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74879-01 - Seminar: A Region on the Move: Emigration and Immigration in Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Eva-Maria Walther (evamaria.walther@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Eastern Europe and societies are often perceived as ethnically homogenous, their demographics being shaped by long episodes of westward emigration or forced immobility. However, the region has a dynamic history of both emigration and immigration, and mobility profoundly shapes its social, political, and economic landscape today. This course explores contemporary patterns of migration in Eastern Europe, from the fall of the Iron Curtain to current crises on the continent. Through a critical analysis of migration since 1989, students will explore how the free movement of labour has influenced life in both sending and receiving countries. We will examine how migration has reconfigured gender roles, created new life strategies, and constructed distinct social imaginaries of "East" and "West." The course also considers how borders within Europe continue to reflect historical power imbalances and postcolonial legacies, highlighting inequalities in citizenship rights and perceptions of belonging. A special focus will be on Eastern Europe’s emerging role as a destination for migrants and asylum seekers, as well as political and popular resistance against these developments. We will explore how Eastern Europe is increasingly becoming a region of immigration, yet in ways distinct from Western Europe. Central questions include: Where does Eastern Europe fit within broader European migration trends? How does it align or diverge from global migration histories? And how does migration enhance our understanding of Eastern Europe as a post transformation space? |
| Learning objectives | - Learn foundational concepts and methods of migration studies - Understand the role of migration in shaping Eastern Europe in contemporary times. - Analyze Eastern Europe’s evolving position as both a source and destination of migration in relation to broader European and global migration trends. - Critically engage with the concept of Eastern Europe as a post transformation, post socialist, and postcolonial space through the lens of migration. - Develop skills to identify and explore relevant research questions related to migration in Eastern Europe. |
| Bibliography | Dzenovska, Dace. 2020. “Emptiness.” American Ethnologist 47 (1): 10–26. Schilliger, Sarah, Karin Schwiter, and Jennifer Steiner. 2023. “Care Crises and Care Fixes under Covid-19: The Example of Transnational Live-in Care Work.” Social & Cultural Geography 24 (3–4): 391–408. Wagner, Bettina, and Anke Hassel. 2016. “Posting, Subcontracting and Low-Wage Employment in the German Meat Industry.” Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research 22 (2): 163–78. Borisova, Elena. 2020. “The Limits of Strategic Citizenship: Affective Engagements with Russian Passports in the Context of Migration from Tajikistan.” Social Anthropology 28 (4): 827–42. Kurnik, Barbara Beznec, Andrej. 2020. “Old Routes, New Perspectives. A Postcolonial Reading of the Balkan Route.” movements. Journal for Critical Migration and Border Regime Studies 5 (1). Cantat, Celine. 2016. “Rethinking Mobilities: Solidarity and Migrant Struggles Beyond Narratives of Crisis.” Intersections. East European Journal of Society and Politics 2 (4). Luczaj, Kamil. 2023. “Multifaceted Hospitality. The Micro-Dynamics of Host–Guest Relations in Polish Homes after 24 February 2022.” Central and Eastern European Migration Review 13 (1): 25–45. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| unregelmässig | See individual dates | ||
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 21.02.2025 | 14.15-15.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Friday 28.02.2025 | 14.15-15.45 | Nadelberg 8, Seminarraum 13 |
| Friday 07.03.2025 | 14.15-15.45 | Nadelberg 8, Seminarraum 13 |
| Friday 21.03.2025 | 14.15-15.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Friday 04.04.2025 | 14.15-15.45 | Nadelberg 8, Seminarraum 13 |
| Friday 11.04.2025 | 14.15-15.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Friday 25.04.2025 | 14.15-15.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Friday 09.05.2025 | 14.15-15.45 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Friday 16.05.2025 | 14.15-15.45 | Nadelberg 8, Seminarraum 13 |
| Modules |
Modul: Erweiterung Religionswissenschaft (Bachelor's degree subject: Study of Religion) Modul: Erweiterung Religionswissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Science of Religion) Modul: Forschung und Praxis (Master's degree subject: East European History) Modul: Gesellschaft in Osteuropa (Bachelor's degree program: Eastern European Studies) Modul: Gesellschaft in Osteuropa (Bachelor's degree subject: Eastern European Cultures) Modul: Religionskomparatistik (Master's degree subject: Science of Religion) Modul: Transfer: Europa interdisziplinär (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Module: Europeanization and Globalization (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Specialization Module Global Europe: Work, Migration and Society (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regular attendance and reading, active participation, short presentation |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Slavistik |