BMET 21A04 - Introduction to Ethnography: the Sociology of Migration

This class introduces students to the practice of ethnography with a thematic focus on migration. The purpose is twofold: we will explore key concepts of migration studies through thematic files dealing with exile, diaspora, borders, integration, and asylum. These files will lay the groundwork for class conversations, which will help us understand migration as a contemporary social phenomenon, its causes and consequences, whether economic, social, or cultural. We will also explore some of the methods which compose ethnography (observation, participation, interviewing, focus groups, etc.) and discuss their epistemological values and limits. Building on key concepts and qualitative methods, we will conduct our own fieldwork research; the topic, methods, and form of which the class will determine collectively. This collective research project will address questions in migration studies broadly defined. The choice of topics, methods, concepts, analyses and forms of restitution will be addressed throughout the semester, in research sessions during which students will be able to share reflections about the research process. This project aims to turn students into research-practitioners, both involved in and critical of the knowledge production process.

Céline ESCHENBRENNER

Atelier

English

Spring 2024-2025