ORGANIZERS:
Sophie D. Walsh (Bar Ilan University)
Eugene Tartakovsky (Tel Aviv University)
The study of psychological processes in immigration has catapulted to the forefront of interest in both the scientific and general community, due to recent mass waves of immigration, the impact of these waves on political processes and the need to successfully integrate large numbers of migrants. Alongside the socio-demographic changes in the world, the past thirty years have also seen a growth in both theoretical conceptualizations of psychological processes related to immigration and also of a rich body of empirical research. Yet, there has been no international comprehensive workshop or conference bringing together leading researchers in the area of immigration psychology. An international conference “Research in psychological processes of immigration and adaptation: where are we now and where are we going?” will give researchers the unique opportunity to convene and discuss, to share understandings of the current state of research, and to examine perspectives on future goals for research informed from both theoretical and practical demands. The conference is organized by Professor Sophie D. Walsh from Bar-Ilan University and Dr. Eugene Tartakovsky from Tel-Aviv University with support of The Institute for Advanced Studies and The Israel Science Foundation. The conference will bring together about 40 leading scholars in the field of psychology of immigration from Israel and abroad. The conference will focus on the psychological processes that take place in both the receiving society and in different groups of immigrants. The main issues discussed during the conference will include attitudes of the receiving society towards immigrants, immigrants’ identity, mental health and well-being of immigrants, the impact of immigration on the family, immigrant children and adolescent adaptation and risks, research methods in immigration studies and providing psychosocial help to immigrants. While the primary emphasis of the conference is academic, we hope that it can also have impact on informing policy and helping immigrant populations.
