MIGRATION-MINDERHEITEN

photo-migr-min

News and Activity

  • Next event: Workshop, Neuchâtel, 5 September 2025
  • Vulnerable Societies: Migrants, Minorities, Risks and Responses at the SSA Conference, Basel/Muttenz, 9–11 September 2024.
  • Seminar series Intermigra Lab Geneva, Migration, mobility, racialization and intersectionality (HETS Geneva, Geneva Graduate Institute, University of Geneva). Programme.
  • A while back (2021), we have published a special issue in the Swiss Journal for Sociology (open access). Introduction here.

This research network seeks to promote mutual exchange and research on migration and minorities. While the research network focuses on work with a sociological perspective, we recognize that disciplinary boundaries have become blurred and encourage exchange with social scientists from other disciplines. The research network organizes regular seminars, workshops and conferences, and runs a moderate mailing lists to achieve its aims.

Migration and the relationship between the majority population and minority groups have become a defining feature of today’s society. The arrival of immigrants — some permanent, others temporarily — highlights the social construction of group boundaries, their role in marking social differences, and how discriminatory practices and social meaning can result. There are now many residents in Western societies that have grown up and socialized in their country of residence, yet remain outsiders because of their citizenship or their ancestor’s migration: Questions of immigration increasingly become questions of minority groups.

In recent years, research on migration and minorities has increased greatly, but many contributions problematize the presence of immigrants and minorities, re-using political terms uncritically. This research network encourages high-quality research on all aspects of migration and minorities, both qualitative and quantitative in nature. Work focusing on the intersection between minority statuses — migration, minority, gender, class, location — are particularly welcomed, as are methodological contributions to the field.

The research network was established during the Congress of the Swiss Sociological Association in October 1985.

Members of the research network have traditionally had frequent and close contact with members of the Swiss Political Science Association and the Swiss Ethnological Society.

Two coordinators moderate the activities jointly with motivated members of the research network.

Milena Chimienti
HESSO-HETS Geneva

Didier Ruedin
University of Neuchâtel

migration@sgs-sss.ch

All interested sociologists and scientists from other disciplines can join the research network on migration and minorities. We expect that members of the research network regularly participate in the events of the research network.

To join the research network, please send an e-mail to didier.ruedin@unine.ch.

Members
There are around 90 people on our mailing list.

Mailing list
For members: migration-and-minorities@googlegroups.com

Please feel free to post information about seminars, workshops, and conferences, job opportunities, and publications of potential interest to other members of the research network. The mailing list is low volume and weakly moderated.