Events

The Promise of (Un)Happiness? Gender, Labour, and Migration Center for Gender Studies, European Humanities University

The title of our conference refers to the inspirational reflections of Sara Ahmed on happiness as an existential issue (“a problem”) for those who find themselves in the position of a displaced person. She ponders on a ‘melancholic migrant’ who, under new circumstances, while experiencing incongruence, loss and dispossession, considers happiness to be the key factor of her/his adaptation to a new environment. Ahmed relates happiness with a modality of good citizenship, as for her, “to see happily” means, first of all, not to face violence, asymmetry, or compulsion.

LINK TO THE ONLINE BROADCASTING https://www.wintech.me/conference-2024

Such an approach prompts further reflection on the aspects that are often neglected or overlooked, namely, the interrelation between women’s migration and labour, which may, under certain conditions, become a locus of self-fulfilment and confidence or turn into a trap of alienation and, consequently, the reason for deprivation and unhappiness. It is worth noting that some aspects of migration (transition, transformation, translation, adaptation, change, etc.) are gender-neutral regarding their impact on professional identity and individual career opportunities. However, women often find themselves in the most vulnerable position, as their needs and experiences require particular research.
Viewing the issue of (un)happiness in women’s migration and exile through a dialectical lens, we see that the negative effects of migration, regardless of its prerequisites, can be laden with melancholy and depression, exacerbated by a sense of vulnerability or a state of precariousness and insecurity. Yet, these conditions and feelings can also be intertwined with new opportunities, the vision of alternatives, and the anticipation of a different future.
This conference continues a series of events devoted to different aspects of labour at the intersection of women and technology (as part of the long-term project “Women In Tech”). Therefore, one of the conference’s focuses is women’s IT sphere and the transnationalisation of its labour market in the context of migration.

Program. Press here.Program Women in Tech conference  

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