International migration, the movement of people across national borders, is a highly politicised issue that addresses core concerns in sociology and other social sciences. This course provides an advanced introduction to the interdisciplinary social science field of “migration studies.” The topics covered place a particular emphasis on introducing critical perspectives to the relationship between migration, national borders and patterns and experiences of displacement.
The course provides a grounding in the emergence, patterns and experiences of contemporary forms of migration, the key concepts in the field of migration studies, and the politics of governing migration. We will explore the relationship between migration, imperialism and colonialism, including attention to slavery and indentured labour, European colonisation and settlement and the formation of settler societies and the implications of migration for Indigenous peoples. Building on these insights we address the emergence of nations, nationalism and the formation of national borders and their implications for historical and contemporary forms of migration governance. Turning to the experience of migration, we will explore the role of economics and emotions in migration, the commercialisation of migration and the relationship between migrant labour, skills, unfreedom and exploitation.
In addition to addressing each of these topics in broad terms, we also explore particular case studies from Aotearoa, the Pacific and Asia that provide scope to observe how migration is experienced and governed, and its implications for society. In assessments, students will have the opportunity to apply the themes developed in this course to examine their own migration case study.