Welcome to the ETMU Conference 5–6 November 2026!

The conference will trace what trust means and how it figures and transfigures in migration experiences and processes of belonging. Trust issues, including mistrust and distrust, are highly constitutive of migration trajectories and of building sustainable relationships in a given country or context. Trust and a sense of safety, belonging, solidarity, and reliability often shape how, where, and why people move, and how they inhabit the society and institutions of their country of citizenship or residence.

A dominant understanding of trust requires recognising one’s vulnerability in anticipation of others’ intentions and actions, with openness to and hope for a better collective outcome. In this understanding, trust is crucial for building sustainable future societal relations. Yet the definition, narrative and enactment of trust can be contested. Trust is shaped by inequities and discrimination, and by phenomena such as racism, whereas racism, structural and beyond may influence people’s opportunities to trust the society or the communities living in it. Trust can be exploited, and mistrust can be protective or can foster solidarity and grassroots activism. Hence, trust, as a concept and as an experience, is elusive and disputed. It is contextual – depending on and embedded in the surroundings; relational – building on the relations between individuals or institutions; and dynamic – it is a process that can shift and change; it is constantly renegotiated. This makes research on trust challenging both conceptually and methodologically.

Despite its contested nature, the meaning and role of trust, as well as mistrust and distrust, in the context of migration and belonging have been relatively understudied, both theoretically and empirically. This conference reflects on the diverse ways of conceptualising, inhabiting, experiencing, and enacting trust. It also traces both traditional and new research methodologies on trust.

Important dates and information

• The deadline for submissions of paper abstracts: 15th of August 2026
• Notification of acceptance: 15th of September 2026
• The programme will be released: 16th of September 2026
• Registration opens: 16th of September 2026
• Registration closes: 15th of October 2026

Please note that the dates might be subject to minor adjustments.