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The 3rd of ESREA Network On Migration, Ethnicity, Racism and Xenophobia Multiculturalism today: aspirations, realities and crisis

debates 13th 15th May 2014 University of Lower Silesia, Faculty of Education Wrocaw, Poland Conference information will be updated on our website: www.esrea.dsw.edu.pl
Conference theme and the announcement

The 3rd conference of the ESREA Migration, Ethnicity, Racism and Xenophobia Network Multiculturalism today: aspirations, realities and crisis debates Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Lower Silesia, Wrocaw, Poland 13th 15th May 2014 The current debates and concerns across Europe about multiculturalism are of particular relevance to adult educators and raise significant challenges. Posing questions concerning the current state of affairs requires consideration of a number of dimensions. Firstly, there is an objective fact of coexistence or mere contact between people from diverse countries, regions, ethnicities, cultural/religious traditions. This results from transnational migrations structured by coreperiphery relations, reflecting the logic of neoliberal global economy and politics, dynamics of social inequalities, polarization and tensions, transnational flows of information and ideas, as well as cultural hybridization. These continue to follow patterns of Western/Northern hegemony rather than offer more balanced and egalitarian multidirectional cultural exchange. Secondly, there is the question of how this coexistence-in-difference is organized through legal-institutional or policy means and how is it perceived, imagined, solidified and reproduced through education, media discourses and narratives in popular culture. Of equal importance seems the matter of how difference is practiced in less institutionalized daily contacts, such as community/neighbourhood relations, inter/intra-family experiences and personal interactions. Thirdly, there remains the issue of more systematic theoretical reflection on the very notion of multiculturalism and assessment of its usefulness to grasp these realities and provide viable descriptions, interpretations and explications of the contemporary processes. In this context, one cannot ignore voices, which by now have formed a discourse on the crisis of multiculturalism. This seemingly critical perspective has continued to gain certain media attention and academic prominence in discussions on immigration, integration and cultural diversity, on both left and right of the political spectrum, particularly in the aftermath of terrorist murders in Norway of July 2011, although in some countries the crisis of multiculturalism discourse was present long

before those events. At the same time the semantics of multiculturalism seems to fit interests of some players in neoliberal capitalism: cultural diversity can be commodified or used in corporate public relations strategies, while it may also serve well to cover structural socioeconomic problems linked to exploitation and deteriorating conditions of labour, class inequalities and poverty. The fourth aspect concerns reflection on practical challenges related to the recent growth in social and political tendencies closely related to this anti-multicultural backlash. Today critiques of multiculturalism often serve as a pretext for promoting authoritarian policies, violating human rights, disseminating new (or not so new) racist and xenophobic imagery in concealed forms that have replaced race with culture or civilization, and shifted from the race supremacy calls towards postulates based on alternative: either assimilation to dominant standards of majority or separation of cultures understood as their confinement in natural boundaries. Among examples in contemporary Europe we may mention wide-spread Islamophobia, intensification of antiSemitic tendencies, campaigns against immigrants as well as anti-Roma policies and violence in some countries. These tendencies interplay with ambivalent attitudes towards other issues, such as womens rights or emancipation of sexual minorities. The ever stronger presence of neo-Fascist parties all over Europe, from Greece to Scandinavia, with international links in other countries, pose a challenge to procedures and institutions of liberal democracy as well as to organizations and movements focused on human rights, tolerance and egalitarian developments towards society free of racism and other forms of chauvinism. As repressive immigration policies continue on local, state-national and international or transnational (especially the European Union) levels, anti-multicultural backlash finds home among not only parties and movements of the populist far right, but also among some centre-liberal or left-leaning political circles and sectors of public opinion. The purpose of the third conference of ESREA Migration, Ethnicity, Racism and Xenophobia Network is to examine the above issues with special focus on, but not limited to, the role of adult learning and education. We welcome academics, educators, civil society activists and others concerned with multiculturalism both as an aspect of contemporary globalized human condition as well as a discursive field. Scholarly research and theoretical reflections are invited from a range of areas including: media and politics, community and family, educational institutions and civil society groups and organizations countering racism and working towards integration, dialogue and social justice.We welcome papers approaching these issues from perspectives of theoretical debates, field research, teaching/learning experiences and other kinds of reflection and practice whether on local or national or transnational levels. We intend to pose questions around how this multicultural condition can be best understood, practiced and developed; what are the opportunities and aspirations, as well as the failures, dangers and traps in various ways of thinking on the subject and practice within this area; how various categories, such as gender, class, ethnicity, nationality, legal status, age, sexuality etc. intersect in discourses and debates on multiculturalism; how identity, difference and conflict can be best grasped to develop reliable ways of understanding the changing conditions and envision a more inclusive future for all. Call for Papers, Poster Session Proposals are invited for papers, poster sessions. Please submit abstracts in two separate files: one including the paper title, the name, address, e-mail of each author and information on whether it is a paper, poster session and the second one including the paper title and abstract. Abstracts should be one side of A4 maximum with Arial, 12 points. Please send your abstract in MS WORD format. Please submit your abstract to: rozalia.ligus@gmail.com All abstracts for papers, poster sessions to be submitted by Notification of acceptance will be by The deadline for the submission of completed papers will be 15th of November 2013 10th of January 2014 10th of March

Information for contributors of Abstracts/Papers: A paper is proposed and submitted in the form of an abstract by one person. Up to three other people can be named as co-authors in the abstract proposal. For each participant, a maximum of two such proposals may be submitted in which the person is named as an author or co-author. The abstract proposal must indicate which of the named authors will be presenting the paper. All those authors attending must register for the ESREA 2014 Conference Multiculturalism today: aspirations, realities and crisis debates

The author or one of the named co-authors is responsible for communicating with the ESREA Conference Organizers about the paper. The conference organizers will allocate a chairperson and a discussant for each paper. Accepted abstracts will be downloadable in PDF-format on the Conference website: www.esrea.dsw.edu.pl Bursaries and support to participating graduate students As a way to support PhD students participation in the conference, there will be three bursaries for this conference. The bursary is at the moment 300 Euros/person and should be used to cover parts of the costs for travel expenditures and/or accommodation during the conference/meeting. Applications should be submitted no later than 10th of March Applications or questions regarding the application procedure should be directed to the secretary of ESREA : Sofia Nystrm: sofia.nystrom@liu.se

Organizing committee (alphabetical order) Dr. Rozalia Ligus (Poland) Dr. Linda Morice (Great Britain) Dr. Angela Pilch Ortega (Austria) Univ.-Prof. Dr Annette Sprung (Austria) Univ.-Prof. Simon Warren (Great Britain) Scientific Committee Univ.-Prof. Simon Warren, University of Sheffield, Great Britain Univ.-Prof. Ewa Kurantowicz, University of Lower Silesia, Poland Univ.-Prof. Dr. Annette Sprung, University of Graz, Austria Dr. Linda Morice, University of Sussex, Great Britain Dr. Rozalia Ligus, University of Lower Silesia, Poland Dr. Marcin Gobniak, University of Lower Silesia, Poland Dr. Angela Pilch Ortega, University of Graz, Austria PhD, Marcin Starnawski, University of Lower Silesia, Poland Conference Team (alpahabetical order) Anna Bilon, PhD (Poland) Marcin Gobniak, dr (Poland) Micha Mielczarek, PhD (Poland) Monika Noworolnik-Mastalska PhD (Poland) Marcin Starnawski, PhD (Poland)

Organising Institutions ESREA (European Society for Research on the Education of Adults) www.esrea.org ESREA promotes and disseminates theoretical and empirical research on the education of adults and adult learning in Europe through research networks, conferences and publications. It provides a Europe-wide forum for all researchers engaged in adult education and learning. The research networks hold seminars for the exchange of research and discussion and to encourage publications. For further information about the conference please contact: Simon Warren: s.a.warren@sheffield.ac.uk; Linda Morrice: l.m.morrice@sussex.ac.uk

Conference registration Registration form please send by 31st October to: rozalia.ligus@gmail.com The registration form is available at www.esrea.dsw.edu.pl Conference fees (in Euros) Early bird fee: ESREA member: 120 euro Non-member: 150 euro PhD students: 80 Euro

Full fee: ESREA member: Non-member: PhD student:

150 euro 180 euro 100 euro

Payment by bank transfer to:


ESREA_MIGRATION 2014 IBAN: PL27 1090 2402 0000 0001 0092 50 IBAN BIC (SWIFT CODE): WBKPPLPP Bank Address: Bank Zachodni WBK SA, 13 Oddzia we Wrocawiu Ul. Strzegomska 46-56 University Address: Dolnoslaska Szkola Wyzsza, ul. Wagonowa 9, 53-609 Wroclaw, Poland

Those who register as a PhD student need to be able to show proof of their status as a PhD student. The conference fee includes participation in the entire program, a welcome reception, coffee breaks, one dinner and two lunches. Conference venue The conference will take place at University of Lower Silesia, Wrocaw, Poland which is located at Strzegomska 55 Street. More information is available at http://www.dsw.edu.pl/kontakt-z-uczelnia/mapa-kampusu/ Important dates Submission of Registration form: Deadline for submission of abstracts: Acceptance of abstracts will be confirmed Deadline for early bird registration - (a lower fee for registration) Final papers must be submitted Final deadline for registration and payment of the conference fee Date for the conference For more information: www.esrea.dsw.edu.pl 31st October, 2013 15th November 2013 10th January 2014 15th February 2014 10th March 2014 31st March 2014 13th-15th May, 2014

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