[ Call for Papers ]

The conference Migration and Development in Albania and the Western Balkans: Remittances, Return and Diaspora will take place in Durrës, Albania on September 26/27, 2008.

This conference is sponsored by the EU Network of Excellence 'IMISCOE' (International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion in Europe) under the 'Targeted Third Countries' initiative. The co-organisers of the conference are Dr. Ilir Gedeshi, Centre for Economic and Social Studies, Tirana, and Prof. Russell King, Sussex Centre for Migration Research, University of Sussex.

The themes of the conference are clear from its title: the relationship between migration and development in Albania and the Western Balkans. It is expected that particular foci for papers will be questions relating to remittances, return migration, and developmentally productive links with the region's diasporic populations. Papers should be based on research evidence (surveys, primary and secondary data analysis), or address questions of migration-development theory or policy in the region. Papers which compare the experiences of two or more countries are also welcome. 

Abstracts (one page or around 200 words, in English) should be sent to Russell King (R.King@sussex.ac.uk) by July 1, 2008. It is expected that some support will be available to cover accommodation and/or travel costs, according to need: contact Ilir Gedeshi (cess@albnet.net) for details.
 
It is anticipated that a selection of papers, suitably revised, will be published in an edited book offered to a major European publishing house, such as Amsterdam University Press.