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79137-01 - Seminar: Migration and West African Transnational Families (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Nicolas Mabillard (nicolas.mabillard@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This seminar will give an overview of prominent theories on kinship, family life, socialization and social capital. It will then show how migration shapes – and is being shaped by – the experiences of transnational families with a West African cultural heritage (Ghana and Senegal). Marriage, relationship between siblings, intergenerational relationships dynamics, as well as affective and care networks will be carefully studied. How and why have dominant West African Family models changed over the 20th and 21st century? What kind of relationships between family members do they usually induce? How are family bonds being enacted and (re)produced among Ghanaian and Senegalese transnational families living across Senegal, Ghana, European countries and the United States of America? The intersection of kinship structures, social media usage, negotiated and shared moralities, multiple socialization processes, and intergenerational relationships will serve as reference points for the sociological study and conceptualization of transnational family life from a Senegalese and Ghanaian perspective. |
| Learning objectives | Students will either acquire – or develop their existing – knowledge of sociological theories about the various ways of doing and conceptualizing family with a specific focus on migration. They will learn, contextualize and discuss the current sociological approaches to transnational family life by analyzing case studies on families with Ghanaian and Senegalese cultural heritage. They will develop their writing, analytical and group work skills by summarizing, contextualizing and discussing a carefully curated list of articles and book chapters on sociological approaches to transnational families and migration. At the end of the semester, the students will have jointly established a list of article or book chapter summaries on which to draw upon in their academic work. |
| Bibliography | All the reading material will be available on the seminar’s ADAM threads. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Monday | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.002 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 16.02.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.002 |
| Monday 23.02.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Fasnachtswoche |
| Monday 02.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.002 |
| Monday 09.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.002 |
| Monday 16.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.002 |
| Monday 23.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.002 |
| Monday 30.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.002 |
| Monday 06.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Osterwoche |
| Monday 13.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.002 |
| Monday 20.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.002 |
| Monday 27.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.002 |
| Monday 04.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.002 |
| Monday 11.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.002 |
| Monday 18.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Rheinsprung 21, Seminarraum 00.002 |
| Monday 25.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Pfingsten |
| Modules |
Modul: Areas: Afrika (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Theory and General Anthropology (Master's degree subject: Anthropology) Module: Fields: Governance and Politics (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Fields: Public Health and Social Life (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Migration, Mobility and Transnationalism (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Specialization Module Global Europe: Work, Migration and Society (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Wahlbereich Master Geschichte: Empfehlungen (Master's degree subject: History) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Once every two seminar sessions, except the first session of the semester (TBD), students will be assigned either an article or a book chapter to write a one to one and a half-page(s) summary and critique about. They also will be tasked with providing a separate list of three questions on the assigned reading with the objective of prompting class discussion. |
| 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 | Zentrum für Afrikastudien |