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74458-01 - Seminar: Discipline and Punishment: Foucault in the Context of Migration Detention (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Lisa Marie Borrelli (lisamarie.borrelli@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | With a steady increase in detention and incarceration facilities, and the growing number of people facing imprisonment, Michel Foucault's scholarship becomes increasingly relevant, offering insight into the reasons for punishment and discipline. As his work has transformed the way many perceive the world of closed facilities, this seminar serves as an introduction to one of Foucault's key works, linking it specifically to migration governance and detention. The class aims to provide a rigorous examination of Foucault's concepts of discipline and punishment, the historical development of incarceration, and its contemporary effects on non-citizens. The seminar will address issues of state violence, the corporeal experiences of detainees, and alternatives to migration detention. We will also consider recent developments, such as the EU's New Pact on Migration and Asylum, to explore the socio-legal effects of detention, its architecture, and the bureaucratic handling by public administration. Through critical readings and discussions, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the power dynamics within detention systems. The seminar will also encourage students to reflect on the ethical implications of current practices in migration detention and explore potential reforms. |
| Learning objectives | Some of the goals of this seminar include: - To explore migration detention through Foucault's work on prison, discipline and control - To conceptualise theories that help to analyse current socio-political developments - To examine current developments in migration governance and the effects of it on the population - Learn about migration detention and the development of prison systems across the globe - Be able to prepare a class and presentation and translate theories into graspable examples |
| Bibliography | Amit, Ilan, and Annika Lindberg. 2020. “Performing States of Crisis: Exploring Migration Detention in Israel and Denmark.” Patterns of Prejudice 54 (3): 238–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/0031322X.2020.1759860. Bales, Katie, and Lucy Mayblin. 2018. “Unfree Labour in Immigration Detention: Exploitation and Coercion of a Captive Immigrant Workforce.” Economy and Society 47 (2): 191–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/03085147.2018.1484051. Bhatia, Monish, and Victoria Canning. n.d. “Brutality of British Immigration Detention System Laid Bare.” The Conversation. Accessed May 16, 2018. http://theconversation.com/brutality-of-british-immigration-detention-system-laid-bare-83396. Campesi, Giuseppe. 2015. “Hindering the Deportation Machine: An Ethnography of Power and Resistance in Immigration Detention.” Punishment & Society 17 (4): 427–53. https://doi.org/10.1177/1462474515603804. Foucault, Michel. 1995. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. 2nd ed. New York: Vintage Books. Foucault, Michel. 2008. “‘Panopticism’ from ‘Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison.’” Race/Ethnicity: Multidisciplinary Global Contexts, The Dynamics of Race and Incarceration: Social Integration, Social Welfare, and Social Control, 2 (1): 1–12. |
| Admission requirements | Grundstudium abgeschlossen. Die Teilnehmenden werden nach Fachrichtung, Studiengang und in der Reihenfolge ihrer Anmeldung auf die Liste gesetzt. Wer im Rahmen von Auslandaufenthalten und von Austauschprogrammen in Basel studiert wird unabhängig vom Listenplatz immer aufgenommen. Wer in der ersten Sitzung unentschuldigt fehlt, kann die Lehrveranstaltung nicht besuchen. Pro Lehrveranstaltung mit zwei Semesterwochenstunden sind maximal zwei entschuldigte Absenzen möglich. Siehe Merkblatt zum Umgang mit Absenzen und Sonderregelungen: https://kulturwissenschaft.philhist.unibas.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/kulturwissenschaft/Dokumente/Studium/Merkblaetter_allgemein/B_absenzen-sonderregelungen_24-01.pdf. |
| Course application | Anmelden bei lisamarie.borrelli@unibas.ch; Belegen über Services.unibas.ch |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Monday | 09.00-12.30 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 24.02.2025 | 09.00-12.30 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Monday 03.03.2025 | 09.00-12.30 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Monday 17.03.2025 | 09.00-12.30 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Monday 31.03.2025 | 11.30-14.00 | Bässlergut, -- |
| Monday 14.04.2025 | 09.00-12.30 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Monday 28.04.2025 | 09.00-12.30 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Monday 12.05.2025 | 09.00-12.30 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Modules |
Modul: Research Lab Kulturanthropologie (Master's degree subject: Cultural Anthropology) Modul: Theorien und Methodologien der Kulturanthropologie (Master's degree subject: Cultural Anthropology) Module: Fields: Governance and Politics (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Migration, Mobility and Transnationalism (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Module: The Urban across Disciplines (Master's degree program: Critical Urbanisms) Specialization Module Global Europe: Work, Migration and Society (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regelmässige und aktive Teilnahme. Erbringen der Leistungen im vereinbarten Zeitrahmen. Presentation and written feedback.. |
| 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 Kulturwissenschaft und Europäische Ethnologie |