Scholars of Excellence Workshop – Talking about migration

The Scholars of Excellence Workshop series are indepth sessions where international scholars are invited to contribute to complex topics of interest to the academic community.

Our October 1 workshop is co-convened by CERC Scholar of Excellence Daniel Hiebert, Professor Emeritus University of British Columbia, Steven Vertovec, Director, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, and Anna Triandafyllidou, Chair, CERC Migration.

Public discourse on migration can best be described as polarized and even toxic in a number of countries. Italy, the Netherlands, the UK, and of course the US come quickly to mind. Even in Canada, where public attitudes about immigration have been highly supportive over a long period of time, we have recently seen concerns raised about the scale of temporary migration programs (international students) and permanent immigration.

In this workshop, we will explore two aspects related to public opinion on migration. First, how do people acquire and process information about migration, and how does this shape their understanding and views about it? Our world is saturated in information as well as misinformation. How do people choose which mis/information to trust and absorb? Why do some people form strong opinions about migration while others consider it a minor issue in their lives? To what extent is this an individual vs. collective process?

Second, what are the most effective ways of presenting information about migration to the public? Are there strategies to ‘cut through the noise’ and capture peoples’ attention? What kinds of messages resonate? This part of the workshop will explore the potential to affect public understanding of migration through the presentation of factual information, particularly as visualized data that may enable viewers to reach deeper understandings of how migration is affecting society by ‘seeing’ and interacting with information/data. The workshop is designed to inform efforts to mobilize research toward greater public understanding, and should appeal to scholars, policy officials, and media representatives.

PLEASE NOTE: CERC Migration cannot provide letters of invitation for event attendees for our non-conference events such as this one.

For the program agenda, please visit the website.

Host or Publisher CERC in Migration and Integration