| Course Title: Special Topics in Anthropology: 'Migration and Human Rights' |
| Start Date: 01/27/2026 End Date: 05/12/2026 |
| Term: Spring Semester 2026 |
| Description: Can the history of nation-states and global capitalism also be understood as a history of migration? In what ways are the experiences of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants different from the legal categories assigned to them? Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben's conceptualizations of "state of exception" and "bare life" are frequently invoked in current scholarship on refugee and detention camps. What -- if any -- is the difference between life in concentration camps, refugee camps, and migrant detention centers? Are human rights frameworks adequate to the task of addressing protracted statelessness and migration brought about by the intersection of conflict, economic crises, and climate change? These questions will be examined through scholarship on migration, human rights, and humanitarianism. |
| Distribution(s): III - Social Sciences , MP - Multicultural Perspectives , SI - Speaking-Intensive , I - Humanities , TP - Topics Course |
| Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate | Credits:4.00 |
| Faculty | Phone | Email address |
| Nadia Latif | nlatif@mtholyoke.edu |
| Meeting Dates | Method | Meeting days | Meeting times | Building name | Room | Frequency |
| 01/27/2026 - 05/12/2026 | Lecture | Monday and Wednesday | 11:30AM - 12:45PM | CIRU - Ciruti | 009 | Weekly |
| Requisite Courses | ||
| Prereq: ANTHR-105. | Take previously | Required |
| Comments |
| Additional Comments |
| Course Tags | ||
| NXLAR0001 | NXLAR: Nexus in Law, Public Policy, and Human Rights | This course is approved for the Law, Public Policy, and Human Rights Nexus track. |
| Cross-listed Sections |
| None |
| Course Availability | ||||
| Section status: Open | Capacity: 20 | Enrollment: 18 | Available: 2 | Waitlist: 0 |
BOOK INFORMATION
| Book List | Required | Publisher Full Price |
| Title: Immigration detention Inc.: The big business of locking up migrants Author: Hiemstra, Nancy Copyright: 2025 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 0745349463 Publisher: Pluto Press |
Required | 22.95 |
| Title: The myth of self-reliance: Economic lives inside a Liberian refugee camp Author: Omata, Naohiko Copyright: 2017 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9781785335648 Publisher: Berghahn |
Required | 29.95 |
| Additional Book Comments |
| This is the complete book list for this class. |