300313 Critical Perspectives on the Global Migraton of Nurses (MA Soz 4.2 - Neuer MA: Soziologie der globalen Welt) (S) (SoSe 2013)

The provision of care is a fundamental part of human relationships, yet it is a type of work that is often ignored, devalued, dismissed and marginalized. The care and welfare of populations in the Global North has increasingly been served through global circulation of migrants (often female) from the Global South who provide emotional and intimate care for children, the elderly and the disabled. Such systems have been termed global care chains (GCC). These transnational migrant circuits of care say a great deal about the nature of our contemporary society, global uneven development, the position of women in the labour market, and the changing role of the state in the provision of social welfare. Recently the theoretical analysis of GCCs has been extended to include nurses, who often work in institutional, as well as private settings, and are the product of highly regulated educational and accreditation processes.
This course will examine the international migration of nurses through a critical analysis of policy frameworks, global trends and patterns, and the academic and policy debates at both national and international levels. Attention will be given to both national and international policies and practices with respect to the international migration of nurses, focusing on skilled labour migration and related development issues such as remittances, and labour export policy development. The readings will focus on immigration policies, the social and economic factors of skilled migration (such as economic reasons for migration, migrant rights, labour market and financial impact of migration on sending and receiving countries), and the role of sending and receiving nations regarding the production and regulation of this type of skilled migration. The readings draw on core areas of public policy, human geography, political science, sociology, international economic relations, and health and nursing studies. The seminar will be over two weeks, with the first week focused on relevant theoretical readings, and the second week dedicated to project work.