Problems and Questions in Contemporary IMER Research

This course offers in-depth knowledge of central issues in international migration and ethnic relations (IMER). It draws on ongoing research at the department and the expertise of the teaching researchers. The aim is both to develop knowledge of the state of the art in the field and to examine how such knowledge is and can be produced. In so doing, the course consistently combines theoretical and methodological queries. The course is divided in two modules (15 + 15 credits), each of which covers a delimited area in current IMER research.

The course’s underlying pedagogical philosophy is that the generic intellectual skills of critical thinking and independent analysis are best developed in delimited thematic contexts, in which the connection between knowledge about and knowledge how are most visible and open for scrutiny. To this end, the course is focused on key problems and questions in contemporary IMER research, and benefits from the expertise and current research in the department. Apart from offering students in-depth knowledge on a selected set of subjects in the IMER field, the course also develops a more profound and general understanding of what it means “to know” something and how such knowledge is produced in IMER research.

For the fall semester of 2026, the following to modules are offered:

Module I: Critical Engagement with Analytical Tools in Migration Research

Acknowledging that theoretical language is deeply shaped by the social, historical, and political contexts in which it is produced and deployed, this module invites students to critically engage with analytical tools in contemporary migration research. Particular attention is paid to the concepts of identity, culture, diversity, and integration. These concepts are examined in relation to relevant methodological considerations, as well as to the political logics underpinning processes of homogenization and the problematization of migrants as “others”. The module further examines scholarly efforts to redefine the object of migration studies through reconceptualizations of society and societal change in relation to migration.

Module II: Migration in a Global Historical Perspective

This course examines global migration as a central force in world history and as a key factor in the formation of societies and cultures across time. It traces major historical phases of migration, from early imperial expansion and slavery to nineteenth-century mass migration, postcolonial movements, and displacement in the modern era. Selected sessions focus on Sweden as a case in global migration history, including nineteenth-century emigration, postwar immigration, and the displacement of the Sámi population.

Alongside historical analysis, the course draws on cultural studies perspectives to explore how migration has been interpreted, represented, and remembered, and how cultural identities and diasporas have developed in different historical contexts. Through this combined approach, students gain a comparative understanding of how migration has shaped societies in the past and continues to influence cultural and political life today.

Syllabus autumn 2026

Earlier syllabuses

Syllabus with literature list autumn 2026

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