We are looking for papers for an international conference to be held on 10th December 2010, in Osaka, Japan. The dissolution of imperial powers and the process of decolonisation in the 20th Century brought about changes in our conception of belonging and the boundaries between communities. This conference proposes to examine these processes from a comparative perspective, particularly by comparing different empires such as Russia, Britain, France, Japan, and even the Soviet Union.
We are seeking two papers from emerging scholars (with a doctoral degree in hand). Topics can include the changes in: immigration policy; national or ethnic identity; nationality law; conceptions of citizenship in the metropoles or the dependent territories.

This conference will be held as a part of an international symposium, titled Regional Routes, Regional Roots? : Cross-border patterns of human mobility in Eurasia to be held on 11th and 12th December. Presenters for the conference will also be expected to attend other sessions of the symposium. This conference will be sponsored by the Slavic Research Center, Hokkaido University in Japan, and all speakers will be reimbursed for travel expenses (economy class), accommodation and meals in Japan between 9th and 14th December. Presenters will be asked to submit papers two weeks before the conference.

Abstracts must be submitted to the organizer, Hiromi Mizokami, mizokami5hi@yahoo.co.jp. The final deadline is 30th September 2010, but the selection is currently ongoing and early submission will be advantageous. The results will be announced by 10th October.