International Migration and Ethnic Relations, Master's Programme (Two-Year)

An eye-opening journey to diversity

Originally from Turkey, Akinalp Orhan moved to Sweden to study in the master’s programme in International Migration and Ethnic Relations. Shortly after graduating from the two-year programme, Akinalp got a job at UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. He now works as an information management officer in Copenhagen, less than an hour away from Malmö University.

Why did you choose the programme?

I knew that I wanted to study migration studies and looked for education across Europe. I had been an exchange student in Stockholm before and was already used to the Swedish education system, which is different from many other countries. I got offered the master’s scholarship by Malmö University, but before I made my decision, I familiarised myself with the University’s teaching environment, publications, and major projects. The decision was an easy one to make.

What did you take with you from the studies?

One of my key takeaways from my studies is critical thinking. The University and the teachers really pushed us to think beyond the norm, challenge the structure, and question what we know as the ”truth”. I see a significant positive impact of this in my day-to-day job.

I also valued the focus on intersectionality. Until then, I had never reflected on my personal history and never thought about how my own identities intersect with one another. Learning more about intersectionality and becoming more familiar with black women writers was eye-opening.

Another key topic was postcolonialism. In the second year, you will have the opportunity to study abroad, do an internship or take freestanding courses. I decided to take courses, from which one was about postcolonialism and intersectionality. That was one of the best decisions I made during my studies.

How did your studies prepare you for your current work?

After graduation, I worked in UNHCR for some time, preparing research and policy documents. Because I was dealing with issues concerning state and citizenship, I was constantly relying on the knowledge I acquired from my studies.

When people ask me about my study background, I always tell them that taking a master’s degree really teaches you to master the topic in focus. It’s not supposed to be easy, and you need to spend a lot of your time reading, writing, thinking and improving yourself. Just like in working life, you must use critical thinking. At UNHCR, I look at previous policies and doctrines critically, and I have my master’s studies to thank for that. Teachers are very good at pushing you to be critical, ask questions, question societal structures and challenge your own beliefs.

What is your impression of Malmö University?

I often tell people about the library with its large windows. The campus is centrally located and spread out in different parts of the city. If you want to change the environment, you can choose another building.

Academic writing is an important skill to focus on when starting your studies, especially if English isn’t your first language. The University provides webinars and lectures in academic writing. The help I got with the linguistics perspective and with structuring my texts has been extremely valuable, for example, when I got my first job after graduation.

The teaching environment is also something I appreciated, and it turned out to be highly diverse. To have students from so many different backgrounds was an enriching experience. For example, I got to study with people from South America. For someone from Turkey, it is such a distant region, and we learned very much from each other.

The former refugee working with asylum seekers

After a family history of forced migration, Haneen Abdel Khaleq knew that she wanted to help others in similar situations. Having studied International Migration and Ethnic Relations at Malmö University, she now works with refugees as a Protection Officer in Lebanon.

From Kuwait to Malmö

Haneen and her family were living in Kuwait when the Gulf War erupted in 1990, forcing them to flee along with an exodus of other Palestinians. By the time she was ten, she had already moved from Syria to Jordan to Qatar, before finally settling in Australia.

As an adult, Haneen began working with Palestinian refugees in Jordan and knew that she’d found her calling. Then, at the height of the ‘refugee crisis’ in Europe, she was offered a scholarship to study International Migration and Ethnic Relations at Malmö University.

Diversity in and outside of the classroom

“Being in Malmö, where a lot of refugees were arriving from places like Syria, I was able to see the effects of war on displacement and migration first hand, and could then go to class where we discussed this in an academic way.

“Meeting other international students from places like Africa, Asia, and the Middle East enriched my experience as a master’s student. We could share our different experiences and opinions on the kind of things that were going on. That diversity was really valuable.”

Reflecting on her outlook, she says learning about things like the economy, migration flows, and integration has allowed her to think more practically about ongoing injustices and how she can make a change.

“In the future, I would like to work to change migration policies. It might be a bit cliché, but the most important thing to me is to make some sort of difference, even if it’s in a small way.”

Identity and personal growth

As well as an important part of Haneen’s journey towards supporting others, the master’s programme has also helped her to come to terms with certain parts of her own life and identity.

“My studies helped me to understand that my identity doesn’t have to be so rigid,” she explains.

“Who I am doesn’t have to be based on being either Australian or Palestinian. I’ve lived in so many countries up until now and the more I learn and experience, the freer I feel to live and identify the way that I want.”