Message posted on 14/01/2025
Call for papers: Imagining Resettlement
Dear list members,
Apologies for cross-posting.
Please consider submitting an abstract to the panel 'Imagining Resettlement=
: Disillusionment and the Paradox of Comparison' at the 50th anniversary co=
nference of the Finnish Anthropological Society, in Helsinki (16 - 18 June =
2025). Deadline for abstracts has been extended to the 20th of January. For=
more information see: https://blogs.helsinki.fi/fasconference2025/call-for=
-papers/
Imagining Resettlement: Disillusionment and the Paradox of Comparison
Resettlement narratives cultivate an imaginary of elsewhere, they offer peo=
ple on the move a future-orientated desire for something better, an idealiz=
ed vision of abundant opportunities. Resettlement imaginaries are shaped th=
rough media, transnational networks, and containment infrastructures, that =
carry elusive promises of a utopian future. Yet, the lived realities of res=
ettlement frequently diverge from this promise, revealing structural inequi=
ties that strain family dynamics, hinder individual aspirations, and exacer=
bate social exclusion. This panel explores the gap between these fantasies =
and the everyday struggles of resettlement that expose the paradox of diver=
sity (Bannerji 2016) where non-White newcomers are positioned as peripheral=
contributors to the imagined community of white multiculturalism (Hage 200=
0). Central to our inquiry is the profound sense of disillusionment experie=
nced by newcomers as their past, present, and future migration trajectories=
collide. For many, the romanticized vision of states within the Global Nor=
th is shaped by comparisons with the hardships and ruination of one's homel=
and. The realities of navigating social and economic systems expose structu=
ral barriers, personal disappointments, and broader societal contradictions=
, as multicultural resettlement policies neglect the deeper needs of those =
they claim to welcome. This panel seeks to engage in a critical dialogue on=
the role of comparison itself, both as a method and a social practice, in =
shaping our understanding of resettlement and integration. We invite papers=
that critically engage with these dynamics, to tease apart the paradox of =
comparison: how idealized imaginaries and lived realities are constructed a=
nd contested.
Best,
Stefan Millar
Postdoctoral Researcher
University of Helsinki
Centre of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care
@stefanmillar.bsky.social
Recent Open Access Publications:
Scharrer, T., Lambert, L., Millar, S. et al. Contested future-making in con=
tainment: temporalities, infrastructures and agency. CMS 12, 54 (2024). htt=
ps://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-024-00413-z
Millar, S. (2024). Localizing the State: Stateness Among Refugee-Led Commun=
ity-Based Organizations in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya. PoLAR: Political and=
Legal Anthropology Review 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1111/plar.12575
Millar, S. (2023). Enforced Disappearances, Colonial Legacies and Political=
Affect in Kakuma Refugee Camp. In L. Huttunen & G. Perl (Eds.). An Anthrop=
ology of Disappearance: Politics, Intimacies and Alternative Ways of Knowin=
g. Berghahn Books.
https://www.berghahnbooks.com/downloads/OpenAccess/HuttunenAn/HuttunenAn_06=
.pdf
view formatted text
Apologies for cross-posting.
Please consider submitting an abstract to the panel 'Imagining Resettlement=
: Disillusionment and the Paradox of Comparison' at the 50th anniversary co=
nference of the Finnish Anthropological Society, in Helsinki (16 - 18 June =
2025). Deadline for abstracts has been extended to the 20th of January. For=
more information see: https://blogs.helsinki.fi/fasconference2025/call-for=
-papers/
Imagining Resettlement: Disillusionment and the Paradox of Comparison
Resettlement narratives cultivate an imaginary of elsewhere, they offer peo=
ple on the move a future-orientated desire for something better, an idealiz=
ed vision of abundant opportunities. Resettlement imaginaries are shaped th=
rough media, transnational networks, and containment infrastructures, that =
carry elusive promises of a utopian future. Yet, the lived realities of res=
ettlement frequently diverge from this promise, revealing structural inequi=
ties that strain family dynamics, hinder individual aspirations, and exacer=
bate social exclusion. This panel explores the gap between these fantasies =
and the everyday struggles of resettlement that expose the paradox of diver=
sity (Bannerji 2016) where non-White newcomers are positioned as peripheral=
contributors to the imagined community of white multiculturalism (Hage 200=
0). Central to our inquiry is the profound sense of disillusionment experie=
nced by newcomers as their past, present, and future migration trajectories=
collide. For many, the romanticized vision of states within the Global Nor=
th is shaped by comparisons with the hardships and ruination of one's homel=
and. The realities of navigating social and economic systems expose structu=
ral barriers, personal disappointments, and broader societal contradictions=
, as multicultural resettlement policies neglect the deeper needs of those =
they claim to welcome. This panel seeks to engage in a critical dialogue on=
the role of comparison itself, both as a method and a social practice, in =
shaping our understanding of resettlement and integration. We invite papers=
that critically engage with these dynamics, to tease apart the paradox of =
comparison: how idealized imaginaries and lived realities are constructed a=
nd contested.
Best,
Stefan Millar
Postdoctoral Researcher
University of Helsinki
Centre of Excellence in Research on Ageing and Care
@stefanmillar.bsky.social
Recent Open Access Publications:
Scharrer, T., Lambert, L., Millar, S. et al. Contested future-making in con=
tainment: temporalities, infrastructures and agency. CMS 12, 54 (2024). htt=
ps://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-024-00413-z
Millar, S. (2024). Localizing the State: Stateness Among Refugee-Led Commun=
ity-Based Organizations in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya. PoLAR: Political and=
Legal Anthropology Review 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1111/plar.12575
Millar, S. (2023). Enforced Disappearances, Colonial Legacies and Political=
Affect in Kakuma Refugee Camp. In L. Huttunen & G. Perl (Eds.). An Anthrop=
ology of Disappearance: Politics, Intimacies and Alternative Ways of Knowin=
g. Berghahn Books.
https://www.berghahnbooks.com/downloads/OpenAccess/HuttunenAn/HuttunenAn_06=
