Gulf Canada Connections: Migration, Citizenship, and Urban Change Across Borders

Call for Papers

We invite paper proposals for the upcoming Gulf Canada Connections workshop, hosted by Migration Integration in the Mid-21st Century: Bridging Divides at Toronto Metropolitan University, which seeks to explore emerging connections between Canada and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

This two-day, interdisciplinary workshop will bring together scholars, students, and practitioners working across Migration Studies, Gulf Studies, Urban Studies, and related fields. The workshop will engage broadly on key Bridging Divides research themes: citizenship and participation, and place and infrastructure. It will centre the lived, intersectional experiences of migrants and critically examine the policies and infrastructures shaping migration pathways and sense of belonging in both regions. More specifically, this workshop seeks to meet the following objectives:

• fill a significant gap by examining the understudied trend and pattern of Gulf-Canada migration 
• to move beyond exceptionalist and homogenous framings of the Gulf by analyzing GCC states as key sites for understanding global shifts in migration regimes 
• explore how these evolving migration regimes shape urban life and space, including the everyday use of the city 

We welcome submissions on topics including (but not limited to):

• Citizenship, belonging, and digitalization in the Gulf and Canada
• Migration governance and migrant precarity in the GCC and Canada
• Multi-step migration trajectories between the Gulf and Canada
• Diversity governance and everyday experiences in Gulf and Canadian cities
• Transnational families and/or return migration
• Migrant justice movements and solidarity  
• Migration categories and how they interact with race, gender, age, and class, etc.

Workshop Format and Follow-Up

The event will feature four thematic panels, as well as opportunities for collaboration and networking. Selected participants will be invited to submit full papers for consideration in a special issue proposal to a leading migration journal.

We are particularly interested in fostering dialogue across disciplines and geographies and strongly encourage submissions from early-career researchers and scholars based in or working on the Gulf region. Limited funding is available to support travel for selected participants; applicants are encouraged to indicate their need for financial assistance when submitting their proposals.

Submission Instructions

Please submit an abstract (max 300 words) and a short bio including your name and institutional affiliation (max 100 words) via  (google form) this form (external link) , by November 15, 2025.

If you would like to be considered for travel support, please include a brief statement (max 150 words) with your submission outlining your need for funding and whether you have access to alternative sources of support. Priority will be given to early-career scholars, participants without access to institutional travel funding, and those traveling from under-resourced institutions or regions.

Organized by: Richa Shivakoti, Asma Atique, Jérémie Molho, Amin Moghadam, Hari KC, Yousef Khalifa Aleghfeli