Critical Perspectives on Labour Migration and Livelihoods

Description & Objectives

While the vast majority of international migration is motivated by economic reasons, and mostly for work related purposes, recent scholarship and public interest for migration in developing countries have often inadequately accounted for this dimension of mobility. Yet, labour migration remains a key component of contemporary mobilities, particularly as it intersects with a range of development issues: political economy, regional integration, governance, statecraft, dependency, etc.

This course will help students understand the origins, scope and current dynamics associated with labour migration globally and with more specific empirical material in the Southern African region. The course is structured around 4 key themes destined to equip students with a robust theoretical, conceptual, historical, and contemporary understanding of labour migration globally and in Africa.

While the content of the course will be essentially academic, it is intended to allow students to understand the key orientations of and appraise critically global and regional policy positions and responses from organised labour and civil society.