The conference places a significant emphasis on the multifaceted nature of labour in the context of women’s migration, both in the present and from a historical perspective, and caused by various reasons. This focus is particularly relevant in the Central and Eastern European countries (post-socialist countries). However, we also welcome perspectives from other regions, as they can enrich our understanding of this complex topic.
Viewing the issue of (un)happiness in women’s migration and exile through a dialectical lens, we see that the negative effects of migration, regardless of its prerequisites, can be laden with melancholy and depression, exacerbated by a sense of vulnerability or a state of precariousness and insecurity. Yet, these conditions and feelings can also be intertwined with new opportunities, the vision of alternatives, and the anticipation of a different future. This conference continues a series of events devoted to different aspects of labour at the intersection of women and technology (as part of the long-term project “Women In Tech”). Therefore, one of the conference’s focuses is women’s IT sphere and the transnationalisation of its labour market in the context of migration.
We invite scholars from different fields and disciplines (gender studies, sociology, history, anthropology, cultural studies, law, media studies, art and others) with various theoretical perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches to reflect on the following topics:
- challenges of women’s migration in the conditions of wars, humanitarian crises and political turbulences;
- effects of migration on women’s professional identity, career tracks and working conditions
- displacement, exile and new precarity
- invisible (im/material and emotional) aspects of labour in the context of women’s migration (asymmetry and inequality);
- the status, citizenship and new identity);
- the gendered aspects of labour migration and dilemmas of motherhood and care;
- migration and mental health (resilience);
- the forms of exclusion from the labour market (gender, age, sex, family status and others);
- gendered dimension of the transnational labour market in high-tech industries.
Papers focusing on technologies and the IT sector are particularly welcomed.
The conference is organised by the Center for Gender Studies at the European Humanities University in the framework of the “Women in Tech” project. This infrastructural educational and research project aims to support women in IT, stimulate research at the intersection of technology and feminism, and promote gender equality in high technology. The project was launched by the EHU Center for Gender Studies and is funded by the European Union
Submission of abstracts:
To participate in the сonference, please submit your proposal via wint.conference2024@gmail.com and put “The Promise of (Un)Happiness? Gender, Labour, and Migration” in the subject line. The proposal must include a title, an abstract (300 words), and a short bio (max. 150 words) with contact details.
Deadline for submission of abstracts – July 10.
Authors of abstracts will be notified about selection by August 1.
There will be no conference fees. The participants cover their expenses for travel and accommodation in Vilnius. However, the organisers can provide financial support for the participants from Belarus, Ukraine, and other countries of the East-European region: travel to and from Vilnius (up to 300 Euro) and offer hotel
accommodation in Vilnius.
The conference will take place on September 17-18 in European Humanities University. Online participation is also available.
Working language of
Conference Organizing Committee:
- Tania Arcimovich (Erfurt University, Germany)
- Almira Ousmanova (European Humanities University, Lithuania)
- Olga Sasunkevich (University of Gothenburg)
- Antonina Stebur (Women in Tech program, EHU , Universität der Künste Berlin.)