# Call for Papers
*Apologies for cross-postings.*
## Panel: *Gestures in Motion: Hands That Carry Worlds*
### at the Congress **"Signs in Motion: Semiotic Perspectives on Migration"**
**University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd, 28 September – 02 October 2027**
**Organizer:** Jana Bressem, Ellen Fricke, Martin Siefkes, Andy Lücking, Alexander Mehler (TU Chemnitz, GU Frankfurt)
**Contact:** jana.bressem@phil.tu-chemnitz.de
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Migration is not only a movement of people but also a movement of signs. This panel bridges semiotic theory and migration studies by focusing on the often-overlooked role of gestures as mobile signs — exploring how migrants reconfigure, negotiate, or resist meaning through bodily and digital communication, and how gestures function as semiotic resources in adaptation, identity negotiation, and language contact. It also provides a space for discussing methodological and empirical challenges (e.g., documenting ephemeral gestures; data protection and private languages) as well as theoretical gaps (e.g., how to model gesture meaning in contact situations).
We invite contributions that examine:
- **The lexicography of emblems** in migrant communities (e.g., how stable gesture forms are used, translated, or recontextualized). - **Gesture in language contact**: How do migrants integrate, adapt, or shape gestural repertoires in multilingual settings? - **Migrant memes and digital gestures**: The circulation of gestural signs in social media, memes, or digital communication as forms of cultural resistance, humor, or belonging. - **Semiotic gaps and misunderstandings**: Cases where gestures lead to miscommunication or reveal power dynamics in host societies. - **Methodological innovations**: Corpus-based, computational, or ethnographic approaches to studying migrant gestures (e.g., annotation schemes, motion capture, or AI-assisted analysis). - **Theoretical frameworks**: How can semiotic or linguistic theories be applied to analyze the role of gestures in the context of migration? Might theories even need to be adapted to the specific characteristics of migrant gestures?
## Topics
We welcome submissions on (but not limited to):
1. **Lexicography and Documentation** - Creating gesture dictionaries for migrant communities. - Challenges in translating or standardizing emblems across cultures. 2. **Gesture in Language Contact** - Code-switching between gestural and verbal modes in migrant speech. - The role of gestures in language acquisition or loss among migrants. 3. **Digital and Pop Culture** - Migrant memes, GIFs, or TikTok trends as gestural semiotic systems. - Virtual gestures (e.g., avatars, emojis) in diasporic communication. 4. **Semiotic Conflict and Power** - Gestures as markers of inclusion/exclusion (e.g., offensive vs. polite gestures in host cultures). - Institutional or legal semiotic regimes (e.g., how gestures are policed or misinterpreted in asylum procedures). 5. **Interdisciplinary Methods** - Combining semiotic analysis with computational tools (e.g., NLP, computer vision). - Ethnographic or auto-ethnographic accounts of gestural practices in migration.
## Submission Guidelines
- **Abstracts**: 300–500 words (excluding references), in English. - **Format**: PDF, including title, author(s), affiliation, and 3–5 keywords, along with a short academic CV. - **Deadline**: **30 November 2026** - **Notification of Acceptance**: **15 December 2027** - **Submission to**: jana.bressem@phil.tu-chemnitz.de
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We look forward to your submissions!