In a world marked by fluctuating borders, diverse identities, and global interconnectedness, the concepts of hospitality and hostility present complex meanings and challenges. This conference invites scholars and researchers to explore the diverse manifestations of hospitality and hostility across linguistics, literature, culture, social sciences, and political discourse. From acts of welcoming to experiences of exclusion, from cultural exchange to conflict, this theme highlights the delicate balance between openness and resistance, friendship and enmity, inclusion and exclusion.

Several thinkers have explored the concept hospitality, focusing on its ethical, political, and cultural complexities. Jacques Derrida, in Of Hospitality (2000), argues that true, unconditional hospitality, welcoming everyone without limits, is unattainable because all hospitality is shaped by boundaries, power, and control. The host, who both welcomes and controls access, risks losing authority when unable to re-establish boundaries, thus making hospitality inherently conditional.

Similarly, Guillaume Le Blanc and Fabienne Brugère, in The End of Hospitality (2017), observe that the concept, once a moral and political ideal, is now overshadowed by security concerns and control over borders, with strangers increasingly viewed as potential threats. This shift, driven by geopolitical tensions and media portrayals, has replaced hospitality with suspicion, often resulting in exclusionary practices.

Zygmunt Bauman’s Globalization (1998) demonstrated how natural borders can be blurred and humanity’s inherent traveler can be awakened by the forces of globalization, fostering an optimistic vision of a world where mobility becomes a fundamental aspect of human existence. While Bauman’s insights remain relevant in the early years of the twenty first century, with state borders seemingly losing some of their importance, this optimism has since given way to new realities. Global crisis such as the 2007-2008 Global Financial Crisis, the 2015 refugee crisis, Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the ongoing geopolitical crisis like the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and Israel’s genocide in Gaza have replaced the utopia of a borderless Europe by tightened borders, deportation or denial of entry from the outset (No Deportations 2021; Holl-Allen 2023; Middle East Eye 2023).

Additionally, the distinctions between EU and non-EU migration, white and non-white migrants, migrants and refugees, and skilled and unskilled laborers have increasingly merged as a result of these crises, particularly in the aftermath of the Brexit vote (Seidler 2018; Rzepnikowska 2018). Consequently, hierarchies of acceptability have lost their significance, as labels along with their associated privileges have come under greater public and policy scrutiny. This highlights the tension between hospitality and hostility, revealing how changing public attitudes might influence migrants’ experiences, shape host societies’ responses, and impact future migratory trajectories.

In the fields of linguistics and ELT, hospitality and hostility manifest in teaching methods that either encourage or hinder multilingual learners’ engagement. Creating welcoming learning environments requires inclusive teaching practices and an acceptance of linguistic diversity. Effective teacher-student communication, characterized by openness to various linguistic forms, plays a key role in fostering this sense of hospitality. The socio-cultural context shapes language acquisition by influencing learners' identities and experiences. Addressing language anxiety and supporting students with language processing disorders is essential for reducing barriers and promoting inclusivity. As Claire Kramsch emphasizes in The Multilingual Subject (2009), language is not a neutral tool; rather, it reflects and shapes our social realities. Linguistic hospitality involves honoring all learners' voices, whereas hostility to language diversity fosters exclusion. Understanding and navigating these dynamics can contribute to creating educational environments that are both welcoming and inclusive, where linguistic diversity is truly valued.

We invite papers that engage with, but are not limited to, the following subthemes:

• Theories of Hospitality and Hostility: Philosophical and ethical foundations; Derridean and other theoretical frameworks.
• Borderlands and Thresholds: Geopolitical, social, and symbolic borders.
• Cultural Representations: Hospitality and hostility in literature, film, and art.
• Migrants and Refugees: Experiences of welcome, rejection, and the politics of displacement.
• Interpersonal Hospitality and Hostility: Psychological and sociocultural perspectives on the duality in human relationships.
• Hospitality in Colonial and Postcolonial Contexts: Power, hierarchy, and the “Other.”
• Digital Hospitality and Hostility: Online communities, social media dynamics, and virtual encounters.
• Religious and Ritualistic Hospitality: Sacred traditions, practices of welcome, and faith-based obligations.
• Environmental Hospitality: Ecological stewardship, sustainable practices, and hostile environmental policies.
• Economic and Political Dimensions: Economic structures of inclusion/exclusion, immigration policies, and the hospitality industry.
• The use of AI in monitoring return/stay processes
• Border crossing in literature, cinema and arts
• Clandestine crossing and gender-based violence
• Experiences of legal migrants between home and host communities in turbulent times.
• Language and Identity: The impact of language on the formation of individual and group identities, particularly in multilingual settings.
• Inclusive Teaching Practices: Approaches that accommodate diverse language backgrounds and promote equal opportunities for language learners.
• Language Anxiety and Processing Disorders: Addressing the psychological barriers and disorders that hinder effective language acquisition.
• Sociocultural Influences on Language Learning: The role of cultural and social contexts in shaping language learning experiences.
• Multilingualism and Education: The challenges and opportunities of teaching and learning in multilingual environments, and the promotion of linguistic diversity in the classroom.

Submission Guidelines:
Abstracts should be no more than 300 words and submitted as a Word document to: hospitalityhostilityflshso@gmail.com

Please include a brief bio (100 words) with your submission.

Important dates:

• Submission Deadline: [26 January 2025]
  Notification of Acceptance: [8 February 2025]
• Conference Date: [10-11 April 2025]

Contact Information:
For further inquiries, please contact us at: hospitalityhostilityflshso@gmail.com