Moving hermeneutics: assessing the conceptual frontiers in studies of movement

Abstract (English)

Anthropology has long engaged with human movement, developing a rich vocabulary to describe it: migration, diaspora, exile, circulation, flows, and, more recently, mobilities. These terms, while analytically useful, have often mirrored the political and epistemological concerns of their times. For instance, exile and forced migration gained prominence amid war and displacement, while diaspora became central in postcolonial studies. More recently, the rise of "mobilities" as a broad conceptual umbrella has sought to integrate various experiences of movement but has also raised concerns about analytical overreach.
At the same time, contemporary global dynamics have challenged the ways we conceptualize mobility. The reinforcement of borders and the criminalization of migration highlight the need for categories that capture forced immobility as much as movement. Simultaneously, an epistemological shift toward future-making urges us to rethink mobility beyond spatial terms, incorporating aspirations, agency, and imagined trajectories. These developments call for a reassessment of how we, as anthropologists, frame mobility-related research.
This roundtable invites scholars to reflect on whether current conceptual frameworks adequately address contemporary mobility challenges. Should we seek greater integration between mobility studies and other frameworks of displacement and immobility? How can we reconcile specificity with interdisciplinary dialogue? Furthermore, as the IUAES Commission on Migration expands its scope, should it rethink its own conceptual grounding and name? By engaging with these questions, this session seeks to critically map the shifting terrain of mobility studies and explore possibilities for a more cohesive yet flexible analytical framework.