CSOn4006 MIGRATION, TRANSNATIONALISM AND THE CITY Fall 2021 Instructors: B. Nadya Jaworsky Office hours: Wednesdays, 13:00-14:00, or by appointment E-mail: jaworsky@fss.muni.cz Ivana Rapoš Božič Office hours: by appointment E-mail: ivana.rapos.bozic@fss.muni.cz Guest lecturers: Lenka Šafránková Pavlíčková (Brno City Council) E-mail: safrankova.lenka@brno.cz Jan Kopkáš (Brno Expat Centre) E-mail: kopkas@brnopolis.eu Don Sparling (Brno Expat Centre) E-mail: sparling@brnopolis.eu Nina Galanská (Milan Šimečka Foundation) E-mail: nina@nadaciams.sk Course Outline The course introduces students to the study of migration and immigrant incorporation from the perspective of transnationalism. It traces the formation of transnational approaches to the study of migration and its implications for the methodology of migration research. It explores how moving beyond the perspective of the nation state changes the study of migration and related phenomena. Moreover, the course studies transnational migration from the city perspective: it explores the city as a context of reception for immigrants and discusses how cities respond to the arrival of newcomers. Classes are highly interactive and special attention is paid to application of theoretical knowledge in the understanding of contemporary migration events as well as discussion of solutions to selected problems in the sphere of migration. Invited guest lecturers provide students with fresh insights into their work in the field of migration. By the end of the semester, students should be able to: • Define and discuss transnational studies and transnational approaches to migration, including the critical assessment of transnationalism; • Design a research methodology for studying transnational migration • Analyze the context of reception for immigrants in a city • Understand formation of integration policies for immigrants in the city context Conditions for Passing the Course 1. Participation in class (discussions, group projects) (25 %) - 5 points for each class (students who cannot attend the class due to illness, technical problems or other serious personal reasons should contact the instructors for individual extra work) 2. Assignments (25 %) - 5 points for each home assignment (discussion papers and peer-to-peer feedback) 3. Final paper (3,000 – 4,000 words) (50 % - 10% for the draft and 40 % for the final paper) Evaluation is based upon this scale: 90-100 points - A 80-89 points - B 70-79 points - C 66-69 points - D 60-65 points - E 0-59 points - F Study Materials and Instructions · For each session, readings are specified in the syllabus. All the required texts are available in electronic form in the IS Study Materials folder and are linked to the Interactive Syllabus. · Instructions for group projects will be specified in class. · Instructions for the assignments will be available in the Study Materials. · Please, check the Interactive Syllabus regularly for actual readings and study instructions. https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/1423/podzim2021/SOC585/ Timetable The course is taught regularly in 3-hour sessions on Thursdays once in two weeks from 10:00 until 13:40 in classroom P21b or online according to the university instructions. Academic Honesty The Faculty of Social Studies at MU expects students to know the study rules and maintain academic honesty by refraining from plagiarism and from cheating during exams. Plagiarism means that one presents other peoples’ ideas as one’s own and does not credit the author. Plagiarism is one of the most serious breaches of ethical standards in the academic environment, for it denies the mission of the university and the meaning of studying. From a legal perspective, plagiarism is the stealing of intellectual property. The official FSS policy on academic honesty is available in the course’s interactive syllabus in IS. Academic dishonesty is not tolerated under any circumstances at FSS. The minimum penalty for academic dishonesty is expulsion from the course, a grade of F for the semester, and referral to the Faculty disciplinary committee. Course schedule 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE (September 23) (Jaworsky) 2. MIGRATION THEORIES AND THE RISE OF THE TRANSNATIONAL MIGRATION PERSPECTIVE (October 7) (Jaworsky) Readings prior to class (TBC): Szaló, Csaba. “Transnational Migrations: Cross-Border Ties, Homes, and Theories.” In: Ondřej Hofírek, Radka Klvaňová, Michal Nekorjak (eds). 2009. Boundaries in Motion. Rethinking Contemporary Migration Events. Brno: CDK. Amelina, Anna, Faist, Thomas. 2012. “De-naturalizing the national in research methodologies: key concepts of transnational studies in migration.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 35, 10 (2012): 1707–24. Discussion Paper: to be submitted to IS-Study Materials-Homework Vault by October 6, 11:00. Group Project (in-class): In this class we will take a quick journey through the development of migration theories and transnational perspective on migration. We will discuss methodological nationalism and transnational methodologies. In the second part of the class, we will engage in a group project. Additional reading (recommended): Levitt, P. and N. Glick Schiller. 2004 ‘Transnational Perspectives on Migration: Conceptualizing Simultaneity.” International Migration Review 38(3): 1002-1039. Glick Schiller, N., L. Basch, and C. Szanton Blanc. 1995. “From Immigrant to Transmigrant: Theorizing Transnational Migration.” Anthropological Quarterly, 68(1): 48-63. Portes, A. 2001. “Introduction: The Debates and Significance of Immigrant Transnationalism.” Global Networks 1(3): 181-194. Interview with Peggy Levitt: http://www.migrationsystems.org/how-can-migration-theory-do-better 3. CITIES AS A CONTEXT OF RECEPTION FOR IMMIGRANTS (October 21) (Rapoš Božič/ Brno Expat Center) Readings prior to class: Jaworsky, B. N. et al. 2012. New Perspectives on Immigrant Contexts of Reception: The Cultural Armature of Cities. Nordic Journal of Migration Studies 2 (1), pp. 78-88. Foner, N. 2007. “How exceptional is New York? Migration and multiculturalism in the empire city.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 30 (6), pp. 999-1023. Blog of Brno Expat Centre: What do expats say (available at http://www.brnoexpatcentre.eu/category/what-expats-say) Discussion Paper: to be submitted to IS-Study Materials-Homework Vaults by October 20, 11:00. (please check the discussion paper guidelines in Study Materials) For the discussion in the first part of the class we will be joined online the students from the East-West Dialogue: Cross-Cultural Perceptions and Reflection from The American University in Cairo. Group Project (in-class): In the first part of this class, we will discuss the readings assigned for this week’s meeting and analyze Jaworsky et al.’s concept of “cultural armature.” Students should bring their own observations from a city of their choice that we would discuss in relation to the readings. In the second part of this class, we will first listen to a short lecture about Brno from the perspective of migrants prepared by Jan Kopkáš and Don Sparling from Brno Expat Centre. We will then work on the project “Attracting Talent” – What are the potentially strong and weak points of Brno from the point of view of a foreigner? How could the city present itself to attract well-educated, talented individuals? For example, what would keep you here after your studies? Additional reading (recommended): Kong, L. 2012. “Ambitions of a global city: arts, culture and creative economy in ‘Post-Crisis’ Singapore.” International Journal of Cultural Policy18 (3), pp. 279-294. Interim Homework Assignment: Paper topic due in the Homework vault by October 31; one paragraph describing your paper topic and theoretical perspective. 4. Negotiating Migrants’ belonging through cultural and ARTiStic initiatives (November 4) (Rapoš Božič/Nina Galanská) Readings prior to class: Çağlar, A. 2016. “Still ‘migrants’ after all those years: foundational mobilities, temporal frames and emplacement of migrants.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 42:6, 952-969. Rapošová, I. 2019. “‘We can’t just put any belly-dancer into the program’: cultural activism as boundary work in the city of Bratislava.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 45:11, 2100–2117. Discussion Paper: to be submitted to IS-Study Materials-Homework Vaults by November 3, 11:00. Group Project (in-class): This session will explore the possibilities and limits of arts and culture in helping migrants negotiate their belonging to a city. We will discuss the literature and problematize the boundaries between being perceived as a local or foreign. Students should prepare their own examples of situations in which they had felt that their belonging to a place was questioned. In the second part, Nina Galanská from Milan Šimečka Foundation will share her experience of trying to enhance the visibility of foreigners living in Bratislava by organizing a multicultural festival [fjúžn]. After that, students will have a chance to work with data from a research on civically engaged festivals and belonging of migrants. Drawing inspiration from the data, their task will be to design a cultural event that would problematize the question of migrants’ belonging to a city. Additional reading (recommended): Sievers, W. 2017. “Mainstage theatre and immigration: The long history of exclusion and recent attempts at diversification in Berlin and Vienna.” Crossings: Journal of Migration & Culture, 8:1, 67–83. Johansson, C. 2017. “Including issues of migration and ethnic diversity in museum exhibitions: A reflection on different approaches used in Sweden.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 8:1, 85-101 5. migration policies at the city level (November 18) (Jaworsky/Lenka Šafránková Pavlíčková) Readings prior to class: Ambrosini, M., Boccagni, P. 2015. “Urban Multiculturalism beyond the ‘Backlash’: New Discourses and Different Practices in Immigrant Policies across European Cities.” Journal of Intercultural Studies 36 (1): 35 – 53. Varela, V.V., Suárez, B.F., DePalma, R. 2020. “What is Integration? A Comparative View from Immigrants and Municipal Policy.” International Migration (Early View) Discussion Paper: to be submitted to IS-Study Materials-Homework Vaults by November 17, 11:00. Group Project (in-class): In this class we will host Lenka Šafránková Pavlíčková from the Brno City Council who is responsible for the agenda of integration of immigrants in Brno. We will explore how policies of integration are formed on the local level and discuss the concept of integration and diversity management. In the workshop in the second part of the class, students will perform the role of policy makers and discuss selected agenda of integration policies. Additional reading (recommended): de Graauw, E., Vermeulen, F. 2016. “Cities and the politics of immigrant integration: a comparison of Berlin, Amsterdam, New York City, and San Francisco.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 42:6, 989-1012. Gebhardt, D. 2016. “Re-thinking urban citizenship for immigrants from a policy perspective: the case of Barcelona.” Citizenship Studies, 20:6-7, 846-866. Research reports of Migration Policy Institute, e.g.: Margie McHugh. 2014. Immigrant Civic Integration and Service Access Initiatives: City-Sized Solutions for City-Sized Needs. MPI Report: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/immigrant-civic-integration-and-service-access-initiatives- city-sized-solutions-city-sized 6. Concluding session (December 2) (Rapoš Božič/Jaworsky) We will devote the session to student mini conference: discussion about writing the final papers and concluding discussion about the course. Homework assignments: 1. Final paper draft: to be submitted to IS-Study Materials-Homework Vaults by November 28, 22:00. 2. Peer-to-peer feedback on your colleague’s paper proposal: to be submitted to IS-Study Materials-Homework Vaults by December 1, 11:00. DEADLINE FOR FINAL PAPER January 23, 2022.