[Discussion] Conference on "Immigration, Forced Migrants, and Refugees in Central Eurasia."

[Gonul]

Kennan Institute Invites Proposals for Conference on "Immigration, 
Forced Migrants, and Refugees in Central Eurasia."

The Kennan Institute is pleased to announce a new series of research 
workshops on "Immigration, Forced Migrants, and Refugees in Central 
Eurasia." According to the United Nations, there are currently 185 
million people living in countries other than their birth, up from 80 
million people three decades ago. This global phenomenon is of special 
importance in Central Eurasia, where the collapse of the Soviet state, 
together with conditions of ethnic conflict, political ambiguity, 
new-found freedom of movement, and economic chaos, have created waves of 
migration which have come to shape economic, political, social, and 
security issues in the region. The Kennan Institute now proposes to 
convene practitioners, policymakers, and scholars who study the many 
issues surrounding new migration trends in the region. The workshop 
series will bring together up to fifteen individuals from various 
disciplines with recent field experience.

The Kennan Institute's Workshop Series is designed to serve as a forum 
at which scholars from various disciplines can discuss the different 
aspects of migration, share research findings, and suggest policy 
recommendations. Participants in the series would explore the ways in 
which policymakers and practitioners can utilize the specialized 
knowledge of academics in the discipline and scholars can recognize how 
policy affects their field. The workshop series will be directed by 
Cynthia Buckley (University of Texas, Austin). The series will consist 
of two meetings, targeting specialists with recent field experience. The 
first meeting will be held on 28-29 March 2004. The second meeting is 
scheduled for Fall 2004. Further research on common themes is expected 
to form the basis for a collection of papers and series of policy briefs.

Selection for the workshop series will be based on an open national 
competition. Participation in the workshop series is open to U.S. 
citizens and permanent residents at the post-doctoral level (pre-tenure) 
and Ph.D. candidates who have completed field research for their 
dissertations. The workshop series is interdisciplinary. Any area of 
social science or humanities research that focuses on issues of 
migration—contemporary or historical—is welcome. Per diem costs and 
travel support for the workshops will be provided by the Kennan Institute.

Those interested should submit an abstract (less than 1000 words) of 
their current research, a current CV, and two letters of recommendation 
to: Migration Workshop, The Kennan Institute/Woodrow Wilson Center, One 
Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 
20004-3027. Abstracts and resumes may be sent by email to: 
kennan@wwic.si.edu; recommendation letters must be sent by mail. All 
application materials must be in English and must be received by *1 
December 2003*.

The "Immigration, Forced Migrants, and Refugees in Central Eurasia" 
Workshop Series is supported by the Program for Research and Training on 
Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union 
(Title VIII) and the George F. Kennan Fund.

For further information, please contact Erin Trouth at (202) 691-4132 or 
visit www.wilsoncenter.org/kennan