International Seminar on Global Perspectives on Marriage and International Migration
Seoul, South Korea, 20-21 October 2011

Organized by Statistics Korea and the IUSSP Panel on the Process and Dynamics of Cross-Border Marriage. 

Chairs of the Seminar: Doo-Sub Kim (Hanyang University) and Insill Yi (Statistics Korea).
IUSSP Panel members: Danièle Bélanger (The University of Western Ontario), Gavin W. Jones (National University of Singapore), Doo-Sub Kim (Chair, Hanyang University), Bhassorn Limanonda (Independent Researcher, Thailand), Wen-Shan Yang (Academia Sinica).

CALL FOR PAPERS

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 31 January 2011

Phenomena associated with globalization, such as the democratization of international travel and the development of communication technologies, have facilitated a dramatic increase in marriages between individuals of different nationalities and origins. Skewed sex ratios among the unmarried population, or sections of the unmarried population, in certain countries may also have contributed to the trend. Referred to as ‘international marriages’ or ‘cross-border marriages’, these unions often involve the international migration of one spouse to the country of residence of the other. The recent increase in the number of international marriages worldwide reconfigures conjugal relationships, families, and communities in various ways and creates new challenges for governments and societies. Diverse forms of transnational families and intimacies are also associated with this phenomenon. This seminar will be the first to approach the issue of international marriage-migration from a global perspective and to compare trends, causes, and implications for different regions and countries of the world. The issue is a cross-cutting theme of demographic and social studies on families, marriages, gender, and international migration.

The aim of the seminar is to gather cutting edge papers on issues related to the relationships between marriage and international migration. Papers providing a national or regional overview, as well as specific case studies, are encouraged. Quantitative analyses, as well as small-scaled qualitative studies, are welcome. Potential themes of papers include, but are not limited to, the following:

Historical background and demographic trends; individual characteristics of married couples; motivation and process of marriage migration; spouse dissimilarity; marital stability and divorce; post-immigration settlement and social integration; fertility of marriage immigrants; education and integration of the second generation; social and economic impacts in sending and receiving societies; gender perspective; legal and citizenship issues; and policy implications.

Submissions
The IUSSP Scientific Panel on the Process and Dynamics of Cross-Border Marriage invites researchers in the field to submit online by 31 January 2011 a short 300-word abstract AND an extended abstract (2 to 4 pages, including tables).

Applicants will be notified whether their paper has been accepted by 31 March 2011. In the case of acceptance on the basis of an abstract, the completed paper must be uploaded on the IUSSP website by 31 August 2011.

The seminar will be limited to a maximum of 20 contributed papers and to one author per paper. If the paper is co-authored, please indicate the names of co-authors at the end of the abstract. Submission should be made by the author who will attend the seminar.

The working language at the seminar will be English. Abstracts, extended abstracts and final papers should therefore be submitted and presented in English.

Seminar Organizers will explore possibilities for publishing the papers. Preference will be given to publication in a special issue of an international journal or in a monograph. Papers submitted should be unpublished and remain the property of the IUSSP until the committee makes a decision with regard to their possible publication.

Current funding for the seminar is limited and efforts are under way to raise additional funds. Participants are encouraged to seek their own funding—however a limited number of fellowships to cover the costs of participation to the seminar might become available for accepted papers. Those who are applying for financial assistance should tick the appropriate box on the online submission form and indicate the amount (and/or the kind) of support they require when submitting their abstracts. Applicants will be informed of the status of their application for financial support at latest by 15 September 2011. Travel funding provided by the IUSSP is for IUSSP members only. To become a member: http://www.iussp.org/Membership/4application.php.

For further information:
Please contact Doo-Sub Kim (duskim@hanyang.ac.kr).