The Anthropology of Migration and Transnationalism in Contemporary Societies

The course has the objective of presenting to the students the main analytical categories and methodological tools that are necessary to talk about the main themes surrounding the phenomenon of migration. The classroom seminar activity will be based on bibliographic discussion enriched by reading current articles, literature, music, anecdotes and personal experiences. Once the students are familiar with some of the methodology they will start working on fieldwork in and around Siena under the constant supervision of their teacher.

The starting point for the course is a summary of the history of anthropology with a brief look at the different schools of thought with a special consideration for the more contemporary perspectives and their ways of answering the need for theoretical and methodological renewal.

The second part of the course will be devoted to the main kinds of analysis of migration from the economic and political point of view and the more cultural and subjective one.

Special attention will obviously be given to the specificity of the Italian case and to particular phenomena within it, such as the femininization of the migration flow and of domestic work done by migrant women. Fieldwork possibilities will be discussed with the teacher and will depend on Italian language level of students as well as current possibilities available within Siena.

Teacher: Margherita Baldisserri, Silvia Sai