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A group PhD candidates, advanced researchers and civil society practitioners came together online in March 2021 during the first part of the hybrid international PhD School on Migration and Socioecological Change that got Seed Money funding from the Focus Area Migration and Societal Change of Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��.

The central question of the school is: ‘How to contribute to the fair and sustainable development of European localities other than large metropolis while also offering a welcoming space for non-EU migrants to pursue their life projects?’ The second part of the PhD school is planned to take place offline in Soria, Spain, in autumn of this year, which will include field visits and discussions with local inhabitants and practitioners.

The school started out by an online gathering with the 20 participating PhD candidates and the organizers of the PhD school, based all over Europe. Next to getting to know each other, the participants also had the chance to discuss our research ideas in small groups. The participants approached the central question of this summer school from different disciplines and angles. They focused, for example, on innovative housing solutions for migrant newcomers and long-term inhabitants, political participation, and bottom-up initiatives for and by migrant newcomers. It was thought provoking and inspiring to get together and discuss each other’s approaches-- a highlight during the lockdown routine.

Panel discussions

In the same week, civil society practitioners and experienced researchers based in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Finland, Poland and Luxembourg participated in two panel discussions during an online open day. The first discussion turned around “opportunities for participation of non-EU migrants in the development of European localities other than large cities.” The panelists of the first round stressed the importance of cooperation—but also constructive conflict—between inhabitants of different backgrounds in rural and peripheral areas, fostering sustainable development and creating welcoming spaces. This could entail on the one hand, taking into account the needs of all inhabitants arising from economic decline, lack of infrastructure and population shrinkage, and on the other hand, the specific challenges of international migrants in settling and participating in remote and rural areas. Some challenges are similar in the different regions discussed, but there are obvious differences too: mountainous areas in for instance France and Spain may be more remote than rural areas in the Netherlands, that are relatively well connected by train.

The second panel discussion was on “contemporary politics of migration and socioecological change in Europe.” This discussion made clear that political systems and government programmes surrounding rural development and immigrant integration influence the possibility for sustainable development and creating a welcoming atmosphere for immigrants. Panelists made clear that, for instance, the criminalization of many immigrants by European governments, as well as legal insecurity and involuntary dispersal of asylum seekers and refugees, impede on immigrants’ opportunity to pursue their life projects safely. One could also imagine that such dynamics limit the fair and sustainable development of rural and peripheral regions in which immigrants settle. These and other issues are picked up in the remainder of the PhD school, and by civil society practitioners and researchers involved in projects like the Horizon 2020 research projects , and

By Jana Finke