Gendered Bodies on the Move: Re-understanding Women’s Migratory Experiences

Mohammed Yachoulti Announcement
Location
Morocco
Subject Fields
Women's & Gender History / Studies, Immigration & Migration History / Studies

Migration is as old as human existence; however, it is very recently that the research on this phenomenon has stated to flourish. Surprisingly enough, much research has focused mainly on the push-pull factors, regions of origins, targets of destination, the assimilation and integration models and the benefits of outmigration on the development of both sending and receiving countries. More than this, most studies have tackled this old/new phenomenon from a gender-blind perspective. In other words, though the United Nations Population Division estimates that women constitute 49% of all international migrants, most researchers in the field have produced a number of homogenous and gender-insensitive studies. The assumption is that men and women share almost if not the same migratory experience. In the best cases women’s mobility both nationally and internationally is believed to be limited and often associated with men’s movement. The result is that women are either made invisible or pictured as dependents and lacking the autonomy to make the decision to migrate. Therefore, migrant women’s contribution to the development of both sending and host economies is always overlooked. Obviously, this gender inequality weakens women’s visibility as independent actors of power and change and perpetuates the odious societal norms.

In this regard, the aim of this issue is to invite scholars, decision makers, activists, and practitioners focusing on the diverse linkages between gender and mobility in the world to explore the new configuration of mobility. We are particularly interested in exploring questions related to migration from a gender perspective to puzzle out the gendered complexities in the migratory experience of women and to highlight the differences of women’s experience from that of men. Equally important, the purpose of the issue is to investigate how to integrate this phenomenon in the feminist discourse by exploring questions related to how notions of gender and sexuality appropriate and shape migratory projects and their outcomes, policies, patterns, and migrants’ lived experiences. The focus is mainly on examining case studies of women migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees. The issue urges scholars to examine the (re)-configuration of gender relations in relation to internal and international migration from the perspective of multiple disciplines and angles. The analysis of migrant women’s experiences through the lenses of gender perspective compels the consideration of myriad questions which include but not limited the following. First, what are the driving forces towards female migration and how does the fact of being a female influence the process of migration and its potential? Second, how do the experiences of destination countries with regards to gender equality might affect the predestined situation of migrant women? Third, how might migration promote and /or belittle women’s potential and chances for a better life? Fourth, do the migration outcomes for women vary depending on their educational level? Fifth, what are the possible solutions to guarantee equal chances and outcomes?

Objectives

• Discuss the factors driving female migration.

• Understand how migration policies can affect men and women differently.

• How integration policies in destination countries can have gendered outcomes.

• Understand how migrants both leave and enter gender and racially stratified societies.

Target items

Taking as our point of departure on-going research within the academia, we invite papers and fieldwork research addressing the themes described below. 

• Migrant Women's experiences in household, local, regional, national, and international arenas.

• Racism, classism, sexism, sexuality, and inter-racial dynamics between women.

• Feminist understanding of the ‘victim’.

• Migrant women’s activism, synergy and networking.

• Migrant women’s rights within the feminist discourse.

• Left behind women/men and families in the feminist agenda.

• Women migrant workers’ contributions to development.

• How covid-19 affects women migrants.

• Women migrants and the issues of health and reproduction.

• Women migrants and the issue of violence.

• The importance of gender in discussing the issue of migration.

• Migrant women in the Diaspora and the issue of integration.

• Migrant women in the diasporic literature and arts.

• Women, migration and remittances.

• Women migrants and labour.

• Women migrants and media.

• Women refugees and asylum- seekers.

• Feminization of certain types of migration.

• Policy processes and politics of migration (it deals with the implementation of the migration policies).

• The experiences of women migrants, exile and Diaspora.

• Dis/location, home and memory.

Cultural encounters and identity.

Proposals for contributions should address one of the above themes and/or one of the cross cutting themes in a paper that should not exceed 8000 words. Papers should include Abstracts must make clear the scope of the contribution and the objectives of the work presented. They should also explain the research methods briefly and outline the findings and discussion that will constitute the core of the contribution. Papers should be submitted electronically to the journal’s email genderedbodiesonthemove@gmail.com no later than October 10, 2021. Late submissions will not be considered. All papers will be evaluated by the journal’s scientific committee and responded to by November 20, 2021. All accepted papers will be published by February 2022. 

Contact Email
genderedbodiesonthemove@gmail.com