SECUREU Policy Summer School
Diversity Governance and Securitization in the EU and Beyond
Policy Summer School, July 2-8, 2023 | Bozen/Bolzano, Italy
Access the Final Program of the Summer School here.
Access the Summer School Pamphlet here.
Access the video recordings of the summer school lectures here.
Organizers
The Policy Summer School is part of the activities of the SECUREU network (The Securitization of Migrants and Ethnic Minorities and the Rise of Xenophobia in the EU). SECUREU is a Jean Monnet Network funded by the Erasmus + Program. The Summer School is organized by the Institute for Minority Rights of Eurac Research, in cooperation with the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals and the University of Glasgow.
About the School
Governing diversity in increasingly diverse societies remains an enduring test in many countries. Some states struggle to recognize and/or implement minority rights whereas even highly protected minorities might provoke societal tensions. Migrant inclusion is a challenge for many countries as shown by the building of border walls and fences and the backlash against multiculturalism. Minorities and migrants are often securitized and considered in terms of security threats that require exceptional measures. In recent years, the increase in the number of asylum seekers, the pandemic and kin-state activism have triggered further concerns and fears across Europe.
Research and policy have long addressed the advantages, challenges and shortcomings of minority rights regimes, including norms, mechanisms and instruments to govern diversity, in regards to both national minorities and new communities stemming from contemporary migratory flows. Meanwhile, processes of securitization of minorities and migration have come under critical examination, bringing attention to what extent, how and under what circumstances minorities and culturally diverse ‘others’ are constructed as a threat as well as how to contest security pronouncements. However, how the governance of diversity intersects with processes of securitization remains for the most part unaddressed.
The Policy Summer School “Diversity Governance and Securitization in the EU and Beyond” contributes to this field of inquiry, bringing a securitization perspective to the analysis of policy tools and legal solutions that are currently in use to address majority-minority tensions and migration-related challenges. The Policy Summer School will take place in South Tyrol, generally considered a successful case of ethnic conflict resolution through autonomy and power sharing. Through interdisciplinary and comparative approaches, the summer school focuses on the question of complex diversity and securitization processes of national minorities and migrant communities in light of current trends of rising illiberalism and xenophobia. The one-week program combines theoretical expertise and empirical research on relevant case studies from within and outside the EU. It includes lectures, roundtable discussions, role-play, and study visits to relevant institutions in South Tyrol.
The Summer School welcomes applications from postgraduate students (in Political Science, Law, Sociology, History, International Relations, Anthropology and other related fields), civil servants, NGO representatives, journalists, and other practitioners.
Among the topics covered in the summer school are:
- Theoretical and empirical understanding of security, securitization and countering securitization of minorities and migration.
- The effects of different nation-building regimes on processes of securitization of minorities.
- Minority protection systems at European and domestic levels and their interplay with securitization processes.
- The intersection between securitization of migration, religion and migrant integration policies.
- Focus: securitization of marginalized groups – indigenous peoples and Roma.
- Focus: South Tyrol as a case study of resolving ethnic conflict and overcoming fears of “others”.
The summer school will conclude with an expert roundtable discussion on minority nationalism and the challenges of addressing securitization and radicalization of minorities in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Confirmed Faculty Members
Prof. Lene Hansen – Copenhagen University
Prof. Georgios Karyotis – University of Glasgow
Prof. David Smith – University of Glasgow
Prof. Şener Aktürk – Koç University
Prof. Andrea Gawrich – Justus Liebig University Gießen
Prof. Georg Grote – Eurac Research
Josef Prackwieser – Center for Autonomy Experience
Sergiu Constantin – Eurac Research
Dr. Elisabeth Alber – Eurac Research
Marc Röggla – Center for Autonomy Experience
Dr. Andrea Carlà – Eurac Research
Prof. Valeria Bello – University Ramón Llull
Dr. Tutku Ayhan – Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals
Dr. Roberta Medda-Windischer – Eurac Research
Prof. Ana Ivasiuc – Maynooth University
Prof. Matthias von Hau – Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals
Dr. Alexandra Tomaselli – Eurac Research
Prof. Joseph Marko – Graz University and Eurac Research
Prof. Kristina Kallas – Tartu University, Narva College
Dr. Hanna Vasilevich – International Centre for Ethnic and Linguistic Diversity Studies
Prof. Benedikt Harzl – Graz University
School Organizers and Program Coordinators
Andrea Carlà – Eurac Research
Sergiu Constantin – Eurac Research
Tuition Fee: The tuition fee is covered by the SECUREU network and the Institute for Minority Rights of Eurac Research.
Scholarship: A limited number of scholarships are available covering travel (up to 350€) and accommodation in Bozen/Bolzano, provided by the SECUREU network.
Priority for scholarship will be given to applicants affiliated with partners of the SECUREU network: Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals (Spain); University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands); University of Glasgow (United Kingdom); Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe – Institute of the Leibniz Association (Germany); Koç University (Turkey); Eurac Research (Italy).
Contact: secureu.summerschool2023@eurac.edu
