Anthropology 216MG - Migration Through Film

The dramatic increase in transnational migrations has prompted new debates over globalization, diversity, and human rights. In these debates, the fate of migrants is defined by competing visions of them as pawns or pioneers, as passive victims or driven agents. This course explores the key role played by film in such representations, comparing and contrasting film to ethnography as a way to relate migrant experiences and understand migration. We look at how documentaries, feature films in local and world cinema, and ethnographies represent decisions to go abroad and the effects of migration on home and host communities. We ask what can be gleaned from these sources, such as: What it is like to be an undocumented migrant or a member of a "second generation"? What we can learn about the conditions of trafficked women or refugees? How do the politics and policies of bordering work. We also explore how geography, citizenship, class, gender, age, ethnicity, race and religion feature in these representations. Students will critically analyze how migrants are represented in film through active class discussions and several written essays.