Technologies of Migration: Asia, Media, Mobility, and Virtuality

Here's a really cool call that has gone out for the Technologies of Migration conference in Champaign, Illinois April 21-22, 2011.

Confirmed speakers: Rhacel Parrenas, Aneesh Aneesh, Cara Wallis, Lisa Nakamura, Josephine Lee

The 21st century has seen a mass migration of workers leaving Asia to live and work in the U.S. and elsewhere. Increasingly, digital media are functioning as essential platforms for Asian and other types of migration. Communication technologies such as mobile phones, online banking and remittance services, video sharing services, digital games, and VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) services such as Skype help workers learn about work and keep in touch with families abroad. And as virtual world games such as World of Warcraft become more globally popular, these digital media become themselves a virtual workplace.

Migration from Asia to the US and return migration from the U.S. to Asia would not occur in the same way were it not for these new platforms and forms of mediation Increasingly, media such as film, television, and literature play an important role in encouraging Asian users to migrate or re-migrate by representing the pleasures, risks, and fears of re-location.

"Technologies of Asian Migration: Media, Mobility, and Virtuality" that will feature experts on the traffic in digital labor, domestic labor, media practices and texts between Asia and America. The technologies that enable this form of traffic and cultural exchange and disapora distributes Asian bodies and representations of Asia all around the world. Many of these technologies such as the Internet, digital games, old and new media, and cellphones are relatively new and understudied. This conference will examine the role that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT's) play in all forms of migration and re-migration between Asia and the Americas.

Call for Proposals for Technologies of Migration conference

This is a free conference for presenters and for attendees. We are particularly interested in giving graduate students a venue to present their work. If you wish to present a 20 minute paper, please send a proposal consisting of:
1>. your title
2>. a 200 word abstract
3>. a 50 word biodata
to yang140@illinois.edu by January 1, 2011.

We welcome presentations on topics such as Migration, Asia, and the Internet, Media Platforms for Asian/American Migration: Literature, Film, and Television, Mobile Media, Mobile Identities, Virtual Migration, Asia, and Digital Games, and Gender, SE Asia, and Technologies of Labor Migration, or related topics.

There's still time.

For more information, please consult the website>>

Thanks to Otherwise (Judy Han) for the fwd!