Justice Studies Association Conference: Suggested Topics

CONFERENCE- Suggested Topics For Presentation

JSA 2009 CONFERENCE
“Immigration, Sanctuary,
Worlds Without Borders”

Scholars, activists, practitioners of justice, and providers of sanctuary and hospitality around the world who wish to make a presentation at the 2009 JSA conference might find the list of suggestions below helpful. Of course presenters might offer insights into any related topic as well.

Topics Related to Immigration and Displaced Persons

—The current state and well-being of those forced into migration everywhere, and the economic and political conditions that are the causes of such misery;

—the media’s portrayal, or lack thereof, of immigrants and displaced persons, especially in relation to national and international policies; and the extent to which immigrant leaders are trained to take an active role in addressing the effects and causes of their plight in the media;

—the impact of immigration on family relations and gender balance in communities and the added effects of “imprisonment” and deportation;

—the lack of access to health-care services for displaced persons generally, and specifically services such as translators in hospitals and social service agencies;

—the trauma of individuals, families, and groups who have lived as refugees for generations and the impact of such trauma on personal and social identity;

—the education policies of nations regarding immigrants and displaced persons with respect to the reorganization of school curriculums, so as to include lessons on immigration and displaced persons as well as the teaching of immigrant and non-immigrant students simultaneously;

—the grassroots organizing by immigrant and displaced-person groups themselves and by religious congregations interested in the well-being of these stateless groups;

—governmental use of police and military personnel as enforcers of economic and political disparities on both national and international levels;

—the impact on neighborhoods when immigrants move into sections of towns and cities, especially when tensions arise because of bias toward immigrants;

—the sociological and criminological exploration of crimes of nation-states toward their peoples through exclusionary policies, and the commitment of social science disciplines to critically examine the plight of displaced persons.

Topics Related to Sanctuary

—The various forms of sanctuary, protection, and offering of aid and hospitality by religious congregations and civic groups and the kinds of solace such acts afford;

—the response of governments to those who aid immigrants and displaced persons as they offer employment, sanctuary, and hospitality with special attention to “cases” such as Postville, Iowa;

—the history, practices, and efficacy of The New Sanctuary Movement and related movements internationally;

—a description and analysis of radical hospitality practices in communities such as the provision of housing, legal support, and protection from the authorities;

—an examination of the risks to freedom (real and perceived) incurred by those offering hospitality and sanctuary;

—personal accounts and community stories of involvement with immigrants and displaced persons (e. g. translators, ex-immigration workers);

—the challenges and successes of “sanctuary cities” (e.g. New Haven, CT and New York City) and countries such as Denmark;

—acts of restorative and transformative justice that help heal in diverse ways the victimization experienced by immigrants and other forcibly-displaced persons;

—The concept of worldwide citizenship and the implications of such citizenship for geopolitical entities such as the nation-state and transnational corporations;

—utopian visions of a just world community in literature, especially in the work of writers such as Marge Piercy and Ursula Le Guin;

—alternative sources of social control to nation-state legal statements such as the Patriot Act that prohibit free movement across national borders;

—the UN and World Court’s role in maintaining traditional nation-state geopolitical boundaries or in helping to erode nation-state borders in the interest of universal well-being;

—the ethnographies of immigrants and displaced persons who present visions of social well-being for all;

—visions of societies where all people have equal rights, political freedoms, legal protections, economic security, and self-determination by builders, engineers, reporters, teachers, doctors, sociologists, and criminologists, without borders; as well as by leaders, planners, parliaments, and social activists beyond borders.

All those interested in making a presentation must send a title and abstract of no more than 250 words to program co-chair Dennis Sullivan at <dsullivan6@nycap.rr.com> by February 15, 2009. Presenters are encouraged to set up entire sessions as well but should check first with the program chair.

Presenters will be notified of their inclusion in the program by the first week of March.

2009 Conference Program Chairs

Daniel Okada
California State University Sacramento
E-mail: dokada@csus.edu