Quetelet Seminar 2024 - Behind and Beyond Numbers: Population Research Through Critical Lenses
Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, 7-8 November 2024

 

  • Deadline for submissions: 31 May 2024

 

"Demographic rearmament"
"Who will pay our pensions?"
"Secure our future, control immigration!"

 

Population issues lie at the crux of today’s most pressing social debates. The evolving dynamics of fertility, mortality, and migration are deeply intertwined with social and economic inequalities and discrimination, incomplete gender revolution, failed migrant integration, environmental degradation and climate change, and political conflicts. Additionally, low fertility rates, aging populations, and increasing diversity have been misappropriated to justify coercive political measures aimed at controlling specific groups. These trends underscore the relevance of population studies while prompting us to critically examine the utilization and consequences of our research. They also challenge the biases inherent in researchers’ selection of topics, inclusion/exclusion of categories, and theoretical frameworks. Conversely, these concerns compel academics to reconsider their role in effecting social change.

 

This conference aims to convene students, academics, NGOs, and policymakers, to examine population issues through critical lenses. We invite scholars to submit contributions that offer historical and contemporary analyses of demographic processes globally, considering themes such as:

  • Feminist and gender-based perspectives
  • Socioeconomic disparities
  • Ecological imperative and climate change
  • Decolonization, post-colonialism, or critical race theory
  • Intersectionality of gender, migration background, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status
  • Policy implications of population research
  • Conceptualization, production, use, and dissemination of population research

 

Researchers from various fields beyond demography, including sociology, political science, economics, gender studies, epidemiology, geography, and anthropology, are encouraged to submit.

 

Submission Guidelines:
Please submit a 250-word abstract and an extended abstract (maximum of 4 pages, excluding tables, figures, and references) in one PDF file to quetelet-seminar@uclouvain.be. All co-authors and their affiliations must be named in the submission. Please indicate in your email if you wish to apply for travel and accommodation support.

  • Deadline for Submissions: 31 May 2024
  • Acceptance Notice: 30 August 2024
  • Conference date: 7-8 November 2024

 

Conference Détails:

  • On-site conference only: Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
  • Registration fees: 20 EUR (students, including PhD students), 50 EUR (NGOs, National Statistical Offices); 150 EUR (regular fee).
  • Language: English. French oral presentations are welcome if slides are in English.
  • Environmental Consideration: Participants are encouraged to minimize their carbon footprint and utilize train travel where possible.
  • Virtual presentations: In exceptional situations (e.g., visa issues, health conditions, personal limitations), accepted speakers can present virtually.

 

Contact:
Centre de recherche en démographie (DEMO)
Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain)
1 Place Montesquieu, box L2.08.03
1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Tel. +32 10 47 26 17
quetelet-seminar@uclouvain.be
www.uclouvain.be/demo