MIGRADEMO Final Workshop

On November 21 and 22, 2024, we had the pleasure of organising our MIGRADEMO Final Workshop at Palau Macaya, Barcelona. This two-day event brought together academics from around the world to present their latest research on the relationship between migration and democracy. The workshop provided a platform for discussing findings, reflecting on theoretical frameworks, and identifying future research trajectories that unpack migration’s multifaceted impact on political attitudes, political engagement, national and local politics and voting patterns. 

THE WORKSHOP 

With 20 papers and two keynotes, it was a packed programme. The papers and discussions centred on the impact of democratic backsliding on emigration, political socialisation, and homeland political attitudes; the impact of financial and social remittances, as well as return on political engagement in local and national politics; emigrant voting rights and voting behaviour; and the impact of diaspora political civil society on politics in countries of origin. The works presented covered research across Latin and Central America, Africa, Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe. A series of interesting ideas and debates were generated from these presentations. 

A view of the participants in one of the sessions on the first day of the workshop. 

In the first keynote, Professor Peggy Levitt (Wellesley College) recounted her pioneering work on social remittances.  In continuation, Peggy Levitt advocated for a more inclusive and deconstructed approach to migration studies. The second keynote by Professor Covadonga Meseguer (Universidad Pontificia Comillas) reflected on the past decades of remittance research and how to move forward. Her talk drew special attention to the methodological challenges in studying financial and social remittances and the importance of producing robust, grounded insights.

Professor Peggy Levitt’s keynote. 

Professor Covadonga Meseguer’s keynote. 

CLOSING REMARKS AND REFLECTIONS 

The workshop concluded with a brief speech from our PI, which highlighted key takeaways from the event. The closing remarks emphasised:

  • The role of migration in fostering democratic destinations and influencing returnees’ political socialisation. 
  • The importance of focusing on local-level dynamics, which often play a crucial role in translating migration’s impact into tangible change. 
  • An acknowledgement of the harsh realities migrants face, as evidenced by several workshop papers. 
  • A preview of an upcoming special issue that will feature some of the papers presented during the workshop. 

A HEARTFELT THANK YOU 

We extend our gratitude to all participants for their insightful contributions to this workshop. We had a great series of debates and reflections. It was a pleasure to host such a wide group of highly regarded researchers in Barcelona for this workshop. 

Special thanks also go to Palau Macaya for hosting our event, and to all the speakers, chairs, and team members for making it a resounding success. 

A group photo of all the workshop participants and speakers.