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| Semester | fall semester 2024 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Michael Stasik (michael.stasik@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This course offers an introduction to key themes in the study of mobility in West Africa, with particular attention to migratory practices and an emphasis on theoretical perspectives founded in anthropology. Starting from the idea of West Africa as a site from which to view outward to the world, and where mobility is productive of culture rather than disruptive of it, we examine how different forms of mobility, as well as immobility, shape and are shaped by cultural, social, economic, and political relations across scales. Departing from policy-driven approaches that emphasise objectivist ‘push and pull’ factors, we prioritise ethnographically-grounded and subject-centred perspectives on the pursuit of (geographic, social and existential) mobility. In an introductory part, we chart an alternative genealogy of Africanist research on mobility within and beyond West Africa, centred around questions of the social organization and political economy of migration. In the main part, we explore new perspectives on West African mobility and migration by considering their intersections with themes of: expectation, hope and imagination; affect, belonging and kinship; responsibility, respectability and remittances; livelihoods and viability; youth and adventure; gender and inequality; hospitality and the stranger; transport and infrastructure; borders and governance. |
| Learning objectives | Students acquire a basic understanding of the development of anthropological and Africanist research into mobility and migration in West Africa. They familiarise themselves with different approaches and concepts for describing and analysing the significance of mobility and migration in various West African regional and historical contexts; and they learn to critically question these approaches, concepts and their underlying methods. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 18.09.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 25.09.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 02.10.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 09.10.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 16.10.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 23.10.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 30.10.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 06.11.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 13.11.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 20.11.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 27.11.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 04.12.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 11.12.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Wednesday 18.12.2024 | 12.15-14.00 | Ethnologie, grosser Seminarraum |
| Modules |
Modul: Einführung in die Ethnographie einer Grossregion (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Erweiterung Gesellschaftswissenschaften M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Module: Fields: Governance and Politics (Master's degree program: African Studies) Specialization Module Global Europe: Work, Migration and Society (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | In addition to regular attendance (max. 2 absences), students are required to: (i) closely read all assigned texts; (ii) participate in class discussions by formulating questions, responses and critiques relevant to the assigned readings; (ii) prepare a presentation on a topic chosen in consultation with the lecturer, and (iv) write three short response papers that engage with one or more of the weekly readings. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | one repetition, repetition counts |
| Scale | 1-6 0,5 |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Ethnologie |