| CODE | PHI5019 | ||||||||
| TITLE | The Philosophy of Mobility and Migration | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Philosophy | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This unit offers theoretical, contextualized and situated perspectives on the ontology, ethics and politics of mobility and migration, exploring the migrant as "the political figure of our time" (Nail 2015). The term and category of 'migrant', and its use, will be analyzed and examined critically in its broader sense to refer to anyone who moves across borders, from high-earning individuals, students and precarious workers to persons forced to flee war, poverty, unrest, persecution and the effects of environmental degradation. This unit will investigate the politics affecting human movement across borders. Special attention will be paid to forms of migration that are more prone to vulnerability and injustice, as this speaks directly to key themes in political, social and legal philosophy. Debates on the role of political philosophy in addressing and informing broader discussions on mobility and migration will be examined during lectures and seminars. Drawing on a representative variety of contemporary philosophers and theorists who are shaping the scholarship on these issues, the unit will explore challenging issues in relation to globalization, human rights, citizenship, the role of the state and of the law, and social justice. In doing so, it will trace the contours of the scholarly debates surrounding migration in a manner that is relevant and helpful to engage meaningfully with discussions in the public sphere. Overall, the unit aims to bring philosophical analysis and critique to bear on policy and public discourse. Study-unit Aims: - Introduce students to increasingly topical ideas and debates in the philosophy of mobility and migration; - Offer the opportunity to engage with current scholarship and authors in the field of the philosophy of mobility and migration; - Create a space for critical analysis, reflection and discussion on the philosophy and politics of migration; - Equip students with the necessary tools to appreciate and understand how philosophy in general, and political and social philosophy in particular, relate to debates, policies and actions dealing with migration. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - engage with contemporary scholarship on mobility and migration at the interface between philosophy, social and political thought, and related disciplines; - describe and discern critically key philosophical theories and concepts related to mobility and migration (e.g. hospitality, solidarity, human rights, state responsibility, globalization, capitalism, borders, citizenship, and social justice); - appreciate historical, cultural, socio-economic and political contexts that influence and shape migration; - evaluate the ethical dimensions and implications of complex and challenging issues. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - apply philosophical concepts and theories to real-world situations, policy analysis, case studies and media reports related to migration; - develop critical thinking to analyze and evaluate arguments and evidence related to migration; - develop argumentation skills to construct well-structured arguments, supported by theory, evidence and logic. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts - Arendt, Hannah. “We Refugees.” Menorah Journal 31, no. 1 (1943): 69–77. Also in: Arendt, Hannah. The Jewish Writings. Edited by Jerome Kohn and Ron H. Feldman. New York: Schocken Books, 264–274. - Benhabib, Seyla. “Exile, Statelessness and Migration: Response to my critics.” Philosophy and Social Criticism 46, no. 1 (2020): 34–44. - Brock, Gillian. “Migration, Open Borders, Human Rights, and Democracy.” Journal of Applied Philosophy 40, no. 1 (2023): 1–14. - Chamberlain, James A. “Responsibility for Migrants: From Hospitality to Solidarity.” Political Theory 48, no. 1 (2020): 57–83. - Cooper, Anthony, and Soren Tinning, eds. Debating and Defining Borders. Philosophical and Theoretical Perspectives. London: Routledge, 2020. - Di Cesare, Donatella. Resident Foreigners: A Philosophy of Migration. London: Wiley, 2020. - Fine, Sarah. “Migration, Political Philosophy and the Real World.” Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy 20, no. 6 (2016): 719–725. - McAdam, Jane. “An Intellectual History of Freedom of Movement in International Law: The Right to Leave as a Personal Liberty.” Melbourne Journal of International Law 12, no. 1 (2011): 27–56. - Miller, David. Strangers in Our Midst. The Political Philosophy of Immigration. Cambridge, MA: Harvard U.P., 2016. - Nail, Thomas. The Figure of the Migrant. Stanford, CA: Stanford U.P., 2015. - Nail, Thomas. Being and Motion. Oxford: Oxford U.P., 2018. - Pécoud, Antoine. “Philosophies of migration governance in a globalizing world.” Globalizations 18, no. 1 (2021): 103–119. - Sager, Alex. Towards a Cosmopolitan Ethics of Mobility: The Migrant’s-Eye View of the World. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017. - Sager, Alex. “Why Migration Justice Still Requires Open Borders.” Journal of Applied Philosophy 40, no. 1 (2023): 15–25. - Scheel, Stephan, and Martina Tazzioli. “Who is the Migrant? Abandoning the Nation-State Point of View in the Study of Migration.” Migration Politics 1 (2022). Open access: DOI: 10.21468/MigPol.1.1.002. A list of supplementary readings will be made available on VLE. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Tutorial | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Jean-Paul De Lucca |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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