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The Interdisciplinary Studies Institute (ISI) is now inviting applications for its Spring 2027 Faculty Seminar on the theme of “Migrations.” For the past 25 years, ISI seminars have been spaces for collaborative inquiry and exchange across ranks, departments, colleges, and disciplines, and have included over 200 faculty in 35 disciplines working on highly diverse topics, such as “Entangled Environments,” “Trespassing,” “Emancipations” and “Religious Politics.” 

“Migrations” was the theme of one of ISI’s very first seminars, in 2003. Over two decades later—and given its continued critical global relevance—the institute now looks to revisit the theme and reflect on developments since.

Faculty members at any rank and in any discipline are invited to submit applications that explore multifaceted dimensions of migration, including, but not limited to:

• Forced, labor, refugee, and postcolonial migrations in a broad range of temporal, historical and geopolitical contexts;
• Ways that migration shapes/is shaped by democratic governance, democratic backsliding, and authoritarianism, and the implications for rights and belonging;
• Other movements of people and physical bodies within and across borders;
• The circulation, transfer, and translation of ideas, values and knowledge;
• The relocation, displacement, and movement of material objects;
• Spaces of immobility, containment and detention;
• Liminality, the suspension of time, states of waiting and stasis;
• Physical and digital networks, routes, border regimes and other migration systems

In bi-weekly meetings, ISI fellows, in collaboration with ISI co-directors, will lead the discussion based on their proposed topic, which can take a variety of forms. All fellows will receive $1,000 in their Research Funds after participation in the seminar and the completion of the fellowship period. ISI leaders anticipate that the seminar will connect with and spur on other activity around our broad theme across campus and beyond.

Interested applicants are invited to submit a 300-350-word statement of interest that suggests a proposed topic within this theme, and a short (100-150 word) bio sketch here by Dec. 2. 

More information can be found on the ISI site. For questions, contact ISI co-directors Ela Gezen and David Mednicoff.