmeeting were scholars doing their research in thešfield of
female migration in Europe in general and in North-West of Europe in particular.
Participants from Russia, Sweden, Norway and Baltic states presented results of their
investigation. Apart ašworking meeting of thešcoordinating committee took place, where
thešperspectives of thešactivities of thešnetwork had been discussed. Thešnext meeting was
planned for beginning of 2007 in Stockholm.
Supported by thešNordic
Council of Ministers.
Racist Discource in Russian Education
Interdisciplinary workshop (St.šPetersburg, 10-11šApril 2004)
Organiser: CISR.
Thešmain subject of thešworkshop was thešcontribution of modern school and college
education to thešmodification of ideas and language, which form thešbasis for ethnic
discrimination. Particular attention was paid to thešsituation in Russia and thešsocial role of
thešhumanities (history, study of local lore, geography, etc.).
Supported by thešFord
Foundation.
National Minorities and Educational Policy in thešRussian
Federation
International workshop (St.šPetersburg, 26-27šSeptember 2003)
Organisers: CISR, University of Ghent (Belgium).
Thešseminar was thešrealisation of research conducted by thešUniversity of Ghent, which
was commissioned by thešFlemish Community in cooperation with thešCouncil of Europe.
In thešfirst phase of thešproject, thešaim was to gather objective information related to
thešdifficulties encountered by minorities wishing to receive education, and to
thešavailability of education in their native language. Special attention was paid to analysing
of thešactivities of thešinstitutions that address education and national minorities in
thešRussian Federation. Another research direction of thešwork was to study thešway in
which thešFramework Convention for thešProtection of National Minorities was and is being
implemented.
Supported by thešUniversity
of Ghent and thešJohnšD. and
CatherinešT. MacArthur Foundation.
Migration and thešNation State
International interdisciplinary workshop (St.šPetersburg, 19-20šMay 2002)
Organisers: CISR, Centre for German and
European Studies (ZDES, Bielefeld/St.šPetersburg).
Thešworkshop was designed to initiate anšexchange of ideas about productive theoretical
perspectives on international migration in modern nation states. Particular interest was
given to thešrole of migration politics and citizenship law in constructing international
migration in terms of political, social or ethnic problems. Participants were encouraged to
go beyond thešclassical standpoint of migration research, where national boundaries are
taken for granted. In contrast to aš"methodological nationalism", contributions to
thešworkshop conceptualised nation states not only as territorially bound sovereign political
units but mainly as symbolically and socially bounded political communities. Questions
included: How are thešsymbolic and social boundaries of theš"national" institutionalised in
thešadministrative and political forms of dealing with migration? In which ways do state
organised institutions, for example education or welfare systems, adopt and modify
strategies of national exclusion? What is thešimpact of political strategies of national
exclusion on thešformation, public representation and self-description of migrant
communities? How do migrants and migrations evade and resist state control and change
exclusionary migration politics? Anšopen atmosphere of discussion and theoretical and
empirical questions have encouraged thešparticipants to launch common research
projects.
Supported by ZDES.
Social Sciences, Racist Discourse and Discrimination
Practices
International workshop (St.šPetersburg, 1-2šDecember 2001)
Organisers: CISR, Center for thešDevelopment of
Democracy and Human Rights (Moscow) and International Historical-Enlightenment Human Rights and Humanitarian
Society "Memorial" (Moscow).
Approximately thirty researchers from Russia, Germany, Estonia, Latvia and Kazakhstan
participated in this workshop. Thešworkshop was aimed at initiating ašdiscussion on
thešrole of thešacademic community in opposing thešspread of racist ideas and
discrimination practices that target various categories of thešpopulation. Thešdiscussion
revolved around power and responsibility of scientists, adequate vs. inadequate ("politically
correct") terminology, and general strategies of opposing racism and discrimination.
Thešmain ideas of this discussion appear in thešbook, "Racism in
thešLanguage of Social Sciences" (Viktor Voronkov, Oksana Karpenko, Alexander
Osipovš(eds.). St.šPetersburg: Aletheia, 2002, 224šp.).
Supported by thešFord
Foundation.
Ethnicity and Economy in Post-Socialist Space
International workshop (St.šPetersburg, 9-12šSeptember 1999)
Organiser: CISR.
More than 30 scholars from Germany, Hungary, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Poland,
Russia (Irkutsk, Moscow, Pskov, St.šPetersburg, Ulan-Ude) and Slovakia participated.
Thešdiscussion was focused on thešproblems of methodology and thešresults of empirical
research connected with thešphenomenon of emerging ethnic economy in Eastern
Europe.
Supported by theš"East-East" Program of thešOpen Society Institute (Soros Foundation) and thešJohnšD. and CatherinešT.
MacArthur Foundation.
Establishment of thešInternational Refugee Documentary
Network (IRDN) in thešCommonwealth of Independent Countries
International workshop (St.šPetersburg, 24-27šJune 1996)
Organisers: CISR and Berliner Institut
fuer Vergleichende Sozialforschung (BIVS, Berlin Institute for Comparative Social
Research).
Besides thešparticipants from CISR and BIVS, thešworkshop was attended by project
participants from Armenia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, thešrepresentatives of thešUNHCR (thešUnited Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees), thešInternational Organization for Migration (IOM), TACIS, federal migration services, as well as thešrepresentatives of
non-governmental organisations of St.šPetersburg, Leningrad and neighbouring regions
who address thešproblems of refugees and displaced persons. During thešworkshop
thešTACIS project, "Establishment of thešInternational Refugee Documentary Network in
thešCommonwealth of Independent Countries" was presented. Thešparticipants discussed
thešchallenges inherent in realising thešproject and thešpossibilities for cooperation
amongst all organisations interested in similar goals.
Supported by thešTACIS Programme of thešEU.
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