CfA: Labour and Migration within Transformation Processes in South-East Europe and Beyond

The Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Banja Luka (FPN UNIBL), in collaboration with the University of Vienna – Research Centre for the History of Transformations (UNIVIE RECET), the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts – Institute of Culture and Memory Studies (ZRC SAZU), and the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS) in Regensburg, is organizing the 6th International Conference “Society and Politics”. The conference will take place on September 25–26 2025, at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Banja Luka. The conference theme is:

"Labour and Migration within Transformation Processes in South-East Europe and Beyond"

The conference aims to contribute to a broader discussion on labour and migration, focusing on how transformation processes have influenced changes in labour and migration regimes and practices within and outside of Southeast Europe (SEE).

Participants are invited to submit papers and panel proposals addressing any aspect of labour and migration within the context of societal transformations, with suggested (but not limited to) thematic areas including:

• Labour migration regimes, practices and experiences
• (Changing) labour practices and (post-socialist) experiences
• (Labour) migration flows and strategies at macro, mezzo or micro level
• Workers and migrant workers agency
• Gendered dimensions of labour and/or migration
• Culture at the Crossroads: global, regional, mass, local, and hybrid phenomena related to migration, labour, and digital transformations
• Spaces and practices of recovery, wellbeing and normalization in times of broader social, political and economic changes: (virtual) communities, translocal families, regional friendships, and other support-networks and activities
• Migration to Southeast Europe, refugees and related policies
• Labour migration history
• European inequalities and the migration of labour

We encourage researchers from diverse fields, including sociology, political science, social work, journalism and communication studies, history, social anthropology, and related disciplines to submit their papers or panel proposals.

Participation in the conference is free of charge, with meals and refreshments provided for all participants. Limited accommodation will be offered to early-career researchers without institutional funding.

 Key dates:

• Deadline for submission of abstracts and panel proposals: April 15, 2025
• Notification of acceptance: June 1, 2025
• Conference dates: September 25–26, 2025
• Full paper submission deadline: October 10, 2025
• Notification of full paper acceptance: November 21, 2025

This conference is organized within the framework of the Horizon Europe project “Enhancing Capacities for Quality and Impactful Research on Transformations, Labour and Migration in Southeast Europe (RETLAMI-SEE),” funded by the European Commission.

For more information on thematic areas, submission guidelines, and other details, please refer to the Call for Paper or visit the official conference website: