On February 6, 2026, Indiana University will host the Symposium on Displacement and Mobility, a free and public symposium dedicated to advancing research and practice on displaced populations writ large. The symposium is located on the beautiful and quiet campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.
The purpose of this symposium is to connect a wide array of scholars and practitioners around topics of displacement and mobility, as well as foster new and innovative collaboration amongst institutions of refugee research. This event seeks to bring together scholars, practitioners, and students from across disciplines to explore the experiences, politics, and futures of displacement in its many forms: forced migration, refugee resettlement, internal displacement, statelessness, climate migration, and beyond.
The symposium will create a space for interdisciplinary dialogue and exchange, highlighting research and practice that examines displacement through lenses of law, geography, anthropology, sociology, public health, ethnomusicology, education, humanitarian practice, and more. By bringing together a range of reflective thinkers and their projects, alongside practitioners, our hope is to develop a research agenda and scholarly community that can engage meaningfully with the long-term challenges of forced displacement.
The event will begin at 9:00 a.m. in the Cook Center in Maxwell Hall, with sessions held throughout the day in the Student Building, and will conclude back in the Cook Center. Lunch will be an hour and a half on your own off campus, giving you time to connect and network with others you meet at the symposium.
Presentations focus on many aspects of displacement and mobility from any disciplinary perspective, which can serve to stimulate engaging dialogue. Some of the prevailing themes include:
- Refugees and Asylum
- Internal Displacement
- Statelessness
- Climate and Environmental Displacement
- Humanitarian Aid and Policy
- Arts Advocacy
- Health, Education, and Well-being
- Data, Technology, and Displacement
- Laws, Rights, and Governance
- Policy
Please register to attend.
For any questions, please contact refugees@iu.edu.