MA Social Anthropology

Contemporary public debates are saturated with references to a migration/refugee crisis in Europe and beyond. While some people are able to cross borders unimpeded, others face long delays, detention and potentially deadly journeys. This inequality in the distribution of mobility is exemplified by the contemporary erection of walls and fences at the borders of the European Union while its leaders regularly point to freedom of circulation as integral to its political project. This module addresses contemporary debates and practices surrounding the contentious field of migration and displacement.

• To introduce students to key issues, debates and concepts in the anthropology of displacement and migration;

• To equip students with the analytical tools to critically engage with contemporary debates and discourses over the contentious issue of migration;

• To examine how anthropologists have contributed to inter-disciplinary debates over displacement and migration.

On completion of this course successful students will be equipped with sufficient knowledge and skills to:

• comprehensibly demonstrate detailed knowledge and critical understanding of major theoretical approaches, debates, concepts and case studies within the history and vanguard of the anthropology of displacement and migration;

• critically assess arguments and practices amongst anthropologists as well as other professionals in the field of migration such as charity workers, immigration officials, human rights activists etc.;

• constructively apply insights and knowledge gained from the study of migration to examine other fields of study and practice within and beyond academia such as development, security, conservation, humanitarianism etc.;

• effectively distil and articulate knowledge, arguments and data about theoretical debates and interlinked issues of migration and displacement gained throughout the course into clear, discursive written forms.;

• better understand the issues at stake in contemporary public debates about migration and displacement in the UK and beyond.

3,000 word final essay