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Idea.

The
 London 
Integration
 Forum 
was
 initiated 
by 
a
 multidisciplinary
 and
 diverse
 group
 of
 students
 and
 young
 researchers
 at
 the
 LSE,
 the
 School
 of
 Oriental
 and
 African
 Studies
 (SOAS,
 University
 of
 London)
 and
 King’s 
College 
London
 (KCL).


What
 brought 
us 
together
 was
 the
 discontent
 with
 the
 current
 debates
 on
 migration
 and
 integration
 in
 Germany
 and
 Britain,
 which
 by
 and
 large
 are
 lacking
 both
 a
 substantive
 and
 sound
 analysis
 of
 the
 achievements
 and
 challenges
 regarding 
integration 
as 
well
 as 
implications
 for 
future
 policy‐making.


While
 it
 is
 said
 that
 ‘multiculturalism
 has
 utterly
 failed’
 without
 clearly
 defining
 multiculturalism,
 there
 are
 few
 constructive
 proposals
 on
 how
 to
 prepare
 diverse
 European
 societies
 for
 a
 successful
 future.


Based
 on
 our
 disappointment,
 the
 idea
 was
 born
 to
 organize
 a
 more
 thorough
 integration
 debate
 at
 the
 LSE,
 which
 lives
 up
 to
 the
 high
 academic
 standards,
 the
 international
 outlook
 and
 the
 cosmopolitan
 student
 body
 of
 the
 School
 and
 other
 London
 universities.


In
 cooperation
 with
 the
 Migration
 Studies
 Unit
 at
 the
 LSE, funded by the LSE Annual Fund, and
 supported
 by
 as well as organized by scholarship-holders of the
 German
 Academic
 Exchange
 Service
 (DAAD)
 we
 aim
 to
 inject
 a
 fresh
 perspective
 into
 the
 British
 and
 German
 integration
 discourse
 by
 framing
 immigration
 and
 integration
 as
 fields
 of
 learning
 and
 exchange
 between
 the
 two
 countries.
 Bringing
 together
 renowned
 scholars,
 politicians
 and
 professionals
 we
 want
 to
 initiate
 discussions
 that
 go
 beyond
 the
 analysis
 of
 the
 status
 quo
 of
 immigration
 and
 integration
 and 
actually 
formulate
 a
 vision
 for
 a 
future
 after
 the
 widely
 proclaimed
 ‘failure of
 multiculturalism’.






Event.

The
 event
 will
 take
 place
 at
 the
 Old Theatre of the London
 School 
of 
Economics 
and 
Political
 Science
 on 
the 
1st 
of
 July
 2011
 from 5.30 to 8 pm with
 a key note address and a panel
 discussions focusing
 on
 ‘Migration 
and
 the
 Economy’,
‘Identity 
in 
Multicultural
 Societies’
 and
 ‘Shaping
 the
 Future of a Multicultural Europe’.
 The
 discussion will
 be
 followed 
by 
an reception.

Programme:

5.30 pm    KEYNOTE ADDRESS by Liz Fekete

"The Rise of Racism and Nationalism in the Age of Austerity: 21st-Century Challenges in Multicultural Europe"

6 pm         PANEL DISCUSSION

With Dr Naika Foroutan, Dr Myria Georgiou, Lamya Kaddor, and Prof Julian Petley.

Moderated by Nazia Hussain (Open Society Foundation)

Venue:

The event takes place at the Old Theatre (OLD) of the London School of Economics and Political Science, London UK (view map)


Speakers.

Dr Naika Foroutan - Director of the research project “Hybrid European-Muslim Identities” (HeyMat), funded by the Volkswagen Foundation (Schumpeter Fellowship / 2008-13) at the Humboldt University in Berlin.

Lamya Kaddor - Author on Muslim-German identity ("Muslimisch, weiblich, deutsch: Mein Leben für einen zeitgemäßen Islam" [Muslim, Female, German: My Life for a Timely Islam], Munich: C.H. Beck 2010). In 2010, she was awarded the "European Muslim Women of Influence" prize by CEDAR (Connecting European Achievers & Role Models).

Dr Myria Georgiou - Lecturer at the Department of Media and Communications, LSE;  researcher on transnational communication and cosmopolitan identities.

Liz Fekete - Executive director and head of European research at the Institute of Race Relations (IRR, London). A leading authority on issues of racism, Islamophobia and national security legislation, she is the author of A Suitable Enemy: Racism, Migration and Islamophobia in Europe (London: Pluto Press, 2009).

Prof Julian Petley - Professor of Screen Media and Journalism, Brunel University, Uxbridge & co-editor of "Pointing the Finger: Islam and Muslims in the British Media" (Apr. 2011). Member of the editorial boards of the 'British Journalism Review', 'Vertigo' and 'fifth-estate-online', and also principal editor of the 'Journal of British Cinema and Television'.

Nazia Hussain - Director of the Open Society Foundation's project "At Home in Europe", directing research on policies and practices relating to integration in 11 EU cities, and the impact of various public policies on identity and belonging. She is also leading advocacy efforts arising from the findings.