Networks in transatlantic transfers and migrations (19th-21st centuries)
Call for Papers
International symposium
21-22 May 2026
University of Southern Brittany – Lorient
The Atlantic Ocean holds a significant place in the history of human mobility, be it forced (in the case of the slave trade for example) or voluntary, as the successive waves of colonists and then migrants who settled in America show.
Then, within the framework of Migration studies, this two-day conference will focus on population movements between the continents which edge the Atlantic Ocean: Europe, America and Africa.
According to Frank Thistlethwaite (The Great Experiment, 1955), human migration encompasses a complex series of movements connecting both sides of the Atlantic; so, America should not be seen as the epicentre of these transatlantic migrations; it has also shaped the history of Europe and Africa, a viewpoint that historians ought to study in its entirety.
The aim of this conference is to analyse this phenomenon from the 19th century up to the 21st century, through different migration experiences such as the slave trade, the stories of steerage passengers, exiles on the run or people running away from conflicts.
Human mobility may reflect family choices or stem from communal, ethnic, political or economic reasons. This conference will analyse how human mobility and these networks are articulated. This connection testifies to the collective and organisational dimension of these migrations, thereby redefining the image and the profile of those taking part in these migrations, either forced or voluntary.
Running away from misery, abuse or hoping for a better future, a fresh start or adventure, those who crossed the ocean - in both directions - undertook this journey individually, but also collectively, relying on existing networks. This conference aims at exploring the impact these networks had in the history of migrations and integration across the Atlantic. The creation of communal networks and the way they emerged will be examined, for example Italian emigrants opposed to fascism, freed slaves looking for a safe place in Liberia or Spanish refugees fleeing Francoism. Those groups relied on existing structures in order to organise their journey. Indeed, some networks were based on clandestine structures and systems of domination. Many of them were organised along transnational, partisan, parochial or family lines.
This partisan dimension could be further explored, not least the idea that the political debates of a country can be imported to the new home country through these networks. Liam Kennedy explains: “Diasporas that emerged from or were significantly shaped by violent conflicts can maintain traumatic identities, galvanised by narratives of national
identity and return, which can motivate and mobilise militant activity” (Kennedy, 2022, p. 198). For example, in the case of the Northern Irish conflict, Sinn Féin benefitted from a large support basis through the establishment of NORAID in 1970, before the Irish diaspora turned to a more constitutional view of peace resolution. The transfer of the Northern Irish question to the USA had an impact indeed on the diplomatic relationship between the United Kingdom and the USA. It seems therefore interesting to look at the influence these networks had as diplomatic actors and to examine their influence on diplomatic links between states, through the concept of diaspora diplomacy.
Moreover, another line of enquiry worth exploring is the experience of returning to one’s home country. This experience may be either individual or collective and may involve first-generation migrants or their descendants (Wyman, 1993). This phenomenon has been more closely studied over the past twenty years (Lenoël and al., 2020). Return migration can therefore be seen as an element of continuity in this migration journey. This experience may also be temporary, in the case of tourist trips people embark on to trace their origins (roots tourism). Besides, their economic impact must not be underestimated. Some presentations could investigate further those return experiences, either through autobiographical or fictional narratives (Ngozi Adichie, Americanah, 2013; Dino Cinel, The National Integration of Italian Return Migration – 1870-1929, 1991) and the protean concept of return migration (Tsuda, 2009). The reasons for this phenomenon and the circumstances under which it occurs could be analysed, whether they are related to economic reasons or the need to trace one’s family roots.
Some lines of enquiry could include:
- the role of diplomacy in transatlantic migrations
- the transnational dimension of these networks
- the influence of diasporas on diplomatic relationships
- diasporas and their attachment to their home country
- the conditions for the emergence of transnational networks
- roots tourism / genealogy tourism
- return migration, individual or collective return
- correspondence
- chain migrations
- representations of one’s home / writing a national narrative from abroad
- cultural connections and transfers (fictional for example)
It is our pleasure to welcome Anne Groutel, Full Professor in British and Irish studies at Rouen University and Raymond Blake, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and historian at the University of Regina, Canada as keynote speakers for this conference.
We invite proposals for presentations offering new perspectives on the question of transatlantic networks. Fostering an interdisciplinary approach, presentations in diverse fields such as history, geography, political science, anthropology, sociology, literature, arts, visual arts, linguistics or economy will be very much welcome. The presentations will be either in French or in English. Abstracts should not exceed 250 words and should be accompanied by a short biographical note. The deadline for submission is January 23, 2026. Abstracts should be sent to Marie-Christine Michaud (marie-christine.michaud@univ-ubs.fr), Nolwenn Rousvoal (nolwenn.rousvoal@univ-ubs.fr), and Taoufik Djebali (taoufik.djebali@unicaen.fr).
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Braun Lauren, Maddalena Mariani et Daniele Fiorentino (eds), Managing Migration in Italian and US History, Berlin: De Gruyter, 2023.
Bruneau, Michel, « Phénomène diasporique, transnationalisme, lieux et territoires » CERISCOPE Frontières, 2011.
Cinel, Dino, The National Integration of Italian Return Migration, 1870-1929, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
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