Nation and Migration

Course Objective

This course introduces students to the study of international migration
and how the phenomena, perceptions, and policies towards migration
reflect and shape the governance and self-perception of nation-states.

Learning outcomes:
Knowledge and understanding. Students have acquired knowledge and
understanding of:
(1) the key theories, concepts and methods for the study of migration in
the social sciences.

Application. Students have acquired the competences to:
(2) apply these to analyse migration dynamics in selected case studies.

Attitude. Students are able to demonstrate:
(3) a critical perspective on current events surrounding migration.

Course Content

Today’s debates on migration are often inseparable from nations’
perceptions of themselves and each other. This course discusses the
relevance of migration in today’s global world, particularly in relation
to: identity concerns (diasporas, transnationalism, nationalism,
multicultural societies), development (migration and development) and
international political issues (migration governance and ethnography of
the state). The course introduces students to major theories to
understand migration, but privileges the adoption of constructivist
approaches. It invites students to look at migration from the
perspectives of people engaging in migration directly, of people
encountering migrants as new neighbours, or of people tasked with the
function of controlling and governing migration. Through this
perspective, students engage with processes of community building and
belonging, and with the power struggles associated with migration. They
acquire a thorough theoretical knowledge and critical understanding of
these phenomena and key concepts that can help understand them. How do
migrants construct their identities on the move? How do transnational
communities and diasporas develop? How do national communities respond
to migration and deal with the diversity that derives from it? How is
migration governed and controlled by state apparatuses in migrant
countries of origin and destination? How do the bureaucrats and
professionals dealing with migration translate migration policies into
everyday practices? What are the implications of migration for
development and social transformation in both origin and destination
societies? In the second half of the course, we will also consider how
the relationship between nation and migration is affected by perceptions
of gender and sexuality.

Additional Information Teaching Methods

The course will be a combination of lectures and group work. Students
should come prepared to discuss readings assigned for each class and
answer questions on them. Students will discuss questions in groups and
then report back to the plenary.

Method of Assessment

Written assignments and exam(s).

Literature

To be announced in the course manual (see CANVAS).

Additional Information Target Audience

2nd year bachelor students in Cultural Anthropology and Development
Sociology;
Students in the Minor Anthropology.