Narrating the Border: Migrant Agency and Storytelling across the Mediterranean

MED-BO


Human Migration



Background



Migration across the Mediterranean continues to be shaped by restrictive policies, border externalisation, and humanitarian crises. Yet within and against these forces, migrants speak—through stories, songs, films, posts, performances. Their narratives challenge silence, reframe victimhood, and assert agency.



This conference centers migrant storytelling as a powerful form of resistance and self-definition. We seek to explore how migrants actively construct meaning and visibility across hostile geographies—through oral history, literature, visual culture, digital media, and beyond.



 Conference Objectives



We aim to critically engage with how migrant narratives shape identity, expose injustice, and imagine alternative futures. We welcome diverse formats—from academic papers to creative presentations—that highlight migrant agencyself-representation, and narrative innovation in transit, exile, or diaspora.



Note: All submissions must be originalunpublished, and not under consideration or previously presented at any other conference or event.



Key Questions




  • How do migrants reclaim their voice through narrative practices?

  • What is the role of form (oral, digital, artistic) in shaping migrant storytelling?

  • How are stories created, silenced, or circulated through institutions and technologies?

  • What ethical responsibilities arise when collecting or analyzing migrant narratives?




  •  Key Themes

  •  

  • Migrant self-representation in literature, visual art, and cinema

  • Testimony and oral history from zones of transit or detention

  • Digital storytelling and social media as narrative platforms

  • Silences, omissions, and ethics in migrant representation

  • Narratives of race, gender, sexuality, religion, disability, and class in migration

  • Institutional mediation (NGOs, journalism, academia, curatorial work)

  • Storytelling as future-making and refusal



Key Information



Conference Title



Narrating the Border: Migrant Agency and Storytelling across the Mediterranean



Dates



🗓️ February 11–12, 2026



Location



📍 Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco,  



Format



In-person



Language



English



Funding



Fully funded (includes travel, accommodation, meals)



Eligibility



Contributions must be original, unpublished, and not previously submitted or presented elsewhere



Target Participants



Scholars, artists, activists, filmmakers, students



Deadline for Abstracts



📬 October 15, 2025



Notification of Acceptance



📢 November 15, 2025



Submission Type



Individual papers, panels, workshops, creative formats



Abstract Length



250–300 words + short bio



Contact Email



📨 [Insert contact email here]



 


🗓️ Calendar Snapshot



October 15, 2025



📬 Abstract Submission Deadline



November 15, 2025



📢 Notification of Acceptance



January 2026



📄 Final program circulated



February 11–12, 2026



🗓️ Conference takes place



 


 Funding Details



This conference is fully funded. Accepted participants will receive:




  • Round-trip travel (economy class)

  • Hotel accommodation (3 nights)

  • On-site meals (coffee breaks, lunches, dinners)

  • Visa support and local transport if needed



No registration fees will be required.



✉️ Submission Guidelines



Please send your abstract (250–300 words) and a short bio (max 100 words) to:

📧 [Insert Email]

📅 Deadline: October 15, 2025



📝 Submissions must be originalunpublished, and not previously presented at any other conference. Proposals under review elsewhere will not be considered.



For collective panels or artistic submissions, please indicate any technical requirements or special formats in your proposal.



For questions and queries please contact the confrence coordinator. zakaelamouri35@gmail.com