NSF, Homeland Security to participate in immigration workshop

1-5 p.m., Sept. 10
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Sept. 11

Some 25 local, national and international scholars will meet at Arizona State University Sept. 10-11, for an interdisciplinary workshop on immigration and refugees. Participants will present and discuss original social science research that examines immigration and its impact on transnational migration, diverse populations and communities, and law and policy.

Research interests among participants reflect a variety of different disciplines — sociology, anthropology, economics, geography, public policy, public health and others — and different contexts, from the U.S. to Europe to Africa.

The workshop is organized around five interdisciplinary panels addressing historical and contemporary issues at home and abroad. Major themes include immigration and transnational migration, immigration and community, and immigration and the legal system. The panels will last 90 minutes each and be led by a participant who is the designated discussant. Program officers from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will be present and offer comments on the papers. The workshop is open to the public but seating is limited.

"We are excited to be able to bring so many experts on this topic together to share ideas," says Marjorie S. Zatz, faculty head of justice and social inquiry in ASU's School of Social Transformation, an academic unit in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

"The wide range of disciplines represented by our participants and the depth of their knowledge in this area provides a unique opportunity for collaborative research on immigration issues in the U.S. and across the globe," she says. "We are also hopeful that the edited volume and white papers resulting from this workshop will inform social policy, as well as future research projects."

Zatz is hosting the workshop as the lead researcher on a National Science Foundation grant, which is funding the event. Other researchers include Charis Kubrin from George Washington University and Ramiro Martinez Jr. from Florida International University.

Conference sessions will be held from 1 to 5 p.m., Sept. 10 and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sept. 11 in the Memorial Union, Cochise Room 228 on ASU's Tempe campus. For more information call (480) 965-7038.

Nancy Newcomer, nancy.newcomer@asu.edu
(480) 965-7038
School of Social Transformation