300097 Transnational Migration and Social Integration: State of the Art and New Perspectives (S) (WiSe 2012/2013)

The movement of people across national borders represents one of the most vivid dramas of social reality in the contemporary world. If migrants are the central characters in this drama, there are numerous other dramatic personae whose supporting roles are crucial to determining the ultimate course of events. These include the family and friends left behind in the homeland, government officials and employers in both the sending and receiving countries, other immigrants from the homeland who become part of ethnic communities, sympathetic members of religious and other institutions concerned with assisting newcomers, and people who through either organized or spontaneous means express their hostility toward immigrants.
The course has two main parts. In the first part we read selections of classical studies in international migration and immigrant incorporation. In this section we look at global immigration flows in historical perspective, causes and dynamics of migration flows, functions of migration in capitalist societies, the role of states in shaping migration flows, migrant incorporation theories dealing with concepts such as assimilation, multiculturalism and diversity, and migration & development. In the second part we will delve into samples from ongoing empirical research.
All along, participants are encouraged to suggest topics which can be taken up in class discussion and in small research projects.

Requirements for participation, required level

Diese Lehrveranstaltung richtet sich an MA- und PhD-Studierende.

Bibliography

Marco Martiniello, Jan Rath, 2010: Selected Studies in International Migration and Immigrant Incorporation. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.