65303 - Anthropology of Migration

Learning outcomes

The course aims to present the basic theoretical concepts useful for studying and analyzing migration processes from the specific perspective of anthropology, based on an ethnographic approach linked to local contexts of departure and projected towards the large cosmopolitan societies of arrival of migrants. At the end of the course, students will be able to theoretically frame the phenomenon of migration, critically read the discourse surrounding it, fueled by media and political actors in host societies, and ethnographically understand the ideological pressures underlying migration projects in societies of origin.

Course contents

The course aims to analyze the dynamics and characteristics of contemporary migration flows through the knowledge and methodology of anthropology. The main objective is to provide students with the fundamental skills to analyze and understand the historical and current forms of human mobility and its governance in the contemporary world, with a particular focus on the Mediterranean and Europe.
Through a dialogue-based approach grounded in ethnographic data, aimed at stimulating independent judgment and providing adequate interpretative tools, the course will introduce the basic vocabulary and analytical lenses for studying transnational phenomena related to migration. The main theoretical perspectives will be explored in depth, examining different schools of thought, paradigms, and methodologies.
Particular attention will be paid to migration cultures, narratives related to migratory processes, and factors influencing the movement of people, such as geopolitical conditions and violations of fundamental rights in countries of origin, transit, and destination. At the same time, the issues of borders and frontiers will be examined, with a focus on national and European migration policies relating to international protection.
The course will also address the issues of racism, discrimination, and human rights violations, analyzing contexts related to reception, detention, and repatriation centers.
Finally, the issue of migrants' access to fundamental rights (in particular the right to health and access to justice) will be explored, reflecting on current and future challenges and the indispensable contribution of anthropology in understanding and addressing these challenges.

Readings/Bibliography

PROGRAM FOR ATTENDING STUDENTS:
1) Capello C., Cingolani P., Vietti F., 2023, Etnografia delle migrazioni, Carocci, Roma.
2) Sorgoni B., 2022, Antropologia delle migrazioni. L'età dei rifugiati. Carocci, Roma.
Attending students may choose to work independently or in groups, in a manner to be agreed upon with the class at the beginning of the course, on one of the following texts. The assessment of this partial work will contribute to the final assessment.
- Sanò G., 2018, Fabbriche di plastica. Il lavoro nell'agricoltura industriale, Ombre Corte.
- Pinelli B., 2019, Migranti e rifugiate. Antropologia, genere e politica, Raffaello Cortina.
- Fabini G., Firouzi Tabar O., Vianello F. (eds.), 2019, Lungo i confini dell'accoglienza. Migranti e territori tra resistenze e dispositivi di controllo, manifestolibri.
- Khosravi S., 2019, Io sono confine, elèuthera.
- Ciabarri, 2020, L'imbroglio mediterraneo: le migrazioni via mare e le politiche della frontiera, Raffaello Cortina.
- Declich F., Pitzalis S. (eds.), 2021, Presenza migrante tra spazi urbani e non urbani. Etnografie su processi, dinamiche e modalità di accoglienza, Meltemi.
- Quagliariello C., 2021, L'isola dove non si nasce. Lampedusa tra esperienze procreative, genere e migrazioni, Unicopli.
-Schmoll C., 2022, Le dannate del mare. Donne e frontiere nel Mediterraneo, Feltrinelli.
- Cordova G., 2023, Karim e gli altri. La gioventù tunisina dopo la Primavera, Rosenberg & Sellier.
Additional essays or book chapters will be covered in class and will be included in the supplementary handouts.
PROGRAM FOR NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS:
1) Capello C., Cingolani P., Vietti F., 2023, Etnografia delle migrazioni, Carocci, Roma.
2) Sorgoni B., 2022, Antropologia delle migrazioni. L'età dei rifugiati. Carocci, Roma.
3) Schmoll C., 2022, Le dannate del mare. Donne e frontiere nel Mediterraneo (The Damned of the Sea. Women and Borders in the Mediterranean), Feltrinelli.
Working students who are formally recognized are invited to contact the instructor by email.

Teaching methods

The course includes dialogue-based lessons, accompanied by authentic and digital material, supplemented by seminar discussions and group work.

Assessment methods

Oral exam.
The purpose of the interview is to assess the student's understanding, assimilation, and ability to rework the main content discussed in the course and included in the exam program.
Only attending students will be given the opportunity (optional) to present group work on specific texts or topics in class; the grade obtained for the presentation, if accepted, will be averaged with the grade obtained in the oral exam.
The final grade will assess the development of skills according to the following criteria:
(1) the student's ability to define fundamental concepts and interpretative paradigms;
(2) use of appropriate and specific terminology of the discipline and specific field of study;
(3) ability to carry out comparative analyses;
(4) methodological awareness;
(5) ability to argue the points of view of the debate analyzed and express one's own.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint, videos, photographs, authentic and in-depth materials.
Students with disabilities or specific learning disorders (SLD) are invited to contact the instructor to agree on appropriate accommodations and necessary compensatory tools.

Office hours

See the website of Stefania Spada