Approaching migration through fieldwork: initiating action research into migration policies

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Begging families on the street, adolescents selling hashish or cigarettes on the sly, young people engaging in prostitution, undocumented migrants working in kitchens, on construction sites, or in agriculture: since the Syrian conflict and the collapse of Libya, these scenes have multiplied in large cities. In Beirut, Istanbul, Algiers, Athens, Palermo, Barcelona, Paris, and Stockholm, these situations reflect the social consequences of migration policies, reception policies (asylum, social and economic integration), and labor relations that are rarely made explicit. This course is based on a so-called "bottom-up" field approach in order to measure the social and societal effects of public policies differently. To illustrate this method, it will rely on various visible situations linked to migration: the reemergence of shantytowns, the increase in unaccompanied minors wandering, etc., in order to analyze the sociological mechanisms at work within migrant groups, host societies, and countries of origin. The aim of this method is to use tools from social science research to be able to evaluate and then propose improvements to existing policies and measures. It is an introduction to action research based on a shared field diagnosis that facilitates the acceptance of change and social innovation.