63-113 How migrations create meaningful spaces

Instructors: Dr. Tania Verónica Mancheno Moncada

Event type: Practical course/lab

Displayed in timetable as:

Hours per week: 2

Credits: 3,0

Language of instruction: German

Min. | Max. participants: 8 | 22

Comments/contents:
With globalisation and Europeanisation, nation-state borders appear to be becoming less important. Indeed, cross-border regions have played and continue to play a central role in European integration.  As  nation-state  borders  within Europe  become  less  significant,  cross-border  regions  emerge  as  spaces  of  social,  economic  and  cultural exchange. The emergence of cross-border regions with institutional and governance structures of decision-making furthermore leads to new political geographies, existing outside of the bounded spaces of nation-states. The current refugee crisis, nevertheless demonstrates how borders within Europe continue to act as barriers, particularly for certain groups of people, coming from outside. Border regions are places of contradiction and tension and at times conflict, where national identities are questioned and renegotiated. Borders continue to have a lasting symbolic power and influence on people’s thinking and actions, even when their formal, political power has weakened. This seminar will focus on particular cases of cross-border and transnational regionalism within Europe and identify the challenges and opportunities associated with cross-border cooperation. 

Learning objectives:
Students will gain an understanding of key concepts in political geography including nation-state, territory, border, regionalism  and European integration. Students will gain comparative knowledge of cross-border and transnational regionalism in Europe, working with a diverse range of case studies. 

Didactic concept:
Student presentations, group and text-based discussion, essay-writing