International Conference “From So Far to So Close. Addressing the Refugee Phenomenon: History, Sociology, Technology”

TRACTION will be presented by Project Leader Mikel Zorrilla at the international online conference “From So Far to So Close”, addressing the Refugee Phenomenon: History, Sociology, Technology”

(SO-CLOSE project logo)

The conference was due to be held face-to-face in Barcelona and will now take place in an online format on June 15th and 16th. It will be led by Javier Rodrigo (UAB), leader of the European project Enhancing Social Cohesion through Sharing the Cultural Heritage of Forced Migrations – SO-CLOSE, which was also awarded in the call DT-TRANSFORMATIONS-11-2019.

At the heart of both the SO-CLOSE and TRACTION projects are many aligning themes, specifically regarding the shared goals of promoting equality in Europe and seeking social inclusivity for groups at risk of exclusion. Both projects will adopt community-centric evaluation methodologies in order to allow for further replication and to maximize the impact of the project outcomes, beyond simply the reach of the duration of the projects.

Based on theories of cultural heritage-making, SO-CLOSE will expose the commonalities of past and present experiences by facilitating a dialogue and exchange of similar life stories. The target groups’ needs will drive the development of a methodology template and the co-creation of replicable digital tools and cultural products, aiming to improve social cohesion and promote mutual understanding between refugees and their local communities. The resulting data and methodology will be used to develop several digital applications, working on the intersection of history, sociology, cultural studies, art and computer science. Through means of co-creation, cultural engagement and integration, the ambition of the SO-CLOSE project is to contribute to social cohesion and fight refugee marginalization.

The conference will have representatives from each of the projects awarded in the call DT-TRANSFORMATIONS-11-2019. It will delve into the history of forced displacement in twentieth century Europe, offer a sociological perspective on the phenomenon of refugees whilst tackling different approaches such as research, NGOs and refugee experiences. Furthermore, it will address the technological part of the project SO-CLOSE, setting up a discussion with colleagues belonging to similar projects, with a roundtable as a means of building a knowledge network between the projects in the exploration of shared goals and challenges. In this section, an overview of TRACTION will be presented, along with the Abstract, Motivation and project Objectives.

For more information, visit the UAB website or consult the Agenda online.

Agenda

International Conference “From So Far to So Close. Addressing the Refugee Phenomenon: History, Sociology, Technology”

(June 15-16th, Virtual Format)

June 15th

9:30-10:45 (CEST Time)

Roundtable “History of Refugees in the 20th Century”

  • Chair: Xosé M. Núñez Seixas (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain)
  • Dr. Magda Fitili (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) – “Violence, Civil War and Female Forced Displacement: the case of Trikeri (Greece)”
  • Prof. Virgiliu Ţârău (Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj, Romania) – “Mass violence and forced displacement in communist countries in Europe”
  • Dr. Dženeta Karabegović (Post-Conflict Research Center, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina/University of Salzburg) – “Mass Violence and Displacement during the 1990s from former Yugoslavia: An Overview with a focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina”

June 16th

9:30-10:45 (CEST Time)

Roundtable “Sociology of Refugees: Research, Activism, Experience”

  • Chair: Professor Sari Hanafi (American University of Beirut)
  • Prof. Massoud Sharifi (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
  • Merlys Mosquera (Asociación San Juan de Dios España)
  • Roland Fosso (Activist and writer)

10:45-11:45 Coffee Break

11:45-13:00 (CEST Time)

Roundtable “Cultural Heritage and Digital Media. Building Synergies among H2020 Projects”

13:00 (CEST Time)

Concluding Remarks

  • Javier Rodrigo (Principal Investigator of SO-CLOSE, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain)

This event was streamed live, watch the full video here.