Transdisciplinary Conference: Living and learning of and with refugees

The conference took place on Sept 19 and 20, 2017 in Kardinal-König-Haus. 60 participants from the areas of science, church, religious communities, local politicans and representatives of the European Union attended the conference. 

Speakers included the following: Niraj Nathwani, Agency of the European Union for Basic Rights, Antoine Savary, Deputy Head “Legal Migration and Integration” der Europäischen Kommission, DG Migration and Home affairs, and Joe Weidenholzer, EU.

The conference was part of the identically named research project at the Institute for Practical Theology of the Faculty of Catholic Theology of the University of Vienna. The goal of this project was to develop a positive national and Europe-wide policy framing and narrative regarding the topic of refugee integration through transdisciplinary dialogue. The basis for this was an empirical research project that students from different disciplines took part in and aimed at reflecting on refugee support projects in cooperation with Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities and with teachers from private and public schools. 

The results of the project were presented within the framework of a conference and were discussed against the background of migration and integration research, political expertise on national and EU level and insights from migration, legal and human rights politics of the EU. Eventually, a transdisciplinary framework was developed that provides inspiration, motivation and support for a strenghtened engagement of civil society target groups in the realm of refugee migration. 

A cooperation between the research platform, the Institute for Practical Theology at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Vienna and ERSTE-Stiftung.

For further information contact: regina.polak@univie.ac.at