September 16-18, 2025

Tallinn University, Estonia

Deadline: February 1, 2025

Diaspora, Migration, and the Media International and Intercultural Communication Sections Conference

Website: https://www.tlu.ee/en/bfm/dmmiic

Recent global challenges and the rise of far-right governments worldwide have intensified the persecution of migrants, transforming borders into harsh zones of exclusion and surveillance. In this climate, migration is increasingly criminalized, and those seeking safety and opportunity are often met with hostility, reinforcing narrow nationalist ideologies. This environment has posed new methodological challenges for research in migration contexts, as well as prompted reflexive considerations on how knowledge is generated, how participants are cared for, and how spaces are created to support human dignity and mobility.

This conference invites researchers to propose abstracts that address methodological and reflexive perspectives in the exploration of multifaceted migration experiences and intercultural communication in the context of migration persecution and border closing. Creative methods, such as digital storytelling, participatory media projects, ethnographic film, and arts-based research, offer rich and nuanced perspectives that address current challenges in migration criminalization. These methods not only capture the complexities of diasporic lives, but also empower communities to express their own narratives and co-create knowledge.

We encourage contributions that reflect on these innovative approaches to migration and media studies, as they have the potential to deepen our understanding of how identities, relationships, and cultural dialogues are shaped and redefined through media. Beyond methodological approaches, we also encourage researchers to explore more broadly a reflexive analysis of the dynamic intersection of migration, media, and communication.

We encourage submissions that propose alternative, reflexive creative methodological approaches and critical epistemologies to address topics such as:

● Intercultural encounters and intercultural dialogue

● Practices of exclusion, surveillance, and persecution at the border

● AI, platform affordances, and infrastructures in relation to migration and intercultural communication

● Digital counter publics and diasporic activism

● Digital communication on intercultural perceptions and interactions

● Multilingualism in digital spaces and its implications for social cohesion

● Digital transnationalism

 ● Ethical dimensions of researching migration, media, and intercultural dialogue

● Identity formation and sense of belonging

In addition to the conference, we will be hosting a joint workshop for PhD students on the 16th of September 2025, in Tallinn. The workshop will focus on creative methods of research, alternative ways of writing, and reflexive approaches to migration, media, and intercultural dialogue. If you are a PhD student and would like to participate, please submit your application via online submission form. Please note that it is possible for Doctoral researchers to attend both the workshop and the conference, or only one event. More detailed information about the PhD workshop structure will come later.

Submission guidelines:

● Individual Submission: Present your research or insights in an oral presentation to allow for a focused discussion of your work. Submissions should include an abstract (max 400 words including keywords and main references) and a short biographical note (max 100 words). Abstracts should be submitted electronically, using online submission form by 1 February 2025.

● Panel: This format encourages a deeper exploration of topics from various perspectives and fosters dynamic interactions among participants. Submissions for panels should include a chairperson, a rationale for the panel (250 words), and the names of four speakers including their abstract (250 words). Submissions for panels should be submitted via online submission form by 1 February 2025.

● Workshop: Conduct a 60 to 90-minute workshop that offers hands-on experiences and practical engagement with the theme. This format is ideal for fostering collaboration and active learning among attendees. Workshop submissions should include a chairperson, a rationale for the workshop (250 words), and the names of 5 speakers/participants with each biographical note (max 100 words). Submissions for workshops should be submitted via online submission form by 1 February 2025.

The conference will be in person only. 

Conference Deadlines:

• February 1 - Abstract submission deadline. 
• Early April - Notification of acceptance. 
• May 1 - Early registration deadline.
  
• June 15 - Late registration deadline.
  

We look forward to receiving your contributions!

Organising committee

ECREA International and Intercultural Communication

• Anastassia Zabrodskaja (Tallinn University, Baltic Film, Media and Arts School, Estonia) David Ongenaert (Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
  
• Melanie Radue (University of Passau, Germany)
  
• Shomaila Sadaf (University of Jyväskylä, Finland)
  

ECREA Diaspora, Migration and the Media

• Sara Marino (University of the Arts London, United Kingdom) Silvia Almenara Niebla (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium) Çiğdem Bozdağ (University of Groningen, The Netherlands) Miriana Cascone (Södertörn University, Sweden)
  
• Claudia Minchilli (University of Groningen, The Netherlands) Rob Sharp (University of Sussex, United Kingdom)
  

Contact Person: If you have any inquiries, please reach out to the Conference Chair, Professor Anastassia Zabrodskaja, at anastassia.zabrodskaja@tlu.ee.