The Centre for the History of Migrants (CGM) is a Dutch-Belgian network of research institutions working on migration history. Members of the Belgian network include Amsab-ISG and KADOC-KU Leuven. Every year, the CGM organizes a seminar presenting recent research by both young and established researchers. This year, we were hosted by the Centre for Migration Law, affiliated with Radboud University Nijmegen.
The program offered a thorough exploration of the past and present of labor migration in the Low Countries. We were treated to a special opening speech by the Turkish Consul General in the Netherlands, who reflected on the 60th anniversary of the recruitment treaty between Turkey and the Netherlands. The topics then ranged from presentations on the history of migrant strikes in the Netherlands to the recent CPB report on economic dynamics and migration. Attention was also paid to the alleged developmental effects of guest labor, 20 years of EU labor migration, and the story of 19th-century Dutch sinologists who recruited Chinese indentured laborers in the Dutch East Indies. FENIX Museum contributed with a presentation on the representation of labor migration as a timeless and universal phenomenon.
Afterward, several heritage staff and students presented their ongoing projects through poster presentations. There was also plenty of time for engaging discussions and drinks.
