Anthropological Perspectives on Migration and Mobilities

Module overview

This module introduces anthropological approaches to migration and mobility, drawing on case studies from diverse geographical and historical contexts. In light of key concepts from anthropology and related disciplines, the module examines how mobility shapes individual and collective lives, how migration is produced and contested across different settings, and what an anthropological lens reveals about border control, climate displacement, and labour migration. On completing the module, students will be able to apply their learning to contemporary real-world challenges.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Apply critical concepts and knowledges in a project of your own design in the studies of migration and mobilities.
Use ethnographic approaches to the study of diverse aspects of migration and mobilities
Develop a critical understanding of the historical, political and global significance of migration and mobilities

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

Ethnographic cases of migrations and mobilities that have global impacts
Current approaches to the studies of migration, transnationalism and globalisation
Key concepts and debates in the study of migration and mobilities in anthropology and related disciplines, such as global history and maritime archaeology

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Familiarize yourself with diverse approaches, geographic contexts and national perspectives beyond your specific area of expertise.
Strengthen your skills in reading and writing to improve your ability to understand, express and synthesize scholarly debates.
Enhance the comprehension of key concepts, frameworks, and theories to facilitate critical analysis.

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Delivery of the module content will take place through: Lectures introducing core scholarly concepts – particularly from anthropology and related disciplines – for understanding migration and globalisation. Case studies that explore migration and mobility across diverse contexts. In-class discussions that examine the broader significance of studying migration and mobility in a rapidly changing, increasingly interconnected world.

Study time
Type	Hours
Teaching	22
Independent Study	128
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Journal Articles

Dua, Jatin (2019). Hijacked: Piracy and Economies of Protection in the Western Indian Ocean. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 61(3), pp. 479–507.

Lan, Shanshan (2019). Reconstructing Blackness in Grassroots Interactions Between Chinese and Africans in Guangzhou. Anthropological Quarterly, 92(2), pp. 481-508.

Xiang Biao (2020). The Gyroscope-like Economy: Hypermobility, Structural Imbalance and Pandemic Governance in China. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 21(4), pp. 521-532.

Osella, Filippo (2021). The Unbearable Lightness of Trust: Trade, Conviviality, and the Life-World of Indian Export Agents in Yiwu, China. Modern Asian Studies, 56(4), pp. 1222-1252.

Morris, Julia. Power, Capital, and Immigration Detention Rights: Making Networked Markets in Global Detention Governance at UNHCR. Global Networks, 17, pp. 400-422.

Cheuk, Ka-Kin (2022). Funny Money Circulation and Fabric Exports From China to Dubai Through Indian Trading Networks. American Behavioral Scientist, 66(2), pp. 232-249.

Cheng, Sealing (2011). Sexual Protection, Citizenship and Nationhood: Prostituted Women and Migrant Wives in South Korea. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 37(10), pp. 1627-1648.

Chu, Julie Y (2006). To Be ‘Emplaced’: Fuzhounese Migration and the Politics of Destination. Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, 13(3), pp. 395–425.

Assessment

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Presentation

Assessment Type: Formative
Feedback: Feedback will be given during the in-class discussion.
Final Assessment: No
Group Work: No

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	100%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Resubmit assessments	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Resubmit assessments	100%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal