Call for Papers Beyond Borders: Creative Methods and Reflexive Approaches to Migration, Media, and Intercultural Dialogue ECREA | Section Conference of Diaspora, Migration, and the Media & International and Intercultural Communication Sections Venue: Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia Dates: 16-18 September 2025 Abstract submission deadline: 01. February 2025 Recent global challenges and the rise of far-right governments worldwide have intensified the persecution of migrants, transforming borders into harsh zones of exclusion and surveillance. In this climate, migration is increasingly criminalized, and those seeking safety and opportunity are often met with hostility, reinforcing narrow nationalist ideologies. This environment has posed new methodological challenges for research in migration contexts, as well as prompted reflexive considerations on how knowledge is generated, how participants are cared for, and how spaces are created to support human dignity and mobility. This conference invites researchers to propose abstracts that address methodological and reflexive perspectives in the exploration of multifaceted migration experiences and intercultural communication in the context of migration persecution and border closing. Creative methods, such as digital storytelling, participatory media projects, ethnographic film, and arts-based research, offer rich and nuanced perspectives that address current challenges in migration criminalization. These methods not only capture the complexities of diasporic lives, but also empower communities to express their own narratives and co-create knowledge. We encourage contributions that reflect on these innovative approaches to migration and media studies, as they have the potential to deepen our understanding of how identities, relationships, and cultural dialogues are shaped and redefined through media. Beyond methodological approaches, we also encourage researchers to explore more broadly a reflexive analysis of the dynamic intersection of migration, media, and communication. We encourage submissions that propose alternative, reflexive creative methodological approaches and critical epistemologies to address topics such as: ● Intercultural encounters and intercultural dialogue ● Practices of exclusion, surveillance, and persecution at the border ● AI, platform affordances, and infrastructures in relation to migration and intercultural communication ● Digital counter publics and diasporic activism ● Digital communication on intercultural perceptions and interactions ● Multilingualism in digital spaces and its implications for social cohesion ● Digital transnationalism ● Ethical dimensions of researching migration, media, and intercultural dialogue ● Identity formation and sense of belonging In addition to the conference, we will be hosting a joint workshop for PhD students on the 16th of September 2025, in Tallinn. The workshop will focus on creative methods of research, alternative ways of writing, and reflexive approaches to migration, media, and intercultural dialogue. If you are a PhD student and would like to participate, please submit your application via online submission form. Please note that it is possible for Doctoral researchers to attend both the workshop and the conference, or only one event. More detailed information about the PhD workshop structure will come later. See for further details the link below: https://www.tlu.ee/en/bfm/dmmiic <https://www.tlu.ee/en/bfm/dmmiic>