The Translations of Migration-group started as a cooperation between Julie Weise (History Department@UO), Christoph Rass, and Peter Schneck (both IMIS@UOS) within the framework of the Migrationsgesellschaften research profile at Osnabrück Universtiy.

This collaboration expanded into an international and interdisciplinary network of scholars convening an series of online Tiny Desk Conferences between 2020 and 2022 exploring different modes in which ideas and concepts representing „migration“ are translated as they move between cultural spheres, languages, academic disciplines and across time and space.

From April 27th to 29th the TM-Group will meet in person for the first time to hold the Translations of Migration conference at the University of Oregon, Eugene.

Over three days, scholars will present on the application of translation as an analytical tool to better understand how concepts related to migration are culturally coded, and how meanings change as they move. Talks will discuss actors and practices of translation as well as the productions of meaning and knowledge from diverse interdisciplinary and methodological angles.

Catherine Ramirez , U.C. Santa Cruz, will give the conference keynote „Assimilation: Global Idea or just an American Thing?“ on April 27th, followed by a panel discussion between her, Fredy Gonzales, University of Illinois-Chicago, and Christoph Rass, Osnabrück University.

The conference will bring together scholars from cultural studies, literatur studies, history and anthropology joined by commentators from the fields of geography, languages & literatures and comparative literature.

Sessions on April 27th and 28th are open to the public. The event marks the transition from ‚on-line‘ to ‚in-person‘ and will not be streamed; a conference report will be published.

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Translations of Migration Conference

University of Oregon, Eugene

An international conference of historians and cultural studies scholars exploring the many ways that migration and mobility have been translated across time and space, languages, cultures and academic disciplines.

Conference Schedule

Wednesday, April 27

Welcome

Gumwood Room, EMU
9:00-9:30am

Dennis Galvan, VP for International Affairs 
Vera Keller, History Department Head 
Julie Weise, Associate Professor of History 

Panel #1: Translations of Everyday Life

9:30-11:00am

“The Things They Carried: Representational Functions of Migrant Artifacts,” Kirsten Silva Gruesz, U.C. Santa Cruz 

“Migrant-Speak: Keywords in Bihari Lives in the ‘East’ and Beyond in the Nineteenth Century,” Anand Yang, University of Washington

“Chifas: Translating Chineseness through Food,” Lok Siu, U.C. Berkeley

Confirmed commentator: Roy Chan Panel

#2: Translations of Migrant Imaginations

11:30am-1:00pm

“Edwidge Danticat’s Committed Writing as a Translation of Migration,” Laura Bieger, University of Groningen, the Netherlands

“Child Migrant Stories: Walk on Water and The Walk,” Catherine S. Ramirez, U.C. Santa Cruz

“Labor Migrant Film Audiences in the Post-World War II Years,” Julie Weise, UO

Confirmed commentator: Michael Allan

Public Keynote

Gerlinger Lounge, Gerlinger Hall
4:00-5:30pm

“Assimilation: Global Idea or Just an American Thing?”  

Catherine Sue Ramirez, U.C. Santa Cruz 
​​​Fredy Gonzalez, University of Illinois-Chicago
Christoph Rass, University of Osnabrueck 

Thursday, April 28

Panel #3: Translations of Belonging

Lease Crutcher Lewis, EMU
9:30-11:00am

“The Tong Wars in Mexico: New Perspectives,” Fredy González, University of Illinois-Chicago

“‘Assimilating’ ‘Gastarbeiter’? A Reflexive Approach to the Translation of Concepts in Migration Studies,” Christoph Rass, University of Osnabrueck 

“Lost and Found in Translation: Re-Figuring the Figure of the Migrant,” Peter Schneck, University of Osnabrueck (via Zoom)  

Commentator: Xiaobo Su

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