Signs in Motion: Semiotic Perspectives on Migration

Although migration can be regarded as a “normal feature of civilization” (Bade and Oltmer 2004) and the term “migration” has been in use in the German-speaking world since the end of the 16th century, it played hardly any role in public or academic discourse as late as the 1970s. This changed fundamentally over the following twenty years. As one of the most visible components of globalization, “migration,” as Espahangizi (2023, 210) writes, became a “dazzling subject of public controversy,” “around which migration societies revolve and through which they are, to some extent, also constituted.” Migration—sometimes an everyday occurrence and often unremarkable, partly intentional and frequently unintentional—has become a perennial topic that is now frequently discussed in public in “spectacular and controversial terms” (Bartels et al. 2023, 7).

Migration transforms geographical, social, cultural, and religious spaces in both regions of origin and destination and reshapes relationships right down to the family level—including through the intensive use of digital technologies. It can be regarded as a driver of innovation. For along with people, ideas and concepts migrate that fundamentally transform a society’s knowledge and everyday culture—such as culinary traditions, musical preferences, or sartorial customs. Migration creates new forms and possibilities for exchange and experience, communication, and interaction at the societal, interpersonal, and individual levels, while simultaneously setting in motion a multitude of social, cultural, political, and aesthetic processes of negotiation concerning identity, participation, and demarcation.

Migration is, at its core, a semiotic phenomenon that can be analyzed in greater detail using various semiotic methods and approaches (Cobarrubias 2025; Krzyżanowski and Ekström 2025; Pelsmaekers and Van Hout 2020; Panjwani 2024): The very term “migration” is a semiotic construct that establishes the categorical distinction between “us” and “the other,” as well as regions of origin and destination as such (Yildiz 2014). Furthermore, migration and mobility only become significant when borders are crossed—borders of “imagined communities” (Anderson 1990), not only national but also ethnic or linguistic in nature. In such political, cultural, legal, economic, social, and ultimately ideological spaces, access and belonging are often established only within and through diverse semiotic—frequently multimodal and mediatized, and today digitized—processes of self- and other-categorization at the macro, meso, and micro levels.

At the same time, migration challenges existing orders within these spaces and fundamentally transforms them. The repertoires of signs and practices in use multiply; the semiotic landscapes in cities and villages, in educational institutions as well as in administrative bodies and businesses become more complex; traditional notions of binary categorization are undermined; and new forms of belonging become necessary. Through the multiplied array of signs, migration thus challenges traditional identities, evokes new possibilities for identity construction, and simultaneously fosters new lines of conflict, discourses, and forms of negotiation—migration becomes a politicized issue.

The conference is dedicated to the phenomenon of “migration” from a semiotically grounded, interdisciplinary perspective. We invite submissions that analyze migration as a semiotically relevant social, political, and cultural phenomenon and employ theoretical and methodological approaches from semiotics.

The University of Education in Schwäbisch Gmünd

The University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd has a 200-year tradition of teacher training. Building on this foundation, the university has evolved into an institution focused on education. Migration-related diversity is a key area of research at the university. The university offers several programs in this area, including the master's programs "Migration, Diversity, and Participation" and "German Studies and Interculturality/Multilingualism," as well as the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's program "Education, Migration, and Diversity," funded by the European Union. Additionally, the university provides teacher education students with the opportunity to develop in-depth skills for a reflective and sensitive approach to migration-related diversity in schools and classrooms.

The conference will take place at the Oberbettringen Campus of the University of Education, Oberbettringer Straße 200, 73525 Schwäbisch Gmünd.
Link to the location and campus map: https://www.ph-gmuend.de/hochschule/lage-und-campusplan

Schwäbisch Gmünd

The Staufer town of Schwäbisch Gmünd sits at the foot of the Swabian Alb and the Dreikaiserberge. The city’s history is closely linked to various forms of migration. For instance, during the 19th century, many residents of the former district seat of Gmünd immigrated to North America in search of a better life. During and after World War II, many refugees found new homes in the Ostalb district. After the war, migrant workers who came to Schwäbisch Gmünd under labor recruitment agreements contributed significantly to the town’s economic development. Today, approximately 35 percent of residents have a migration background. This includes individuals without German citizenship, naturalized citizens, dual nationals, and ethnic German repatriates from Eastern Europe. 

See also https://www.schwaebisch-gmuend.de/stadtgeschichte.html

Accommodations

• Hotels with Conference Discounts

Hotel Fortuna: A 4-star conference hotel with a sauna area and swimming pool. Centrally located yet quiet. Good connections to the campus via bus line No. 1 from the train station.

Registration code: Zeichenprozesse, available until August 2, 2027 
https://hotel-schwaebisch-gmuend.de/ 

Hotel am Remspark: A 4-star business hotel with a lovely rooftop bar and a central location near the train station. Good connections to the campus via bus line No. 1 from the train station.

Booking code: PH Schwäbisch Gmünd, available until August 17, 2027
https://hotelamremspark.de/

• More Hotels

Villa Hirzel: Right in Remspark. Good connections to campus via bus line No. 1 from the train station.
https://www.villa-hirzel.de/

Hotel Pelikan: Right on the edge of the historic old town. Good connections to campus via bus line No. 1 from the Marktplatz stop.
https://www.muze-hotels.com/unsere-hotels/pelikan-schwaebisch-gmuend 

Hotel Rosengarten: A simple hotel, a 20-minute walk from campus; accessible from the train station via bus line No. 1 toward Heubach. Not centrally located.
https://sites.google.com/view/hotel-rosengarten/?pli=1&authuser=0 

The Schönblick Christian Guest House and the Krone Guesthouse are not conveniently located for conference attendees without a car.

Getting There

Airplane

The nearest airport is in Stuttgart (Echterdingen); a light rail departs from the airport directly to Stuttgart Central Station or, if you want to avoid long walks there caused by the never-ending construction of „Stuttgart 21,“ to Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt. In Stuttgart Central Station, you can change to IC and RE trains to Schwäbisch Gmünd. In Bad Cannstatt, you can change to MEX trains to Schwäbisch Gmünd.   

Train

You can easily reach Schwäbisch Gmünd by public transportation, with trains running every half hour from Stuttgart Central station. InterCity (IC) trains, the Regional-Express (RE), and the metropole express (MEX) stop in Schwäbisch Gmünd. From Stuttgart Central Station, it takes about 40 minutes to reach Schwäbisch Gmünd Central Station; from Aalen, it takes 20 minutes.

Bus

From the main train station and the market square in Schwäbisch Gmünd, bus line 1 (toward Heubach and Oberbettringen/Nordwest) goes directly to the Oberbettringen campus (stop: PH / Berufsschulzentrum or BSZ / PH Heidenheimer Str.). The ride takes about 10 minutes.   

PKW

From Stuttgart, take the B 29 toward Aalen, or take the A 8 (Stuttgart–Ulm), exit at Wendlingen, and proceed via the Plochinger Dreieck (B 313) to Göppingen (B 10); from there, continue via Lorch (B 298) to Schwäbisch Gmünd. From the A 7 (Ulm–Würzburg), take the Aalen-Westhausen exit onto the B 29 toward Aalen and continue on to Schwäbisch Gmünd. In Schwäbisch Gmünd, the University of Education is well signposted.

The university has only a limited number of parking spaces. Therefore, these may only be used with the appropriate authorization (parking permit). Conference participants can obtain a free daily parking permit. 

Conference Planning and Organization

Prof. Dr. Daniel H. Rellstab
daniel.rellstab@ph-gmuend.de

Dr. Klaus Bernsau
Klaus.Bernsau@hs-rm.de