Crossing Borders – Border Crossings

Winter Term 2017/18

Claudia Bruns, Regina Römhild, Ruža Fotiadis

Interdisciplinary Research Colloquium "Border Studies and Critical Migration Research"

Mo 14-18 h (27.11./18.12./8.1.), Georgenstraße 47, Room 0.09

Open to interested Master's students, PhD students and PostDocs of the HU, especially of European Ethnology, History, Cultural Studies and Gender Studies

 

  • Main topic I (27.11.17): Cultural-historical perspectives of border studies (Claudia Bruns)
  • Main topic II (18.12.17): Internal and external European border regimes (Regina Römhild)
  • Topic III (8.1.17): Phantom boundaries (Ruža Fotiadis)

 

In addition, the following lectures will take place:

  •     12.1., 18-20: Gastropolis. The Gastro-Economy as a border and possibility space from the perspective of post-migration (Regina Römhild) - Dorotheenstr. 26, Room 208
  •     17.1., 18-20: The holy note - Monetary policies of Europe (Claudia Bruns) - Dorotheenstr. 26, Room 208
  •     29.1., 18-20: Erratic Europeanization. Imperial formations, 'bordering effects' and the everydayness of the political in Western Ukraine (Jens Adam) - Dorotheenstr. 26, Room 208

 

In this semester, the focus is on the collective examination of fundamental texts that address border studies from different disciplinary perspectives. In three four-hour thematic sessions, two texts are discussed critically with regard to their interdisciplinary relevance. Additionally, in each of these sessions two doctoral students are given the opportunity to reflect on their work in the light of the questions and approaches raised by the texts and to further develop it together with an interdisciplinary audience of students, young academics and established researchers.

In addition to or as an alternative to the presentations of the doctoral students, Master's students can help shape the discussion with previously prepared thesis papers and thus obtain credits for the course. The colloquium will be accompanied by lectures given by selected speakers from various disciplines who will take a look at the research field of border studies. This form of reading-based discussion and examination of the content of current research approaches and questions creates an interdisciplinary framework that enables doctoral students to reflect intensively on their own work and offers Master's students an inspiring exchange with regard to finding topics for their final theses.

Regular participation in the events, including the preparation of the texts and participation in the discussions, is required. Ideally, Master's students should already have some previous knowledge, e.g. from introductory seminars focusing on "Europe/Europeanisation", "Migration" and/or "Border". In order to plan the colloquium, participation in the introductory event on 23.10.17 is urgently required.