Research areas in migration and human movement

Structural problems of a historical nature that have not yet been resolved by the states of Central America have deepened in the present day, showing the complexity of the asymmetries both between the countries of this region and at the hemispheric and global level. Migrations have intensified, involving individuals, families, and communities who move in search of alternatives for their sustainability, but also to safeguard life in contexts of socio-political conflicts, public insecurity or political violence, risks in natural disaster environments, or impacts on life systems caused by climate change. This intensification of human displacement in and from Central America is currently expressed in the diversification of the patterns and dynamics of migratory flows - for example, caravans, exodus or mass displacements of migrants - as well as in the size and demographic composition of the populations that move internally and intraregionally or outside of it; the presence of families as well as women and girls, boys or adolescents and young people who migrate with or without the accompaniment of their families is increasingly notable. Faced with this situation, the responses of States in the places of origin and destination, as well as in the transit and return processes of migrations, have shown notable inconsistencies and shortcomings, relying on a securitization approach strengthened in recent years and despite the “benefits generated by migrations” for example, the role that remittances have in national economies, they continue to uncritically replicate provisions and models, promoted by the main destination countries from a South-North and South-South migration perspective. It is argued that as countries strengthen security at their borders, they conceal failures as well as the direct role of states in human rights violations, favoring the reproduction of accumulation patterns and fueling illegal activities, activating corruption processes in which both public and private actors participate. Therefore, contemporary migrations cross borders of various types, levels and scopes (psychological, cultural, demographic, economic, political, social and institutional) posing challenges that require academic reflection starting from the recognition of the theoretical scope and limitations, approaches or methodological applications for their analysis; but above all deepening the need for greater articulation between academia and the public and social management of migrations. Migrant people who move "seeking a life" in, from and to Central America as well as in other latitudes, have woven multiple internal and international connections, articulating themselves with other regions at the hemispheric and global level. This is influenced by the historical characteristics of the political-economic construction of each of these, in a scheme that acquires a local-global physiognomy of free flows for accumulation and of region-to-region of human flows limited by institutions and borders. Based on the realities described, CLACSO opens the Call for Research Scholarships in Migration and Human Mobility, remembering Edelberto Torres Rivas, a prominent Central American intellectual committed to the study and transformation of the realities of the region.

Applicant profile.

• Applicants must be researchers with accredited links to Centers
• CLACSO members. Submissions from individual authors or collectives with no more than three members will be accepted.
• Collective applications must have at least one female member.
• In the case of teams, at least one of the researchers must be trained, that is, possess a master's degree, doctorate or equivalent and academic experience, and the other two must be researchers in training, that is, they are studying for a master's or doctorate or are under 35 years of age.
• Each researcher/research team may only participate with one proposal in this call.
• If the scholarship is awarded and travel is necessary, the winners will be responsible for covering the costs of medical insurance or similar expenses.

Support to be granted

Up to 10 scholarships will be awarded, distributed as follows:

• Up to 4 scholarships for trained researchers.
• At least 6 scholarships for researchers in training.
• At least 3 scholarships will be for researchers from Central America and the insular Caribbean.
• At least 50% of the scholarship recipients will be women.

The amounts of the scholarships awarded will consist of:

• $9.600 for each of the individual or collective scholarships for trained researchers.
• $6.200 for each of the individual or collective scholarships for researchers in training.

The proposed research will be carried out over a maximum period of ten (10) months. The scholarships will be paid in installments via bank transfers made to the name of the recipient responsible for the application. It is expected that at least 60% of the scholarship funds will be used for activities related to gathering and processing the information necessary for the research, and these expenses must be reported to CLACSO with proof of payment.

The ten winning projects will work with the support of tutors assigned by CLACSO who will follow the process of their research.

CLACSO will publish the final products in print and/or digital media, giving them wide publicity and dissemination.

The authors will grant CLACSO the original publication rights to their works, although these works may subsequently be published in any other medium, always citing the award received. Award winners must inform CLACSO of the publication of their winning works.

Characteristics of the proposals

• The member centers to which the applicants are linked must not have any outstanding debts in the payment of membership fees corresponding to the year 2018.
• Completed research projects will not be accepted. Proposals may be linked to ongoing research processes, but the final works must be original and unpublished products and developed within the period established by the call for proposals.
• Members of the Steering Committee or officials of the CLACSO Executive Secretariat may not participate.
• Proposals from researchers who are currently recipients of research grants, fellowships, or research projects organized by CLACSO will not be accepted. Applications from researchers who have previously received a CLACSO research grant will be accepted, provided that the recipient has fulfilled all obligations in a timely manner.
• Texts written in four languages ​​commonly used in Latin America and the Caribbean (Spanish, Portuguese, English and French) will be accepted, depending on the country of origin of the proposal.

Topics of the call for proposals

• The proposals must mainstream the gender perspective under the light of feminisms.
• Proposals must fall under one of the following three thematic areas:
  • Migration and inequalities
  • Migration and violence
  • Migrant groups

Selection criteria for proposals

• In the first stage, the submitted proposals will be reviewed for their formal and administrative aspects to ensure their compliance with the competition rules. Proposals that do not meet the established requirements will be rejected.
• The proposals that pass to the next stage are evaluated by an International Committee made up of experts who will assess the quality and relevance of the proposals submitted under a pseudonym.
• The Call may be declared void or a smaller number of scholarship recipients may be selected, if the proposals submitted do not meet the required quality standards.
• Situations not covered in this document will be resolved by the convening institution.
• The ruling will be final.

Characteristics of research papers

• The research projects will develop their work plan between September 2019 and June 2020. This plan will be implemented under the facilitation of tutors assigned by CLACSO.
• The final report submitted by the scholarship recipients will be reviewed by the tutors.
• In their final version, the research papers submitted as a result should be between 12.000 and 15.000 words in length (excluding appendices and bibliography), written in Times New Roman 12-point font, single-spaced. This is an approximate guideline, and CLACSO reserves the right to make adjustments or exceptions if deemed necessary. The text structure is flexible, respecting the conventions for academic writing and CLACSO's editorial guidelines.
• In addition, each proposal must submit a Guidelines for Action Document, containing inputs and recommendations for public policies and social intervention on the topics investigated.
• Texts written in the four languages ​​commonly used in Latin America and the Caribbean (Spanish, Portuguese, English and French) will be accepted, depending on the country of origin of the proposal.

It is mandatory that the submission be made through the online registration system provided by CLACSO. Printed submissions and submissions sent by email will not be accepted. It is recommended to access the online system to review the registration form.

1. Login to registration system online, which will be available from the day 28 June, 2019.
2. Register in the CLACSO Single Registration System (SUIC). The generated username and password will be required each time you wish to access the system to consult, modify, add, or submit information for this or any other CLACSO activity. Applicants submitting joint proposals must designate one of the authors as responsible for registrationThis same person will receive the corresponding monetary award if the proposal is selected by the Jury.
3. Identify the proposal by indicating its title and the pseudonym of the applicant(s). Applications with pseudonyms that correspond to the applicant's first and/or last name will not be accepted. Once the corresponding fields are completed, the system will enable the uploading of the following data.
4. They must complete the registration form sworn declaration indicating the applicants' affiliation with a Member Center belonging to the CLACSO network. Consult the database of member centers at: clacso.org.ar/clacso/centros_miembros_clacso/inicio.php.
5. Complete the form personal and academic data and attach the curriculum vitae in free format; the digital copy of the identity document, passport or ID card; the digital copy of the highest academic degree obtained (or proof of degree in process) and the photograph.
6. Once registration is closed, the system will produce an electronic certificate of receipt that will serve as proof.