Keynotes

Associate Professor Birgitte Schepelern Johansen

University of Copenhagen 

PhD (Sociology of Religion), Associate Professor
Minority Studies, Institute for Cross Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen.

In my work, I explore the formation, representation and management of differences (in particular religious differences) in context characterized by asymmetric power relations. Empirically, my research has focused on: i) the secular state and secular culture as the context for understanding the life of religious minorities ii) the role of knowledge production in the formation and governance of Muslim minorities, and iii) political responses to islamophobia, xenophobia and racism with a special focus on the political management of hostile emotions. These empirical investigations have always been tied together by a thematic and theoretical interest in how differences (be they religious, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, moral or otherwise) become socially visible and are made politically relevant on the backdrop of particular norm-systems and within certain institutional framings. One such institutional framing is obviously the secular university as a site for education as well as for academic knowledge production, and it is a continuous project for me to ponder the methodological implications and ethical entanglements of doing research with people in minoritized, marginalized or vulnerable positions from within this institution.

Webpage: Birgitte Schepelern Johansen – Ansatte – Københavns Universitet

Keynote 1: The art and ethics of listening 

Scholarly work on people in marginalised or minoritised positions has often focused on speech, voice, and representation. Whether the topic is political recognition and participation of minorities; institutional and organisational engagements with diversity related to religion, ethnicity, or gender; teaching spaces and curriculum discussions; or interpersonal interactions around minority issues, attention has often been afforded to the expressive side of the coin: How are marginalised people, voices, and perspectives represented, politically and academically? Which forms of speech and which words are considered appropriate, supportive, damaging, or offensive? Who is allowed to speak about which topics, and under what conditions? 

What has received comparatively less systematic attention—conceptually and empirically—is the other side of the coin: the practices of listening across minority–majority divides and the obligations, responsibilities, and commitments this entails. Listening is a silent and largely invisible practice, yet a completely fundamental aspect of human sociality, without which any voice would be futile. How can listening be pursued as an object of scholarly, empirical inquiry within contexts of marginalisation and vulnerability? And how does this relate to, or tie in with, listening as an ethically charged aspect of our own academic enterprises? 

In this presentation, I explore these questions by drawing on the rich ethnographic work on listening produced by scholars of religion and bringing it into conversation with the philosophical engagements of Simone Weil and Sophie Bourgault on the ethics of attentive listening. 

Professor Nando Sigona, FAcSS

University of Birmingham

Nando Sigona is Professor of International Migration and Forced Displacement and Director of the Institute for Research into International Migration and Superdiversity at the University of Birmingham, UK. Nando is a founding editor of the peer-reviewed journal Migration Studies (Oxford University Press) and lead editor for the Global Migration and Social Change book series by Bristol University Press. His research interests include: the migration and citizenship nexus; undocumented migration; naturalisation, denaturalisation and statelessness; Romani politics and anti-Gypsyism; asylum and EU; Brexit and intra-European mobility; and child and youth migration. His work has appeared in a range of international academic journals, including Sociology, Social Anthropology, Antipode, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Identities, Citizenship Studies, International Migration Review, Comparative Migration Studies, The Sociological Review, JCMS, and Ethnic and Racial Studies. He is author or editor of books and journal’s special issues including Becoming Adult on the Move (with Chase and Chatty, 2023), The Oxford Handbook of Superdiversity (with Meisnner and Vertovec, 2022) Undocumented Migration (with Gonzales, Franco and Papoutsi, 2019); Unravelling Europe’s ‘migration crisis’ (with Crawley, Duvell, Jones, and McMahon, 2017), Within and beyond citizenship (with Roberto G. Gonzales, 2017), The Oxford Handbook on Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (with Fiddian Qasmiyeh, Loescher and Long, 2014), and Sans Papiers. The social and economic lives of undocumented migrants (with Bloch and Zetter, 2014). He is a Senior Research Associate at ODI and held visiting research and teaching positions at the Universities of Oxford, Bergen, UM6P Rabat, Utrecht, and the European University Institute.

Webpage: Nando Sigona – University of Birmingham

Keynote 2: The irregularisation of migration and migrants in Europe: policies, narratives and experiences 

Across Europe, political discourse frames “irregular migration” as an external threat: a problem of unlawful entry to be managed through stronger borders, tighter controls, and more restrictive migration policies. From higher visa fees to shorter permits and intensified enforcement, the policy response is remarkably consistent. Yet this framing obscures a more fundamental question: what if irregular migration is not a failure of the system, but one of its outcomes? 

This paper challenges the dominant narrative by advancing a different perspective – one that understands irregularity as systematically produced through the very policies designed to prevent it. Drawing on comparative research conducted in Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom, I examine how legal status is shaped through the interaction of immigration rules, labour market regulation, and welfare systems. These intersecting regimes create conditions in which migrants are irregularised. 

The analysis further highlights the role of political and media narratives in reinforcing this process. By constructing certain groups as “undeserving,” “dangerous,” or “illegal,” these narratives legitimise restrictive policies while obscuring their role in producing the very conditions they claim to address. 

By reframing irregular migration as a policy outcome rather than an external anomaly, the paper calls for a fundamental rethinking of migration governance. It argues for approaches that move beyond deterrence and control, and instead address the structural drivers of irregularity embedded within contemporary legal and political systems. 

Panel Discussion

The panel discussion focuses on the theme of the conference and brings together four young researchers. The panelists reflect on their experiences of methodology and research approaches and the thoughts and ideas the conference has inspired.

Moderators:

Panelists:

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