65303 - Anthropology of Migrations

Learning outcomes

Through the study of historical and contemporary forms of mobility, students will acquire an articulated and in-depth knowledge of the anthropological and ethnographic perspectives on migration. Students will become familiar with categories and theoretical perspectives developed within anthropology, building their expertise in interpreting ethnographic research and in the analysis of public, political and media discourses on migration. They will know also the theoretical and methodological challenges of cultural anthropology when applied to social policies towards migrants. They will be able to champion the anthropological perspective also in the evaluation of project for the socio-educational contexts.

Course contents

The course aims to analyse 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 analyse and understand the historical and current forms of human mobility and its governance in the contemporary world.

Through a dialogue-based approach anchored in ethnographic and auto-ethnographic data, interpretative and methodological tools useful for “social work” will be conveyed; the course will introduce the basic vocabulary and analytical lenses for studying transnational phenomena related to migration, exploring the main theoretical perspectives through reflection on contemporary practices.

At the same time, the themes of frontiers and borders will be examined, with a focus on national and European migration policies relating to international protection, problematising the gap between what is planned and what is implemented and the dynamics of denial/violation of fundamental rights. The course will also address the issues of racism and discrimination, analysing contexts related to reception and detention and repatriation centres.

Finally, the issue of migrants' access to fundamental rights will be explored in depth, reflecting on current and future challenges and the indispensable contribution of anthropology in understanding and addressing these challenges.

Readings/Bibliography

Programme for attending students:

Required texts:

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) One text chosen from the following

(!!!!!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 the text of their choice. The assessment of this partial work, which will take place at the end of the course, 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. (a cura di), 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.

- Quagliariello C., 2021, L'isola dove non si nasce. Lampedusa tra esperienze procreative, genere e migrazioni, Unicopli.

- Declich F., Pitzalis S. (a cura di), 2021, Presenza migrante tra spazi urbani e non urbani. Etnografie su processi, dinamiche e modalità di accoglienza, Meltemi.

-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.

- Mbembe A., 2019, Nanorazzismo, Laterza

- Aime M., 2016, Contro il razzismo, Einaudi

- Rivera A., 2009, Regole e Roghi, Unicopli

- Lanternari V., 1993, L'incivilimento dei barbari. Identità, migrazioni e neo-razzismo, Unicopli

- Bachis F., 2018, Sull'orlo del pregiudizio. Razzismo e islamofobia in una prospettiva antropologica, Aipsa.

Riccio, B. (a cura di) 2022, Antropologia e migrazioni, CISU, Roma

- Vacchiano, F., 2022, Antropologia della dignità. Aspirazioni, moralità e ricerca del benessere nel Marocco contemporaneo, Verona, Ombre Corte

- Castellano, V., 2018, Revolving door. I servizi per i minori e la riproduzione delle disuguaglianze a New York, Reggio Emilia, Junior.

- Della Rocca, M., 2023, “Una casa per tutte le donne”. Etnografia della relazione d’accoglienza con donne migranti in situazione di violenza, Reggio Emilia, Junior.

- Biffi, D., 2023, Auto-etnografia dell'accoglienza. Lavorare nei servizi per richiedenti asilo e rifugiati, Reggio Emilia, Junior.

- Riccio, B., Tarabusi, F. (a cura di), 2018, Dilemmi, mediazioni e pratiche nel lavoro dell'accoglienza rivolta a rifugiati e richiedenti asilo, Educazione Interculturale, 16, 1.

- Grimaldi, G. e Vicini F. (a cura di), 2024, Figli di migranti e italianità. Antropologia delle nuove generazioni d’Italia, Antropologia Pubblica, 10, 1.

Students who do not attend classes will be required to take the exam on the two compulsory texts and one text of their choice.

 

Students with advanced English or French language skills are invited to contact the teacher to identify additional texts from among those selected by foreign authors.

Teaching methods

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

Assessment methods

Oral disscussion. 

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