Oxford Migration Studies Society is excited to announce our 2026 annual conference, “Migration, Justice, and the Making of Futures.”
What does it mean to imagine more just futures for migrants in an era of increasingly hostile governance institutions, political contexts, and cultural attitudes?
The 2026 Oxford Migration Conference looks to center how refugees, migrants, displaced communities, and their allies reimagine understandings of justice, care, and collective futures. We invite scholars, practitioners, activists, and artists to an international conference exploring possibilities of migrant futures that foreground novel approaches to justice. We encourage the submission of work aligning with these themes or the suggestion of related questions for further inquiry.
Prospective applicants should submit an abstract of up to 250 words by Friday, March 13, 2026, at 12 noon GST. Please apply using this link. We aim to construct an interdisciplinary programme and welcome submissions of a range of project types and diverse academic fields, including ongoing or completed research, documentary films, and poetry.
Applicants may submit proposals to present as conference panelists and/or to have their work considered for publication in a special issue of Routed magazine, an online publication focused on migration and (im)mobility. Please note that applicants who apply for both opportunities may not be accepted for both. All applicants will be notified of outcomes shortly after the submission deadline.
The conference will be held from June 5th and June 6th at the University of Oxford. It will be a hybrid conference.
As a student-led organisation, our ethos is to promote the participation and work of all individuals, regardless of geographic location. If you are facing significant financial, administrative, or accessibility barriers, please still apply as we will do our best to accommodate you.
If you have any questions, please reach out to the OMSS team at omss@qeh.ox.ac.uk. We look forward to receiving your abstracts and we hope to see you at the conference!
