Welcome to the conference entitled “Navigating Return Migration: What Next? Diplomacy, Infrastructures, and Pathways Beyond”. We look forward to welcoming you to Antalya.
Conference Program
DAY ONE – Thursday, January 22, 2026
08:30–09:00 | Registration & Coffee/Tea
Location: Bumin Kagan Konferans Salonu
09:00–09:15 | Welcome & Opening Remarks - Adak, Nursen (Dean of Faculty of Literature) & Nimer, Maissam (Akdeniz University)
09:15–09:30 | Presentation of the GAPs Project - Sahin-Mencutek, Zeynep; Barthoma, Soner
09:30–10:45 | Plenary Session - KEYNOTE : Complex Migration and Coerced Returns. Anna Triandafyllidou (Toronto Metropolitan University)
10:45–11:00 | Coffee/Tea Break
11:00–12:30 | Parallel Sessions I
Panel Ia: Return as a Tool of State Regulation: Fear, Informality, and Control
Location: Bumin Kagan Konferans Salonu
Moderator: Sahin-Mencutek, Zeynep
A Typology of Return Migration Policies: Comparative Insights from Origin Countries. Şenel, Gülece (Ahmet Yesevi University); Bayraktar Aksel. Damla (Bahcesehir University)
Public attitudes & domestic politics return migrants Iraqi Kurdistan. Baban, Harem (University of Raparin)
African Migration and the Politics of Fear: Return as a Tool of Regulation. Lahlou, Mehdi (INSEA & AMI).
Migrant Returns to and from Tunisia: From Normativity to Informal Practices and Social and Political Effects. Boubakri, Hassen (University of Sousse)
Returning from Europe to an IDP Camp? Iraqi Yazidis a Decade After ISIS Genocide. Ancite-Jepifánova, Aleksandra (King's College London)
Panel Ib: Belonging, Aspirations, and Diasporic Politics
Location: Kaşgarlı Mahmut Salonu
Moderator: Barthoma, Soner
Unsettling Home: Syrian Refugees in Türkiye and the Limits of Voluntary Repatriation. Aksu Kargin, İnci (Uşak University); Teke Lloyd, Armağan (Abdullah Gül University)
Emotional Justice and Return Aspirations: Poetic ethnography about Syria’s Regime Change. Alpes, Jill (University of Paris and Lebanese American University).
Displacement, Belonging, and Aspirations for Return in the Case of Crimean Tatars in Turkey. Coskun, Bezen (Necmettin Erbakan University)
Panel Ic: Reintegration of migrants
Location: Psikoloji Bölümü 208 (Psychology Department 208)
Moderator: Puthoopparambil, Soorej Jose
Does sense of community buffer the association between experiences of discrimination and the well-being of EU-based Nigeria Returnees? Ajaero, Chukwuedozie Kelechukwu; Uzomah, Ngozi; Madu, Ignatius and Ezea, Eberechukwu Jennifer (University of Nigeria Nsukka)
Aspirations Before Return, Realities After Return: Tracing the Reintegration Journey of Indonesian Migrant Workers. Widyastuti, Retno (Nexus Indonesia Initiatives)
Coming Home: Reintegration Experiences of Kazakh Labor Migrants Returning from Turkiye. Urinboyev, Rustamjon (Lund University); Kumiskhojayeva, Albina (Al-Farabi Kazakh National University)
Beyond the Borders: Uncovering the Social Harms of Return Migration through a Zemiological Lens. Schreier, Simona (University for Continuing Education Krems)
Coordinating Reintegration in Complex Contexts: Lessons from Nordic Cooperation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Hammarstedt, Anna; Bergsten, Jenny; Luthman, Iris (Swedish Delegation for Migration Studies)
12:30–13:30 | Lunch
13:30–15:00 | Parallel Sessions II
Panel IIa: Regional Governance, Externalisation and Contestation
Location: Bumin Kagan Konferans Salonu
Moderator: Tsourapas, Gerasimos
The agnopolitics of refoulement: migration diplomacy and the un/knowing of regional refugee deportation. Stel, Nora (Radboud University)
Budgeting Borders: EU Funding, Return Infrastructure, and Differentiated Externalization in Turkey. Gokalp Aras, Nefise Ela and Yüksel, Umutcan (Swedish Research Institute in Turkey).
Rwanda as a Return Country: A Case of Third-Country Agreements in Migration Policy. Alacam Bocek, Müge (Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University)
Bringing the Economy Back into Migration Governance: Erdoğan’s Return Strategy for Syrian Refugees. Aydemir, Nermin and Sadi, İhsan Ercan (Antalya Bilim University)
Panel IIb: Circuits of Aspiration: Migration, Return, and the Desire to Move Again
Location: Kaşgarlı Mahmut Salonu
Moderator: Kandylis, George
To Stay or to Move Again? Conceptualizing dilemmas after return migration. Jung, Philipp (Osnabrueck University).
Complex and non-linear trajectories for migrants under the risk of return in Greece. Papatzani, Eva; Psallidaki, Timokleia; Kandylis, George; Vezyrgianni, Katerina; Varouxi, Christina (EKKE)
EUropean vagabonds: Mobility of EU citizens returned from the post-Brexit United Kingdom. Radziwinowiczówna, Agnieszka; Jarosz, Ewa (University of Warsaw)
Panel IIc: Reintegration Experiences
Location: Psikoloji Bölümü 208
Moderator: Mielke, Katja
Between Failure and Success: The Local Narratives and Dynamics of Return Migration in Senegal. Lenoël, Audrey (EHESS, ICM)
Dynamics of Welcome: Reception and Re-Adaptation in Return Migration - Polish Case. Dziekońska, Małgorzata (University of Bialystok)
Return Migration and Perceptions of Public Services in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo: Evidence from LiTS 2016 and 2022/23. Kotorri, Mrika (University of Prishtina, Rochester Institute of Technology Kosovo); Oruc, Nermin (Centre for Development Evaluation and Social Science Research)
Panel IId: Gendered Reflections and Experiences on (Non-)Return and Reintegration
Location: Psikoloji Bölümü 209
Moderator: Rottmann, Susan
Returning to Precarity: Gendered Reintegration Experiences of Women Returnees in Climate and Conflict-Affected South Asia. Asif, Fajeera (DevTrio)
Prolonging the Temporary: Female-Headed Syrian Refugee Households on Displacement, Return and Waiting post-Assad. Diab, Jasmin Lilian (Lebanese American University)
Ethical, political and methodological challenges of studying coerced return in authoritarian states: The case of Turkey. Kaşlı, Zeynep; Eren Benlisoy, Zeynep Ceren and Kurt, Musa (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
15:00–15:30 | Coffee/Tea Break
15:30–17:00 | Parallel Sessions III
Panel IIIa: Agency in Migration and Return Decision-Making
Location: Bumin Kagan Konferans Salonu
Moderator: Hatziprokopiou, Panos
Trapped, Aspiring, Reluctant or Precarious? Seeing Agency in Migrant Trajectories in Turkey and Morocco. Rottmann, Susan (Ozyegin University); Nimer, Maissam (Akdeniz University).
Rethinking Return Pathways of Syrian Migrants in the Periphery of Istanbul. Ergün, Begüm (Boston University); Kahraman, Rümeysa & Güngörür, Kadri (Refugees Association)
Choosing to Stay: Voluntary Immobility and Malaysia's Repatriation Policies for Syrian Refugees. Hasif, Nik; Shafinaz Nazri, Atika and Othman, Zarina (National University of Malaysia)
Panel IIIb: Reintegration at the Governance Level
Location: Kaşgarlı Mahmut Salonu
Moderator: Cetrez, Onver
Legal Architecture as a Determinant of Migrants’ Resilience: The Case of Highly Skilled Return Migrants in Türkiye. Şenel, Gulece (Ahmet Yesevi University)
Role of Policy in Return Migration and Development: Insights from Croatia and Kosovo. Pinkow-Läpple, Janine Isabelle (Humboldt University Berlin); Caroline Hornstein Tomić (Goethe-University Frankfurt) and Ana Budimir (University of Zagreb)
Reintegration Assistance Without Reintegration: How Inequalities and Return Preparedness Shape the Impacts of Reintegration Assistance. Vollmer, Ruth (BICC)
Panel IIIc: Histories and Transformations of Deportation Regimes
Location: Psikoloji Bölümü 208
Moderator: Koutrolikou, Penny
From Social Gatekeeping to Deporting Protection Seekers: Transforming Fundamentals of the Finnish Deportation Regime Since the 1950s. Välimäki, Matti (University of Helsinki)
Low-cost borders, high emotional costs: Port returns and neoliberal migration governance in the post-Brexit United Kingdom. Radziwinowiczówna, Agnieszka; Jarosz, Ewa and Scovil, Jonathan (University of Warsaw)
Beyond Rejection: Determinants of Return and Regularization Among Rejected Asylum Seekers in Germany. Peitz, Laura (German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees) Torres Chedraui, Ana Maria (Erasmus University Rotterdam); Stache, Randy (German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees); Leerkes, Arjen (Erasmus University Rotterdam); Gu, Jiancheng (University for Continuing Education Krems)
Racism Reborn? Deportability and Evictability of Bulgarian and Romanian Roma Migrants in France (2007-2016). Bouillard, Emma (Toronto Metropolitan University)
Panel IIId: MEET THE MIGRATION JOURNAL EDITORS from GAPs
Location: Psikoloji Bölümü 209
Moderator: Sahin-Mencutek, Zeynep
Triandafyllidou, Anna (Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies)
Tsourapas, Gerasimos (Migration Studies)
DAY TWO – Friday, January 23, 2026
08:30–09:00 | Registration & Coffee/Tea
09:00–10:30 | Parallel Sessions IV
Panel IVa: Reintegration Infrastructure in Practice
Location: Bumin Kagan Konferans Salonu
Moderator: Papatzani, Eva
Bridging the Gap: Reintegration Hubs as Grassroots Infrastructure for Sustainable Return in Nigeria. Aihawu, Victor (Centre for Youths Integrated Development & Platform for Cooperation on Mixed Migration)
From Trainees to Gatekeepers: Returnees and the Reproduction of Indonesia–Japan Migration Infrastructures. Istiqomah, Waode Hanifah (Hitotsubashi University)
Ambiguous Governance in Times of Crisis: Investigating Return Infrastructure under Afghanistan’s De Facto Rule. Siddikoglu, Hidayet (Bilim Organisation for Research and Social Studies)
Empowering Returnees: Reintegration Experiences of Former Indonesian Technical Intern Trainees from Japan in Java and Bali. Ramdani, Andi Holik (Hashimoto Foundation Societas Research Institute)
Panel IVb: International Organizations, Law, and Rights in Return Governance
Location: Kaşgarlı Mahmut Salonu
Moderator: Ozturk, Neva
Streamlining Returns, Undermining Rights? The Impact of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum on the Right to Seek Asylum. Konyalı, Gökçe (Akdeniz University)
Monitoring Human Rights in the Context of Return: Insights from the EU and Third Countries. Patteri, Antonella (Polish Academy of Sciences); Uzomah, Ngozi (University of Nigeria Nsukka)
Legal and Policy Limitations of Assisted Return Following Temporary Protection. Ineli Ciger, Meltem (Suleyman Demirel University)
Constructive Refoulement in Law and Practice: Lessons from the GAPS Horizon Project on Greece, Poland, and Turkey. Ozturk, Neva (SRII/Ankara University)
Credible fictions in the diplomacy of refugee governance. Tsourapas, Gerasimos (University of Birmingham)
Panel IVc: Diplomatic Power Asymmetries and Return Agreements
Location: Psikoloji Bölümü 208
Moderator: Stel, Nora
Irregularization and Legibility: Lebanon’s Shifting Strategies in Governing Refugee Return to Syria. Stel, Nora (Radboud University); Nimer, Maissam (Akdeniz University)
Between Two Homes: Navigating the Longing for Return among Mixed-Married Turkish Migrants in the North West of England. Çostu, Mehmet Davut (Erzincan Binali Yildirim University)
10:30–11:00 | Coffee/Tea Break
11:00–12:30 | Parallel Sessions V
Panel Va: Perspectives on Infrastructure from the Global South
Location: Bumin Kagan Konferans Salonu
Moderator: Yüksel, Umutcan
Deportee Reception Landscape at Mexico’s Northern Border: The México te abraza (Mexico Embraces You) Program. Hernández Degollado, Ana Karen (FLACSO)
Return Regime: Toward a More Transnational Understanding of the Governance and Contestation of Return. Altrogge, Judith (University of Osnabrueck)
Humanitarian Governmentality in Practice: The Politics of Aid-Driven Migration Management. Mete, Emre (Ludovika University of Public Service)
Governing Returns in a Pariah State - Reflections on Afghanistan's Governance of Mass Returns. Mielke, Katja (BICC)
Panel Vb: SPECIAL ISSUE LAUNCH - “Processes of Migrants Return and Reintegration: A Comparative Perspective” at International Migration
Location: Kaşgarlı Mahmut Salonu
Moderator: Sahin-Mencutek, Zeynep
“Return governance and diplomacy between Türkiye and Afghanistan.” Sahin-Mencutek, Zeynep; Sıddıkoğlu, Hidayet; Barthoma, Soner.
“Inside the Black Box: Tracing Interactions Between Stratified Reintegration Trajectories and Street-Level Implementation of Reintegration Assistance” Vollmer, Ruth & Schmitz-Pranghe, Clara.
“Regional Disparities in Returnee Support, Stigmatisation and Reintegration in Nigeria” Uzomah, Ngozi.
Panel Vc: Return Infrastructure and the Reintegration Spectrum: Determinant of Reintegration and Re-migration
Location: Psikoloji Bölümü 208
Moderator: Siddikoglu, Hidayet
Are Returnees Who Feel Excluded and Unhappy More Likely to Migrate Again? Analysis of Factors Influencing Repeat Migration Preferences. Baraulina, Tatjana and Kothe, Christian (Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, Germany)
Reintegration upon Return: Social and Institutional Invisibility of Turkish Return Migrants from Austria and the Netherlands. Arslan Türkoğlu, Hilal (METU); Çavlin, Alanur (Hacettepe University); Stroehle, Claudius (International Institute of Applied System Analysis); Abbasoğlu Özgören, Ayşe (Hacettepe University)
The Tunisian Migratory Crisis: Overview and Challenges. Ben Othman, Hanen (University of Carthage)
Neglected Irregular Migrants: Can Irregular and Low-Skilled or Semi-Skilled Migrants be a Catalyst for Local Development Through Brain Gain? Dhakal, Anil (Toronto Metropolitan University)
12:30–13:30 | Lunch
Optional Brown Bag Lunch: Emotional Work and Distress among Practitioners in the Return Infrastructure.
Location: Psikoloji Bölümü 209
Moderators: Önver Cetrez, Soorej Jose Puthoopparambil
13:30–15:00 | Parallel Sessions VI
Panel VIa: Governing Return Migration Aspirations and the Politics of Possibility
Location: Bumin Kagan Konferans Salonu
Moderator: Istaiteyeh, Rasha
Seeds of Return: How the Philippine State Cultivates and Constrains the Aspirations and Capabilities of its Scientific Diaspora. Agustin, Raffaello Khan (New York University Abu Dhabi)
Between Canada and Ukraine: Tracking Return Migration Intentions Over a Decade. Nikolko, Milana; Carment, David (Carleton University)
Return Tendencies of Syrian Refugees: The Case of Şanliurfa. Şahin, Mehmet; Kaya, Mahmut (Harran University)
Panel VIb Gender, Governance, and the Everyday Realities of Repatriation
Location: Kaşgarlı Mahmut Salonu
Moderator: Vollmer, Ruth
Gender-Responsive Return Policies and the Challenge of Dignified Return to Syria: A Critical Assessment of Germany’s Voluntary Return Approach. Mahjoub, Dima (Independent Researcher)
Conditional Return: The Gendered Politics of Temporariness and Reintegration under TPMs. Jeziorek, Marika (Wilfrid Laurier University)
Analysis of Policy Changes Regarding Return in Germany Since 2015: The Authoritarian Overregulation of Every-Day Life. Schurade, Svenja (Georg-August Universität Göttingen)
Between Displacement and Return: The Role of Support Networks in Ukrainian Refugees' Migration Trajectories. Bărbuță, Alina (Babeș-Bolyai University)
Panel VIc: Return infrastructures at the ground level
Location: Psikoloji Bölümü 208
Moderator: Gokalp Aras, Nefise Ela
Assisted Return Infrastructure between Voluntariness and Coercion. The Case of AVRR in Greece. Kandylis, George; Papatzani, Eva; Psallidaki, Timokleia; Varouxi, Christina; Vezyrgianni, Katerina; Ηatziprokopiou, Panos; Koutrolikou, Penny (EKKE)
Nudging under Constraint: Behavioural Techniques in Dutch Dublin Transfer Implementation. El Amouri, Imen (Tilburg University)
“I wish I could do more, but you cannot do more.” Experiences of Healthcare Workers in Swedish Immigration Detention Centers. Viranna, Rishigen; Cetrez, Andreas Önver; Puthoopparambil, Soorej Jose (Uppsala University)
Kesin Dönüş? Rethinking the ‘Final Return’ for Turkish Transnational Families. Selçuk, Ozan (Recep Tayyip Erdogan University)
15:00–15:15 | Coffee/Tea Break
15:15–16:15 | Closing Plenary Session - Location: Bumin Kagan Konferans Salonu
Moderator: Martin, Terry
KEYNOTE: Linda Oucho (African Migration and Development Policy Centre)
16:15–17:00 | Launching GAPs Edited Volume and Data Repository
Location: Bumin Kagan Konferans Salonu
Moderator: Cetrez, Onver
Outline of edited volume book
Presentation of GAPs Data Repository: Yılmaz-Elmas, Fatma
17:00–17:30 | Screening of Short Videos & Discussion on Digital Storytelling and Anthology
Location: Bumin Kagan Konferans Salonu
Moderator: Migration Matters
Please note that there is no registration fee to attend the conference.
Conference home page Display conference info sheet Abstract and Bio Sheet Register now
