Digitally mediated transnational mobilities and migration infrastructure in/from Asia
Panel proposal to ICAS 13, 28 July – 1 August 2024, Surabaya, Indonesia
Convenors
Dr Juan Zhang (University of Bristol, UK)
Associate Professor Lan Anh Hoang (University of Melbourne, Australia)
Abstract
In the past decade, transnational migration and mobility patterns have been shaped by a variety of health and environmental crises, regional and international geopolitical tensions, as well as the opportunities and challenges stemming from evolving global economic outlooks. Notably, the digital boom has had a profound effect on the scale, composition, and velocity of human mobility flows, radically transforming the ways migrants conduct their transnational lives. There is a growing body of literature that explores how digital technologies, particularly social media and networking platforms, have become integral to global mobilities, increasingly blurring the boundaries between physical and virtual worlds. However, there is pressing need for more scholarly examination to address the wide-reaching implications of how digitalised networks – especially social media platforms, AI technologies, and the internet of things – are reshaping and redefining migration infrastructure (Xiang and Lindquist 2014; Lin et al. 2017). Further exploration is also required to understand the effects of pervasive digitalisation on mobility practices, from the digitisation of work to the rapid expansion of remote technologies embedded deeply in the social realms of communication, education, business, and care.
To address this knowledge gap, this panel invites scholarly contributions on digitally mediated transnational mobilities and migration infrastructure in and from Asia. The panel welcomes empirical studies as well as theoretically-driven analyses, with a specific emphasis on the following themes and questions:
1. How are digital networks and novel media platforms reshaping people’s migration experiences and transnational ties? Specifically, how are migrant family dynamics, gender relations, community engagement, and citizenship claims evolving across physical and virtual worlds?
2. How does the recalibration of education prospects and work structures towards remote and hybrid models transform migration aspiration, movement patterns, and mobility practices?
3. How do digital technologies challenge/restructure the established migration infrastructure in the Asian context?
4. Could the expanding digital divide lead to uneven migration routes and create disparities in mobility outcomes?
We invite abstract submissions that address these questions. Those wishing to join the panel are encouraged to submit a short abstract (250 words maximum) and biographical notes (100 words) to the convenors Dr Juan Zhang (juan.zhang@bristol.ac.uk) and A/P Lan Anh Hoang (lahoang@unimelb.edu.au) by 6 October 2023 (Friday).
Managing Editor: Xin Fan
Network for Research into Chinese Education Mobilities (NRCEM) 