This course focuses on the identity construction processes of refugee communities and asylum-seekers, and places them within the broader political and strategic dynamics typical of the contemporary ‘age of migration’. Through some of the most recent ethnographic, sociological and sociopolitical works done within the field of refugee studies and international migration, we will attempt to explore together such topics as the existential anxiety and lack of ‘security of the self’ that are an inseparable feature of being a stranger; micro-level processes of identity construction and techniques adopted by refugee communities across the globe to cope with their situation; the closely-knit relations between refugees, development and security; the socio-symbolic and political meanings of border-crossing and territorial passages; and the macro-political and strategic processes affecting refugee communities in an age in which we are all, to a certain extent, strangers.
Course/Module aims:
To expose students to some of the most recent research done in the field of international migration and refugee studies;
To offer an integrative view on international migration, which brings together the micro-sociological dimension of the identity construction and subjective experiences of refugees and asylum-seekers across the globe; with macro-sociological, political and international aspects of this phenomena.
Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
display in-depth understanding of the major approaches and contemporary research done within the field of international migration and refugee studies.
This course is taught by Dr. Orit Gazit-Lederman