Politics of Migration in the European Union

3 units

As the European Union has expanded both in membership and policy scope, so too have its physical borders and political constructions of membership. Migration patterns - both within the European Union and from outside of it - are closely connected to this deepening integration and changing patterns of multi-level governance. In this course, we will trace the process of migration and discuss the impact of migration on sending and host societies as well as on the migrants themselves. What drives people to migrate from their home communities? What challenges do they face along migration routes? As humans move, languages, ideas, and ways of life diffuse across territories. This diffusion can be integrated into host societies, or it can become a source of tension within the society. What political, social, and economic conditions facilitate this integration or tension? After discussing general frameworks and theories from the scholarship of migration, we will focus our inquiries on specific cases from within and near the European Union.