Link to Session Platform

Chairs(s):

Wan Yu, Binghamton University

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Description:

Since the onset of the COVID pandemic, governmental lockdowns, and global-wide travel bans have re-ignited public debates about the vulnerability of the global migrants, the empowerment of the nation-state over immigrants during public crises, and the future of international migration. The COVID pandemic and unprecedented restrictions on international travel have affected transnational migration in the most detrimental way and have granted a nation-state intervention on individuals to the highest degree. The closure of borders and suspension of most international travels may have completely reshaped the contemporary international migration landscape by redetermining who can travel, when they can leave, and where are the destinations. While most governments have permitted the return of citizens and those with long-term residence rights, transmigrants, especially those who considered themselves “global citizens,” face increasing difficulty in navigating between two worlds. Accompanied with the lockdowns are the rise of ethnonationalism and exclusion toward immigrants. Many immigrants have been battling physical exclusion and social isolation from both home and receiving countries while struggling to re-perceive themselves in the “new normal” and navigate the world of redefined values and ethics.

This session invites papers addressing the intersectionality of race, gender, class, geopolitics, and how they dynamically manifest in the immigration experience in the U.S. during the COVID pandemic. Yet, any papers that explore the following broader topics are also welcome.:
• Geopolitical influences on the contemporary international migration
• Intersectionality of race, gender, class, and immigration
• The physical and mental health of immigrants
• Immigration law and immigration policies
• Nation-state and transnationalism

Non-Presenting Participants Agenda