B2300 - GLOCALEAST - WORKSHOP ON MIGRATION, BORDER AND DIASPORA STUDIES IN EAST-CENTRAL EUROPE

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

At the end of the workshop, students are expected to acquire a basic knowledge of the main methodological tools adopted in migration, border and diaspora studies, with a special focus on East-Central Europe. As a result of the learning activities, students will be able to integrate insights from research, practice and policy, exploring global and local dynamics affecting the region.

Contenuti

The Workshop on Migration, Border and Diaspora Studies in East-Central Europe offers students an interdisciplinary and innovative course that provides practical skills and helps better address the challenges in the field. The workshop was developed by a consortium of academics from six partner universities (Comenius University in Bratislava; European University Viadrina in Frankfurt Oder; University of Belgrade; University of Bologna; Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas; University of Zagreb), as part of the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership project “Developing a new curriculum in Global Migration, Diaspora and Border Studies in East-Central Europe” (GLocalEAst – www.glocal.sk ). Students at UNIBO will join the workshop together with coursemates from the other institutions of the consortium, enjoying an international and multicultural environment.

The workshop will address the complex and interrelated challenges of migration, diaspora and borders: as students will have the chance to explore during the workshop, the latter have a much longer history - also in relation to East-Central Europe. The region became a "transit area" in the so-called "refugee crisis" in the EU that peaked in 2015, but the region was also a site of migration to Western Europe from the socialist era to the post-Cold War period, lasting until today. More recently, the region has also become a place of immigration - for example, from Ukraine and other European states, but also from as far away as China. The proclamation of independent states after the fall of the Iron Curtain, which in some cases led to war and/or frozen border conflicts (as in Georgia, Moldova, and Kosovo), as well as EU association processes and new global constellations in general, affect migration in different ways. Migration - be it labor, family, educational, or flight migration - is based, at least in part, on international relations between states of the region and the European Union that attempt to channel migratory movements by adjusting their border and migration regimes. In the receiving and transit countries, immigration may lead to a strengthening of populism, which makes the integration of migrants very difficult, but it can also lead to new, creative forms of conviviality that respect a greater diversity in society. During the workshop, the lecturers will address the current, complex and interconnected challenges related to migration, diaspora and borders by offering an inter- and transnational perspective, while at the same time providing a profound knowledge of regional and local processes.

The Workshop is structured following the innovative framework of Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP). It combines various formats that facilitate the acquisition and deepening of knowledge and skills:

1. E-learning platform (Virtuale): Renowned scholars in the field of migration and border studies from the six partner universities convey central aspects in their lectures (core courses). On the course webpage on ‘Virtuale’, students will have the opportunity to learn about the main methodological tools adopted in migration, border and diaspora studies, thanks to a selection of readings, slides and ‘video-lectures’ created by the GlocalEAST team of academics.
2. Webinars (6 classes; 12 academic hours): An accompanying series of webinars provides for open discussions on selected case studies, in order to give participants the opportunity to acquire practical knowledge on how to develop research in border, diaspora and border studies.
3. In-Person Intensive Programme (6 classes; 12 academic hours): in early June, students from all the institutions will join an in-person intensive programme at the Forlì Campus to learn to design and produce a topic-related research project. On this occasion, a series of selected talks held by professionals from NGOs, research centres and governmental bodies working in migration and border management will be held. Finally, every student will have the opportunity to present his/her paper at the end of the workshop.

Among the topics that will be addressed during the workshop, we may mention:

• Identity and the politicization of Migration in East-Central Europe;
• Labour Migration to and from the CEE countries;
• History and Memories of Migrations and Peoples’ Relocation in East-Central Europe;
• Key concepts in Border Studies;
• How to Do Border Research;
• Phantom Borders in East-Central Europe;
• International Relations, Migrations and Diasporas in East-Central Europe;
• Migration/Development Nexus in East-Central Europe.

A final list of the lectures will be published before the start of the classes in Spring 2023.

The workshop is open only to the participation of MIREES students attending the course ‘REBOUND – Rethinking Borders in and by the European Union’.

The workshop will serve as an Erasmus+ international platform, since it will be joined by exchange students enrolled at the following universities:

- Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia);

- European University Viadrina (Germany)

- University of Zagreb (Croatia);

- Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas (Lithuania).

 

Testi/Bibliografia

A detailed list of readings will be available on Virtuale before the start of the course.

Metodi didattici

Frontal lectures, digital content, and class discussions with students.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

The assessment of the acquisition of expected knowledge and abilities by the attending students is based on the elaboration of a short essay (max 5000 words, including footnotes and references) on the workshop topics.

The short essay should be based on a case study chosen by the student and previously agreed with the professor. The case study should be focused on migration, border and diaspora issues, and based on the main topics covered in the syllabus. The essay will be finally presented by students during the final in-person intensive programme in early June.

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

The Blended format of the workshop will allow: on the one hand, students to follow the program remotely, working independently thanks to the use of the digital platform (Virtuale); on the other, the webinars will guarantee the interaction and cooperation of students in remote modality, and the in-person intensive programme will give every student the chance to compare the results of his/her own research with coursemates.

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Sonia Lucarelli