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This course will explore mobility and borders as sites of contestation and focus on perspectives rising from the (everyday) practices of migration in Europe and beyond. Migration is part of the human condition, however, in the contemporary media and political debates, it is often approached through a framework of crises or a problem to be solved. Unlike this static approach to societies, this course takes distance from the normative lens of the nation-state and its control apparatus to the movement of people. It will introduce critiques of methodological nationalism, address issues of decolonisation and postcolonial condition in migration studies and examine mobility and rights as differentially accessed resources defined by global hierarchies.

The course is divided into two parts. The first part provides a historical and conceptual overview of the questions related to border regimes, modern state formation, and rights. We will examine the historical development of border regimes in Europe and in the USA, their relation to colonial legacies and control of labour force, and how these formations inform contemporary understandings of the movement of people. Then we move to explore the core concepts, such as race, ethnicity, and nation, examine critically the categories of migration, and acquire an understanding of the international legal agreements concerning the movement of people. After orientating in concepts and providing a framework for discussion, we will move to more empirical accounts of the contemporary movement of people discussing themes such as lived experiences of border crossings, citizenship and illegality, diasporic and borderland identities, detention and deportations, and experiences of labour migration. Along the way, we will also discuss the ethical and political implications of researching (im)mobilities.

Course structure: 

WEEK 1: INTRODUCTIONS AND ORIENTATIONS IN MIGRATION STUDIES 
WEEK 2. ORIENTATIONS IN CENTRAL CONCEPTS: RACE, ETHNICITY AND NATION
WEEK 3. ORIENTATIONS IN CENTRAL CONCEPTS: RACE, ETHNICITY AND NATION continued
WEEK 4. MAKING MIGRANTS AND CITIZENS: LIBERAL GOVERNANCE OF MOBILITY AND COLONIAL HISTORIES OF BORDERS
WEEK 5. HUMAN RIGHTS, THE ASYLUM SYSTEM AND HUMANITARIANISM
WEEK 6. AUTONOMY OF MIGRATION AND THE CATEGORIES OF MIGRATION
WEEK 7. BORDERS AND BORDER CROSSINGS
WEEK 8. CITIZENSHIP AND BOUNDARIES OF BELONGING
WEEK 9. INTIMATE AND GENDERED MIGRATIONS 
WEEK 10. TRANSNATIONAL LIVES, BORDERLANDS AND DIASPORA

Course convenor: Dr Niina Vuolajärvi

Office: CBG 7.06

Office Hours: Mondays from 15.30-17.30 Please sign up on Student Hub at least 24hrs in advance.

Email: n.vuolajarvi@lse.ac.uk

Cover photo by Michael Wells