How Migration Challenges Notions of Society, Education and Culture

Ireland is one of just two EU countries that has a majority of migrants from the EU member states. The diversity and scale of EU migration is a recent phenomenon though there is a long tradition of migration to Ireland from some EU-15 states, especially the UK, Germany and France. Ireland has also become home to a range of people from outside the EU including Nigeria, China, India, Philippines and Brazil.
The lectures and panel discussions for each theme will assess how migrants are integrating in Irish society and in other European societies and will address the on-going impact of migration on these societies.

Thursday, 9 Feburary 2012, 2-5 pm
Theme 1: Migration, Education and Cultural Diversity
One of the challenges that any migrant-receiving country faces is how to integrate newcomers into its education system and how to adapt education systems to deal with the newly emerging diversity. The aim of this theme is to consider how this question has been addressed in a range of national contexts and to learn from these experiences, paying particular attention to educational curricula, teacher training and textbook design.
Participants:
Bettina Migge, University College Dublin (chair)
Audrey Bryan, St Patrick’s College Drumcondra, Dublin
Brigitta Busch, University of Vienna
Dympna Devine, University College Dublin
Sami Nair, Vice President of the Citizen and Republican Movement, France

Thursday, 15 March 2012, 2-5 pm
Theme 2: Children and Migration
Children are rarely thought of as migrants in their own right because they move as part of a family unit. Yet, children face specific challenges when they move to and/or grow up in a new place. The aim of this theme is to focus on the challenges to and opportunities for integration among children. Key areas of interest include language, education and culture.
Participants:
Mary Gilmartin, National University of Ireland Maynooth (chair)
Ingrid Gogolin, University of Hamburg
Valerie Ledwith, National University of Ireland Galway
Olga Nikitina-den Besten, independent researcher and writer, Montpellier
Caitriona Ní Laoire / Allen White, University College Cork

Thursday, 26 April 2012, 2-5 pm
Theme 3: Culture and Migration
Migration is increasingly becoming a topic in cultural activities. Migrants and their lives are the subject of plays, films, fiction and poetry and migrants contribute in a variety of ways to the cultural life of the society they live in. The aim of this theme is to explore the contrasting ways in which migrants represent themselves and are represented by others in works of culture and what impact cultural work has on societies.
Participants:
Gavan Titley, National University of Ireland Maynooth (chair)