International Summer School

 “Cultures, Migrations, Borders”

Plomari, Lesvos, 3 – 14 July 2013

The “University of the Aegean Summer Schools” are supported by the project «The University of the Aegean, the prominent and driving factor for the economic and social growth of the wide Aegean area» of the Operational Programme “Education and Lifelong Learning”, which is co-funded by European Union (European Social Fund) and National Resources.

For Master and Ph.D. students in the social sciences

For the second year the Department of Social Anthropology and History of the University of the Aegean and the Institute of Migration and Ethnic Studies of the University of Amsterdam welcome applications for the Summer School ‘Cultures, Migrations, Borders’ that will take place on the island of Lesvos from 3 to 14 July, 2013.

The broader socioeconomic and political transformations in Africa and Asia have recently resulted in increased migration flows to Greece and, more generally, to Europe. Being at the crossroads of populations and cultures the islands of Eastern Aegean have served as one of the entry “gates” to Europe. In this context and especially in connection to the current crisis border crossings have become the focus of intense debates as they are intertwined with issues of culture and identity formation, the European Union and state policy, and constructions of otherness. By drawing on an increasing interest in the study of cultures, migrations and borders, our Summer School examines how migrations shape and are shaped by processes of boundary formation in a variety of cultural encounters.

The programme of the course is structured around four thematic axes:

a. Theoretical and methodological issues in the study of migration and borders.

b. Institutional and political aspects of the migratory condition.

c. People on the move: immigrant groups, refugees and host communities.

d. Cross-cultural encounters across borders and interactions of host/immigrant on the border.

The programme also includes a number of fieldtrips which form the basis for project preparation and presentation. Students will have the chance to interact with asylum seekers hosted at a reception centre, experience border life and the reality of border crossing from Greece (Mytilene) to Turkey (Ayvalik), visit a former detention center for irregular immigrants and become acquainted with the cultural heritage of Lesvos. They will gain practical experience, develop research skills, and learn how to place their findings within wider local and global processes, while they acquaint themselves with life on an Aegean island. Doctoral students will have the opportunity to present their work at a seminar designed for their needs.

This year the Summer School includes a public event with leading scholars in the study of migration and border-crossing. The event is open to the participants of the Summer School and the general public.

Deadline for applications has been extended: June 1st, 2013.

For enquiries please send e-mail to:  migbord2013@aegean.gr

Photo by A.Sperkos

The “University of the Aegean Summer Schools” are supported by the project «The University of the Aegean, the prominent and driving factor for the economic and social growth of the wide Aegean area» of the Operational Programme “Education and Lifelong Learning”, which is co-funded by European Union (European Social Fund) and National Resources.