4th Annual Meth@Mig Workshop
Call for Contributions
The IMISCOE Standing Committee “Methodological Approaches and Tools in Migration Research” (Meth@Mig) in collaboration with the Junior professorship “Intercultural Praxis with a focus on Digital Culture” at Chemnitz University of Technology[i] invites researchers of any methodological orientation to participate in the
4th Annual Meth@Mig Workshop
Between Data and Dialogue: Focusing on Participants in Migration Research
to be held on April 3-4, 2025
at Chemnitz University of Technology
(Chemnitz, Germany)
Keynote speaker:
Tuba Bircan
(Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
In migration research, as in social research more generally, the role of participants is critical in shaping both the data collected and the knowledge generated from it. Depending on the methodological approach and research question, participants may be seen as mere providers of information, or be involved as more active contributors and co-creators of knowledge. How researchers engage with participants profoundly influences the results, ethical considerations, and validity of studies. This also holds true with respect to long-established qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-mode approaches, but also considering methods building on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and digital behavioral data, where the continuum may run from the collection of digital traces of individuals that are not even aware of being studied to their voluntary, informed data donations.
Therefore, this workshop will focus on the role that participants may play in any stage of the research cycle, spanning from a project's design phase to the dissemination of its results. This workshop aims to facilitate a discussion on how different methodologies influence the role of participants and gain insight into the ethical challenges that arise when involving or excluding them at different stages. Possible topics that might be addressed include (without being limited to them):
- Scientific Quality: How does the role of participants in research have an impact on overall scientific quality, including validity and reliability of the data and research results, and the rigor of data collection, analysis, or interpretation?
- Ethical Considerations: What kind of complex ethical responsibilities (e.g., who is responsible for protecting participants and avoiding potential harm) and complex power relations (e.g., persistence of the power dynamics even though participants are actively involved in research) arise depending on the role of participants in research?
- Practical Issues: What practical issues arise if participants have varying levels of engagement in the research process, including questions of dataset ownership, data management and protection, and entitlement to authorship of research outputs?
- Impact of Methodological Innovation: What new complexities arise with the use of emerging methodologies and data sources?
We welcome contributions from any methodological school or angle (e.g., qualitative, survey-based, mixed, relying on digital trace data) that critically explore the role of participants in research, examining the ethical and methodological implications of treating participants as data providers versus involving participants as active collaborators in the research process. A clear methodological focus is required for all contributions.
The workshop will consist of brief oral presentations of accepted contributions, but the focus will be on open exchange and discussion of the presented work and positions. This format will, therefore, leave ample room for discussion amongst the workshop participants. To stimulate debate, Tuba Bircan (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) will kick off the event with a keynote speech.
The in-person workshop is organized by IMISCOE’s Standing Committee on Methodological Approaches and Tools in Migration Research (Meth@Mig) in collaboration with the Junior professorship “Intercultural Praxis with a focus on Digital Culture” at Chemnitz University of Technology and will be held on April 3 and 4, 2025 in Chemnitz (Germany), the European Capital of Culture 2025. There are no participation fees, but attendees must bear their travel and accommodation costs.
Please send an abstract of your planned contribution (approx. 300 words) to methatmig_2025@phil.tu-chemnitz.de by December 8, 2024, stating “Annual Meth@Mig workshop” as email subject. Accepted proposals will be grouped into thematically cohesive sessions, consisting of short and concise presentations aiming to stimulate and advance debate.
Organizing Committee:
Yolanda López García, Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany
Agata Górny, Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw, Poland
Steffen Pötzschke, GESIS – Leibniz-Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany
Sebastian Rinken, Institute for Advanced Social Studies, Spanish Research Council, Spain
Justyna Salamońska, Department of Management in Networked and Digital Societies, Kozminski University, Poland
Laila Omar, ACRPS – Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, Doha, Qatar
Evren Yalaz, GRITIM-UPF, Spain
Carmen Pereyra, Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany
***
[i] Chemnitz University of Technology and Meth@Mig/IMISCOE do not create a separate legal entity (ohne Begründung einer eigenen Rechtsperson).
Keynote
The keynote at the 4th Annual Meth@Mig Workshop will be given by Tuba Bircan (Vrije Universiteit Brussel). Tuba's scholarly interests cover a wide range from migration, refugees, gender, inequalities, equal opportunities, multilateralism, social and public policies to new methodologies, use and governance of Big Data and AI for global challenges. She has more than 15 years of experience in quantitative and mixed research methods and empirical evidence-based policy-making.
Learn more about Tuba Bircan here.
More information to follow!
Program
The program is currently being prepared. More information to follow!Venue
The workshop will take place at the "Altes Heizhaus" at the Technical University of Chemnitz. For directions and additional information, please visit the Altes Heizhaus location page.
Accommodation
For your convenience, an allocation of rooms is available for workshop attendees at Hotel an der Oper, just a 4-minute walk from the workshop venue. Take advantage of a special workshop rate when booking. This rate is available until 19 February 2025.
Here are some additional hotel options close to the event venue:
- Hotel Sächsischer Hof – Approx. 3-minute walk
- Congress Hotel Chemnitz – Approx. 10-minute walk
- Super 8 by Wyndham Chemnitz – Approx. 15-minute walk
For the best availability and rates, we recommend reserving early!
About Chemnitz
Chemnitz (known as Karl-Marx-Stadt between 1953 and 1990) is located in Eastern Germany and is the third-largest city in the Free State of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. The city is famous for its art collections (Kunstsammlungen), the industrial museum that reflects its history of a flourishing industry, the Kaßberg – one of Germany’s largest residential Wilhelminian/Art Nouveau neighborhoods – and not least its 7.10-metre head of Karl Marx, the Karl Marx Monument. There is much more to discover in Chemnitz, because the city is European Capital of Culture in 2025.
How to get to Chemnitz
Chemnitz is located in eastern Germany, in the state of Saxony, and it is the third-largest city in the state, following Leipzig and Dresden. The city can be easily accessed from four airports: Prague, Berlin, Leipzig, and Dresden. There are train connections from these airports to the city center of Chemnitz. The nearest and most convenient airports are Dresden, Leipzig and Prague.
Dresden
The train station at Dresden Airport is situated in the basement of the terminal building. The suburban train (S-Bahn) S2 operates with a frequency of every half hour. The journey from Dresden Airport to Dresden main station typically takes around 21 minutes. From Dresden main station, you can then transfer to regional train lines 30 and 3, which offer direct connections to Chemnitz. The duration of the journey to Chemnitz varies depending on the specific line, taking approximately one to one and a half hours. The distance between Dresden airport a Chemnitz is 82 kilometers.
Public Transport from the Airport
Leipzig
Leipzig/Halle Airport is located 117 km away from Chemnitz and provides convenient access to Leipzig Central Station via suburban train (S-Bahn) lines S5 and S5X. These trains operate every half hour, and the journey from the airport to Leipzig Central Station takes around 14 minutes. From Leipzig Central Station, you can then take the regional train 6, which runs on an hourly basis, to reach Chemnitz in approximately one hour.
Public Transport from the Airport
You also have the possibility to consider taking a flight to either Prague or Berlin. These airports boast great connectivity and present a highly feasible alternative.
Prague
Prague's international airport is located 146 kilometers away from Chemnitz city center. Public transport bus lines at Václav Havel Airport provide frequent connections to the center of Prague, with buses running at intervals of a few minutes. The bus stops are conveniently located directly in front of the terminals. For a quick journey to the center of Prague using public transport, it is recommended to take bus line 119 (Terminal 1/Terminal 2 - Nádraží Veleslavín) and transfer to metro line A. From Prague main station, you can reach Chemnitz by taking the EuroCity train via Dresden, with a travel time of approximately two and a half hours. Once you arrive at Dresden main station, you can conveniently transfer to regional train lines 30 and 3, which provide direct connections to Chemnitz. The duration of the journey to Chemnitz varies depending on the specific line, typically taking around one to one and a half hours. Another option is a direct bus connection, which typically takes approximately three hours to reach Chemnitz.
Starting in April 2025, a new bus connection by the Mittelsachsen Transport Association (VMS) is planned between Chemnitz and Prague. The bus is scheduled to run twice daily: in the mornings and at midday from Prague to Chemnitz, and at midday and in the evenings in the opposite direction. The launch of this service is set for April, aiming to facilitate travel to the European Capital of Culture 2025.
Public Transport from the Airport
Berlin
Berlin-Brandenburg Airport is well connected to the rail networks. There is a frequent service of Airport Express and regional trains, with a combined frequency of four departures per hour from Terminal 1/ Terminal 2 station to Berlin Central Station. Additionally, suburban trains (S-Bahn) S9 and S45 also operate from Terminal 1/ Terminal 2, providing a convenient connection to Berlin Central Station. From Berlin Central Station, there are direct connections to Chemnitz multiple times a day. The train journey typically takes approximately two and a half hours. Alternatively, Chemnitz can be reached by trains via Dresden or Leipzig. The international airport is situated at 240 kilometers from Chemnitz.
Frankfurt
You can also reach Chemnitz by train from Germany's largest airport, Frankfurt Main Airport, with a transfer at Leipzig Central Station.
Within Germany, trains are a reasonable alternative. Additionally, for local transportation, the nationwide 58€ ticket is an option. Read more
Contact and Organization
Organizing Committee:
Yolanda López García, Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany
Agata Górny, Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw, Poland
Steffen Pötzschke, GESIS – Leibniz-Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany
Sebastian Rinken, Institute for Advanced Social Studies, Spanish Research Council, Spain
Justyna Salamońska, Department of Management in Networked and Digital Societies, Kozminski University, Poland
Laila Omar, ACRPS – Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, Doha, Qatar
Evren Yalaz, GRITIM-UPF, Spain
Carmen Pereyra, Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany
