Back
| Semester | spring semester 2023 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Michelle Engeler (michelle.engeler@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | “Transnational families” are families whose members’ (de-)kinning practices do not only shape partnerships, alliances and kinship networks, but also redefine parenthood and childhood beyond (national) borders. Examples may include transnational or binational couples and their kids, migrant parents and their non-migrant children who remain at ‘home’, transnational adoptees and their first mothers, or younger migrant workers or students and their elderly non-migrant parents and siblings. They mark the intersection of individual and familial aspirations, needs and care arrangements as well as structural opportunities and constraints. Such families with transnational relations are an inevitable consequence of people on the move and are hardly a recent phenomenon. However, specific to our contemporary moment is the use of social media to connect and communicate. Besides using scientific literature, documentaries and/or novels and movies, this seminar will also take a closer look at these online forms of communication to further understand (contemporary) transnational families living, shaping or disrupting transnational kinship networks. More specifically, participants of this seminar can include “netnographic research” and train their capacities to do online ethnographic research while relating their case study to the broader discussions on kinship, migration and transnationalism in social anthropology and neighbouring disciplines. All in all, the guiding questions of the seminar – and the individual case studies – will be the following: • What can we learn by looking at transnational families and their various relations within and beyond the nuclear family? • How can we as anthropologists/social scientists include social media to research transnational families? • How can we interlink these insights into broader debates on kinship and migration (and related topics) in social anthropology and neighbouring disciplines? |
| Learning objectives | Participants will critically read, analyze and discuss papers and books (to some extend also movies, novels, blog posts etc.) on the topic, learn about examples of transnational families and further train their methodological skills by including online ethnographic research on the topic (e.g. by researching youtube channels of transnational adoptees, blog posts of binational couples or Instagram contributions of transnational kids). |
| Bibliography | Introductive: - Lutz, H. and A. Amelina, Eds. (2017). Gender, Migration, Transnationalisierung. Eine intersektionelle Einführung. Sozialtheorie. Bielefeld, transcript. - Merla, L., M. Kilkey, R. Wilding and L. Baldassar (2021). Key developments and future prospects in the study of transnational families. Research handbook on the sociology of the family. N. F. Schneider and M. Kreyenfeld, EE Elgaronline: 439-451. |
| Admission requirements | The number of participants is limited to 20 people. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to the subjects listed under "modules". |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Thursday | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 09.03.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 16.03.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 23.03.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 30.03.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 06.04.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Ostern |
| Thursday 13.04.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 20.04.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 27.04.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 04.05.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 11.05.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 18.05.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Auffahrt |
| Thursday 25.05.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Thursday 01.06.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Modules |
Modul: Fields: Governance and Politics (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul: Fields: Public Health and Social Life (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul: Sachthemen der Ethnologie (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Themenfelder der Geschlechterforschung (Bachelor's degree subject: Gender Studies) Modul: Theory and General Anthropology (Master's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Vertiefung Themenfelder der Geschlechterforschung (Master's degree subject: Gender Studies) Modul: Wissenschaftliche Vertiefung in der Ethnologie: Sachthemen (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) 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 details | In general: Compulsory attendance (max. 3 absences), willingness to read and discuss, researching and presenting one case study. Case studies: Each participant will (co-)prepare a case study for one of the seminar’s sessions. Based on scientific literature and some online ethnographic research you will interlink your insights into broader debates on kinship and migration in social anthropology. Seminar paper: Those students who write a seminar paper do also participate in one case study presentation. Their seminar paper can further develop what they have elaborated within the presentation but may also go into another direction. Importantly, the paper should deal with transnational families from an anthropological perspective and, as an entry point, answer the above-mentioned guiding questions. All students writing a seminar paper have to hand in their exposé by the end of April (27.04.2023) and present their outline in the course of the semester. The final paper is due by the end of June 2023 (Credit Points FS 2023) or by the end of August (Credit Points HS 2023). |
| 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 Ethnologie |