Prof. Raymond Taras                                                                                                    Norman Mayer 306

Anti-Politics of World Migration

At a certain point in their historical lives, social classes become detached from their traditional parties. In other words, the traditional parties in that particular organisational form, with the particular men who constitute, represent, and lead them, are no longer recognised by their class (or fraction of a class) as its expression.

…this means precisely that the great masses have become detached from their traditional ideologies, and no longer believe what they used to believe previously. The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.

Antonio Gramsci (1971), Selections From The Prison Notebooks, pp. 210, 275-76

Anti-politics suggests a dominant mood or attitude among ordinary people on particular issues that is connected to Gramsci’s description of detachment. A crisis of representation that follows from such a climate leads many people to see politics as detached from their lives when the state exhibits interests separate from and opposed to those of civil society on which it is founded. In Gramsci’s terminology, the state enwraps civil society, reshaping and incorporating resistance from below It can lead to spontaneous popular political outbursts, be reflected in volatile electoral results, or result in the choice of realignments with new political parties. Today, anti-politics may be best reflected in migration policy and its consequences. These often represent a popular pushback against migration-unrepresentative policies that allegedly serve the vote-gaining political interests of establishment parties. Immigration as a valence issue, then, not to be confounded with other policy programs of parties, is the main subject of this course.

Disclaimer: There is no place in Gramsci's model of citizen detachment from politics for fascist, Nazi, or other movements suppressing population representation; he himself died as a result of fascist imprisonment.

Course goals:

• To promote understanding, reflection, and critique of the process which produces our sense of who we are, to whom we belong, and what we may become, especially in an age of migration, diversity, and globalization
• To deepen critical thinking about identities, the role they play, and how they are shaped by ethnic, religious, cultural, and normative factors
• To develop analytic and research skills and methods employed in the social sciences

Course objectives:

This course is designed to familiarize students with migration literature in contemporary politics. It critically examines the pluses and the minuses of migration policies in select countries throughout the world and steers a course avoiding virtue mongering and hyperbole on the one hand, xenophobia and racism on the other.

Course requirements:

Students are expected to regularly consult the Canvas course website for up-to-date information about lectures, in-class film screenings, and changes to the schedule, and to keep track of course information such as additional readings and recommended external links.

The final course grade is determined by the following components:

(1) class attendance and participation, worth 30%. Note that after a third missed class the instructor will notify the Registrar of excessive absences. Four missed classes over the semester may result in a Failing grade for the whole course regardless of work completed and grades obtained.

(2) two in-class presentations on our readings, worth 15% each (30% for both). For 20-30 minutes you will be the lead discussant on a particular topic, identifying authors’ research methods, objectives, and findings. You will need to present both descriptive and critical components.

(3) a 15-20 page research essay focusing on the cost-benefit analysis of a particular state’s migration policy, worth 40%. The topic will be discussed in a meeting in the instructor’s office.

Schedule of lecture topics and reading assignments:

Following are reading assignments and lecture topics to be discussed in class. They can also suggest research ideas for the course essay.

Readings:

• George J. Borjas, “The Wage Impact of the Marielitos: A Reappraisal,” October 2015, https://sites.hks.harvard.edu/fs/gborjas/publications/working%20papers/Mariel2015.pdf 
• Christina Boswell, “How Information Scarcity Influences the Policy Agenda: Evidence from U.K. Immigration Policy," Governance, 2012, 25, pp. 367-89 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-0491.2012.01570.x/abstract
• Amy Chua, “A World on the Edge: Market Democracy and Ethnic Tensions Around the World,” Wilson Quarterly, (Winter 2014), https://www.wilsonquarterly.com/quarterly/winter-2014-four-decades-of-classic-essays/a-world-on-the-edge/
• Antje Ellerman, “When Can Liberal States Avoid Unwanted Immigration? Self-Limited Sovereignty and Guest Worker Recruitment in Switzerland and Germany,” World Politics, 65, no. 3 (July 2013), 491-538, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0043887113000130 
• Gary P. Freeman, “Modes of Immigration Politics in Liberal Democratic States,” International Migration Review, 29, No. 4 (Winter, 1995), pp. 881-902.
• BOOK: Gary P. Freeman, Randall Hansen, David L. Leal, Immigration and Public Opinion in Liberal Democracies. New York: Routledge, 2013.
• BOOK: Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen and Ninna Nyberg Sorensen (eds.), The Migration Industry and the Commercialization of International Migration. New York: Routledge, 2012, chs. 1-6.
• Charles Hounmenou, “Distinctiveness in the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Sub-Saharan Africa,” Journal of Human Trafficking, 26 September 2017, pp. 1-29, ,http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23322705.2017.1365567
• BOOK: Trudy Jacobsen, Sex Trafficking in Southeast Asia: A History of Desire, Duty and Debt. London: Routledge, 2017.
• Naomi Klein, “Dancing the World into Being,” http://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/dancing-the-world-into-being-a-conversation-with-idle-no-more-leanne-simpson
• Benôit Mayer and François Crépeau, “Introduction,” in Research Handbook on Climate Change, Migration and the Law. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2017, pp. 1-26.
• Juliana Geran Pilon, “The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam/The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age,” Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, 19 September 2017,http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23739770.2017.1375282
• Raymond Taras, “Transnational xenophobia in Europe? Literary representations of contemporary fears,” The European Legacy, 14, no. 4 (July 2009), pp. 391-407
• Liza Yanovich, “Children Left Behind: The Impact of Labor Migration in Moldova and Ukraine,” Migration Policy Institute, https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/children-left-behind-impact-labor-migration-moldova-and-ukraine

Classes:

Jan. 17 Re-examining migration politics critically

Jan. 24 Presentation 1 TBA

Jan. 31 Presentation 2 TBA

Feb. 7 Presentation 3 TBA

Feb. 14 Reading Week

Feb. 21 Presentation 5 TBA

Feb. 28 Presentation 6 TBA

Mar. 7 Presentation 7 TBA

Mar. 14 Presentation 8 TBA

Mar. 21 Presentation 9 TBA

Apr. 4 Presentation 10 TBA

Apr. 11 Presentation 11 TBA

Apr. 18 Presentation 12 TBA

Apr. 25 Cost-benefit analysis: what have we left out?

Learning Outcomes:

Students will demonstrate competency in assessing, collecting, and interpreting data applicable to the study of migration, nationalism, ethnic conflict, xenophobia, discrimination, and genocide. They will display familiarity with and knowledge of the research methods, conceptual frameworks, and theoretical perspectives used in the field of comparative politics and migration studies.

Frequently Asked Questions:

►What is the best way to get in touch with the instructor?

Whenever you have a question related to the course or wish to set up a meeting for a longer discussion, you can contact the instructor by email: taras@tulane.edu The telephone extension (with voice mail) is x 8302. You are welcome to drop by the instructor’s office (Norman Mayer 306) during posted office hours or at prearranged times. 

►What are the rules of conduct governing the course and in class?

The Honor code is in force during all tests/exams including open-book online ones. Students should familiarize themselves with the code. Use of electronic devices in class depends on whether they are serving an instructional purpose directly related to the topic at hand. If they are not, a student will be marked as absent for the class. 

►When can I get a make-up for a missed exam? When can I ask for an Incomplete?

Make-ups for tests, as well as Incomplete grades, will be given only in exceptional cases, where medical or other documentation (such as a letter from a doctor, Dean, etc) is provided. In all other circumstances an “F” will be assigned. Incompletes are not given other than in exceptional cases. Please also remember: no “make-up” work is accepted for poorly done assignments. All students, without exception, are graded on the same basis.

►What happens if I’m late with a writing assignment?

The essays must be completed for the date given. The applicable late penalty is 1/3 of a letter grade per day.

►What’s the attendance policy for this course?

For students away on university business, absence from class will be excused upon provision of written authorization confirming a university-related commitment. Note that an excused absence does not excuse a student from learning the materials that were covered in class. If you need to miss class due to illness or for some other unanticipated reason, email the instructor before the class explaining your absence even though it is unlikely to lead to an excused absence.

►Where do I go for help with writing-related problems like organizing the argument of my essay, grammar, style, clarity, punctuation, etc?

A great resource is Writing Support located at the Academic Success Center in the Science & Engineering Lab Complex (Building 14). Schedule an appointment online and you will receive expert advice.

►What assistance can I receive if I have special needs?

The Goldman Center for Student Accessibility offers accommodations to students with psychological, medical/physical, and learning/developmental disabilities. Fuller information is available at: https://www2.tulane.edu/studentaffairs/support/accessibility/resources/info-for-students.cfm