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| Semester | spring semester 2019 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Amal Abdrabo |
| Content | : Human movement and migration have been always about statistics, numbers of mobilized people, and the amount of humanitarian aid. In contrast, the intangible aspects of the human movement receive little attention. North African countries are perceived as the gatekeepers of migration to Europe. This course is about the everyday practices that help creating a new sense of belonging, rebuilding a home, and shaping new identities in 'diasporic lands' with a special focus on North Africa. These practices can be studied through a myriad of cultural, economic, and social practices. The course will investigate various intangible aspects of migration both theoretically and practically. Theoretically, we have to critically engage with the concept of area studies (African Studies / Near and Middle Eastern Studies) asking: What is Africa? How to locate North Africa within African Studies? Do area studies reproduce colonial divisions? There is a tendency to exclude North African countries from African Studies and relate it to the Middle East under the political categorization of the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), putting “white Africa", namely Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt, in a separated category. However, in reality, being African does not mean being 'black' and at the same time being 'Arab' is not a substitute for being 'African'. North African countries share the same colonial history, struggles, and independence, and they are physically located on the same continent with the rest of the African countries. Why then do we tend to treat North Africa as a tokenistic theme often on the margin of academic conferences, workshops, and writing? Practically, with a special focus on North Africa and the Middle East, each student will to choose a case study from this region to present within the weekly sessions. In this practical section of the course, we will address different questions, among them: How migrants make sense of their everyday life practices while interacting with different tangible and intangible spaces? Can we identify a Syrian restaurant located in Alexandria as an economic practice of home rebuilding? What forms of hybrid cultures are being created? What about crossing linguistic borders; creating transnational identities; adopting a new accent; food practices, fashion and clothing styles? |
| Learning objectives | The theoretical section of the course conveys authentic knowledge in history, culture, and politics of North Africa while locating the region academically within the realm of African Studies. In the practical section students will explore the changing migration patterns in North Africa through practical case studies. |
| Bibliography | Benjamin, Walter. 1968. "Theses on the Philosophy of History". In: Illuminations. Hannah Arendt, ed. New York: Schocken Books, pp. 253-264. Nora, Pierre. 1989. Between Memory and History: Les Lieux de Mémoire Representations. Representations, No. 26, Special Issue: Memory and Counter-Memory. University of California Press. (Spring, 1989), pp. 7-24. Seikaly, Sherene. 2013. "Return to the Present". In: Living Together: Jacques Derrida's Communities of Violence and Peace, by Elisabeth Weber (ed.), 227- 239. New York: Fordham University Press. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul: Areas: Afrika (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Fields: Governance and Politics (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul: Profil: Geschichte Afrikas (Master's degree program: European History (Start of studies before 01.08.2018)) Module: Migration, Mobility and Transnationalism (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Arbeit, Migration und Gesellschaft (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| 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 |