Ninth International Postgraduate Summer School 
“Cultures, Migrations, Borders”
Plomari, Lesvos, July 5 – 14, 2022

For final year undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students, researchers
and professionals in the social sciences

For the ninth 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 Postgraduate International Summer School ‘CULTURES, MIGRATIONS, BORDERS’ that will take place on the border island of LESVOS, GREECE, from 5 to 14 JULY 2022.

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 for many years. More than 800.000 people used the passage of Eastern Aegean in 2015 according to the UNHCR forming the biggest refugee crisis since WWII. This year the Summer School takes place as the refugee and migrant movements have been instrumentalized in the EU-Turkey borders and in times of radical transformations and the reconfiguration of borders in national and international levels.

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'. Borders can be approached through their physical and more abstract dimensions, in their making and remaking, and in relation to their cultural, social, political and economic aspects. Cultures can be viewed with a keen eye for the simultaneity of tacit overlap, covert cultural intimacy and overt strategic essentialism. By drawing on an increasing interest in the study of cultures, migrations and borders, the Summer School examines how migrations shape and are shaped by processes of boundary formation in a variety of cultural encounters.

The Summer School aims at bringing together students and researchers in humanities and social sciences with an interest in border and migration. The program is designed to combine theoretical instruction by renowned instructors from eight universities with various on-site activities. 

The North Eastern Aegean island of LESVOS provides an ideal location for holding this Summer School, as it is currently one of the more important gates of immigrants and refugees to Greece and Europe and the site of a massive humanitarian intervention. The Summer School takes place as the 'European Refugee Crisis' goes on taking new forms and in times of radical transformations and the reconfiguration of borders in national and international levels. The program aims to address political, ethical and theoretical questions in this challenging landscape. 

The program of the course is structured around five 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.
e. The politics of humanitarian aid and the 'refugee crisis'.

Along with the seminars, the program includes some further activities. The participants will be given the opportunity to interact with citizens on the island assisting refugees and meet asylum seekers. A fieldtrip to Mytilene is organized for this purpose as well as some activities in Plomari. While acquainting themselves with the reality of migration on an Aegean island, participants will develop research skills and learn how to place their findings within wider local and global processes. Doctoral students and researchers will also have the opportunity to present their work at the PhD/Research Seminars. The Summer School includes the public screening of films on migration and border-crossing as well as it offers a variety of social and leisure activities.

A certificate of attendance will be awarded to all participants.

The Summer School corresponds to 2 ECTS units.

For inquiries please send e-mail to: migbord2022@aegean.gr

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