SOC585 MIGRATION, TRANSNATIONALISM AND THE CITY
Fall 2016
Instructor: B. Nadya Jaworsky
Office hours: Thursdays 10-11 am or by appointment
E-mail: jaworsky@fss.muni.cz
Guest lecturers:
Don Sparling (Brno Expat Centre)
E-mail: sparling@brnopolis.eu
Jan Kopkáš (Brno Expat Centre)
E-mail: kopkas@brnopolis.eu
Slavomíra Ferenčuhová (Masaryk University Sociology Dept.)
E-mail: ferencuh@fss.muni.cz
Jana Nosková (The institute of Ethnology, Czech Academy of Science)
E-mail: jana.noskova@iach.cz
Marek Čaněk (Multicultural Centre Prague)
E-mail: marek.canek@mkc.cz
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.
The course also interrogates the contradictions between global labor markets and nation states and
the formation of migration policies. 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 the phenomena of migration from the perspective of different policy actors
Conditions for Passing the Course
1. Participation in class (discussions, group projects, simulation game) (30 %)
- 5 points for each class
2. Assignments (25 %)
- 5 points for each home assignment (discussion papers and peer-to-peer feedback)
3. Final paper (3,000 – 4,000 words) (45 % - 10% for the draft and 35% for the final)
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
0-49 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/podzim2016/SOC585/index.qwarp
Timetable
The course is taught regularly in 3-hour sessions once in two weeks (even weeks) from 9:45 until
13:00 in class U33.
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 20) (Jaworsky)
2. TRANSNATIONAL THEORIES AND METHODOLOGY (October 4) (Jaworsky)
Readings prior to class:
Boccagni, P. 2012. “Rethinking transnational studies: Transnationalities and the transnationalism of
everyday life.” European Journal of Social Theory (2012) 15: Pp.117 - 132.
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 2 (please check
the discussion paper guidelines in Study Materials)
Group Project (in-class): Design a research project on migration and transnationalism.
Additional reading (recommended):
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, Nergiz, Devrimsel Deniz, and Faist, Thomas, eds. 2012. Beyond Methodological
Nationalism: Research Methodologies for Cross-Border Studies.
3. IMMIGRANTS IN THE CITY – THE CASE OF EXPATS IN BRNO (October 18) (Jaworsky, Sparling,
Kopkáš / Brno Expat Centre)
Readings prior to class:
Sassen, Saskia. 1996. “Whose City Is It? Globalization and the Formation of New Claims.” Public Culture
8 (2): 205-223.
Glick Schiller, Nina. and Caglar, Ayse. 2009. “Towards a Comparative Theory of Locality in Migration
Studies: Migrant Incorporation and City Scale.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 35 (2), pp. 177-
202.
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 16
Group Project (in-class): “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):
Glick Schiller, N. and Caglar, A. 2013. “Locating migrant pathways of economic emplacement: Thinking
beyond the ethnic lens.“ Ethnicities 13 (4), pp. 494-514.
Favell, Adrian. 2008. Eurostars and Eurocities. Blackwell Publishing.
4. CITIES AS A CONTEXT OF RECEPTION FOR IMMIGRANTS (November 1) (Ferenčuhová,
Nosková)
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.
Discussion Paper: to be submitted to IS-Study Materials-Homework Vaults by October 30
Homework Assignment: Paper topic due via e-mail by October 31 to B. Nadya Jaworsky
(jaworsky@fss.muni.cz); one paragraph describing your paper topic and theoretical perspective
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.
Then, in the second part of this class, we shall focus on the 20th century history of the city of Brno.
Jana Nosková (The Institute of Ethnology) will join us to talk about her research on the memories of
Brno narrated by German-speaking inhabitants that had to leave the city after WWII. In general, in
this class, we shall use various examples and data (narratives, architectural history, and historians’
work), and try to understand how this history may have influenced Brno’s present capacity as a center
for welcoming migrants and accommodating diversity.
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.
5. LABOR MIGRANTS ON THE BORDERS: WHOSE INTERESTS ARE AT STAKE? PERSPECTIVES OF
THE STATE, EMPLOYERS, NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND MIGRANTS (Čaněk /
Multicultural Center Prague) (November 15)
Readings prior to class:
Paul, R. (2012). Limits of the competition state? The cultural political economy of European labor
migration policies. Critical Policy Studies, 6(4), 379-401.
Zolberg, A. (2000) Matters of state: Theorizing immigration policy. In C. Hirschman, P. Kasinitz & J. De
Wind (Eds.), The handbook of international migration (pp. 71-93). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Instructions for the Simulation Game
Group Project (in-class): The session aims to deepen understanding of migration policy processes
and the conflicting positions of its various actors through a simulation game.
6. TRANSNATIONALISM, BORDERS AND CITIZENSHIP (Jaworsky) (November 29)
Readings prior to class:
Mezzadra, S. and Neilson, B. 2013. “Chapter 1: the proliferation of Borders.” In Mezzadra, S. and
Neilson, B. (eds.) Border as Method, or, the Multiplication of Labor, Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Pp. 1-19.
Andrijasevic, Rutvica. 2010. “From Exception to Excess: Detention and Deportations across the
Mediterranean Space,” In Nicholas de Genova and Nathalie Peutz, eds. The Deportation Regime:
Sovereignty, Space, and the Freedom of Movement. Duke University Press, 147-165
Short media notes:
http://www.focaalblog.com/2015/11/12/manuela-bojadzijev-and-sandro-mezzadra-refugee-crisis-
or-crisis-of-european-migration-policies/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911
Discussion Paper: to be submitted to IS-Study Materials-Homework Vaults by November 27
Group Project (in-class): How to deal with current “migration/refugee crisis”? Create policies to
address the current migration situation in Europe.
7. RESEARCH DESIGN WORKSHOP& CONCLUSION (December 13) (Jaworsky)
We will devote the whole session to the discussion of the draft of the final papers. Students will
shortly present their ideas on the topics of their final papers and they will receive feedback that is
aimed at improving the quality of their papers. First, the peer-review partner will comment on the
draft, and then, the rest of the class will join in the commenting.
Homework assignments:
1. Final paper draft: to be submitted to IS-Study Materials-Homework Vaults by December 8.
2. Peer-to-peer feedback on your colleague’s paper proposal: to be submitted to IS-Study MaterialsHomework
Vaults by December 12.