Call for Paper: Conference on Protracted Displacement Crises in Pakistan

JOINTLY ORGANIZED BY DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR & THE SUSSEX CENTER FOR MIGRATION, UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX, UK

Displaced people around the globe go through crises. However, people displaced for a prolonged period go through profound adversity. Often such displaced people are ignored by humanitarian actors, face uncertain futures, and are portrayed as passive recipients of aid and a burden on the host communities. Moreover, displaced people are often seen in binary with host communities. Such an approach is recently challenged in academia. A Research project titled ‘Protracted Displacement Economies’ spearheaded by the University of Sussex, funded by UK Research and Innovation through the Global Challenges Research Fund challenges this binary approach. The project involves the study of displacement-affected communities in Pakistan, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo through a whole-of-society approach in which the displaced people and the host communities are considered a single society affected by displacement. It also investigates the economy of displacement-affected localities through an innovative approach to the economy that includes financial and non-financial transactions within displacement-affected economies to benefit displaced people and host communities. It invokes the concepts of ‘feminist economics’, ‘mutual aid’, ‘care economy’, the 'humanitarian anchor', formality and informality, and economic inclusivity.

The Conference intends to focus on protracted displacements in Pakistan but does not exclude case studies from other countries where displacement-affected societies are going through crises. We understand that a comparative lens will enrich our comprehension of the complexity of displacement-affected economies. We invite abstracts that focus, but are not limited to, key questions such as; how has displacement affected economies undergoing crises? How have displacement-affected communities developed coping strategies to deal with crises? To what extent, and in what ways, is the concept of displacement-affected communities relevant? How are the livelihoods of displacement-affected communities shaped and reshaped by crises? How are financial and non-financial transactions carried out in displacement-affected economies? Is mutual aid and care exchanged by the displacement-affected communities conspicuous? Who are the main actors in the ‘care economy’? How do women contribute to livelihoods and how do they provide care and mutual support in displacement-affected economies? How do formality and informality play out in displacement-affected economies? Who acts as intermediaries in displacement-affected economies and how do they forge a network of social relations through which goods and services are distributed? Are there patterns of social and economic integration more generally and specifically?

The conference will be hosted by the Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar in collaboration with the Sussex Centre for Migration Research, University of Sussex, UK, on the campus of University of Peshawar on 4th May 2023.

We request abstracts of not more than 300 words. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 15 April 2023. The committee will announce decisions by 20th April 2023. The organisers cannot fund international travel however, all presenters will be provided with free local transport, accommodation, and meals during the conference. The conference is funded under Protracted Displacement Economies project by UK Research and Innovation through Global Challenges Research Fund (grant ref no: ES/T004509/1). 

Submit your abstract through  waseemmurad@uop.edu.pk.

Conference Organizers:

• Dr. Abdul Rauf
• Dr. Shahida Aman
• Dr. Ayub Jan
• Dr. Ceri Oeppen

Conference Secretaries:

• Waseem Murad
• Shagufta Aman
• Muhammad Ilyas