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75948-01 - Seminar: Forms of Policing - Surveilling and Disciplining the "Migrant Other" (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Lisa Marie Borrelli (lisamarie.borrelli@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This seminar studies different forms of policing, both at the external borders by international agents, governments, and non-governmental organizations, as well as at the internal borders by local actors and citizens. It will explore temporal forms of policing, policing at a distance, and the role of space and capitalism. We will delve into policing conducted by classic law enforcement and move on to policing practiced by welfare agents and other actors involved in migration control. Besides studying the definition of policing (in the context of migration), the seminar will explore literature that sheds light on how for-profit economic actors, state agencies, and NGOs interact and shape practices of policing and patrolling, caring and controlling, rescuing and observing the migrants targeted by these practices. In order to critically analyze the mechanisms of policing, its consequences for all actors involved, and the socio-legal aspects of its implementation, the seminar will explore not only text documents (research) but also ongoing research, documentaries, and political developments in Switzerland and beyond. This will allow us to examine the migration regime as dispersed, shaped by a variety of rationales, interests, and positions. |
| Learning objectives | Some of the goals of this seminar include: - To explore policing in its different forms at the intersection of migration control and enforcement - 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 policing as a theoretical and practical concept across the globe - Be able to prepare a class and presentation, translate theories into graspable examples |
| Bibliography | Some readings for the seminar (not exhaustive): Armenta, Amada: Between Public Service and Social Control: Policing Dilemmas in the Era of Immigration Enforcement. In: Social Problems 63 (2016), S. 111–126. Armenta, Amada, Isabela Alvarez: Policing immigrants or policing immigration? Understanding local law enforcement participation in immigration control. In: Sociology Compass 11 (2017). Danewid, Ida: Policing the (Migrant) Crisis: Stuart Hall and the defence of whiteness. In: Security Dialogue (2021), S. 21–37. Fassin, Didier: Policing Borders, Producing Boundaries. The Governmentality of Immigration in Dark Times. In: Annual Review of Anthropology 40 (2011), S. 213–226. Fassin, Didier: Enforcing Order: An Ethnography of Urban Policing. Cambridge 2013. Franck, Anja K.: Corrupt(ing) Borders: Navigating Urban Immigration Policing in Malaysia. In: Geopolitics 24 (2019), S. 251–269. Gaibazzi, Paolo: From expulsion to extortion: deportability, predatory policing and West African migrants in Angola. In: Citizenship Studies 21 (2017), S. 969–983. Golash-Boza, Tanya Maria: Deported: Immigrant Policing, Disposable Labor, and Global Capitalism. Latina/o Sociology Series. New York 2015. Parmar, Alpa: Arresting (Non)Citizenship: The Policing Migration Nexus of Nationality, Race and Criminalization. In: Theoretical Criminology 24 (2019), S. 28–49. |
| 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 | Direkte Anmeldung 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 | Tuesday | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 23.09.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Tuesday 30.09.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Tuesday 07.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Tuesday 14.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Tuesday 21.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Tuesday 28.10.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Tuesday 04.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Tuesday 11.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Tuesday 18.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Tuesday 25.11.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Tuesday 02.12.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Tuesday 09.12.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Tuesday 16.12.2025 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Modules |
Doktorat Urban Studies: Empfehlungen (PhD subject: Urban Studies) Modul: Materialitäten (Master's degree program: Cultural Techniques) Modul: Research Lab Kulturanthropologie (Master's degree subject: Cultural Anthropology) Modul: Theorien und Methodologien der Kulturanthropologie (Master's degree subject: Cultural Anthropology) Modul: Theory and General Anthropology (Master's degree subject: 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) Specialization Module Global Europe: Statehood, Development and Globalization (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regelmässige und aktive Teilnahme. Erbringen der Leistungen im vereinbarten Zeitrahmen. Diese beinhaltet einen längeren Vortrag und die Gestaltung eines Posters/kurzen Texts zu einer Form des Policing. Regular participation, plus presentation and poster/short text creation focusing on a form of policing. |
| 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 |