| CODE | GRS2007 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Gender, Sexualities and Migration | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Gender and Sexualities | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit explores the multifaceted relationships between gender, sexualities, and migration. It examines how gender and sexual identities shape, and are shaped by, migration processes. The study-unit emphasizes the socio-cultural, economic, and political dimensions of migration, considering how intersecting identities and systemic inequalities impact individuals and communities. Students will critically engage with theoretical frameworks, empirical case studies, and policy analysis to understand migration as a gendered phenomenon. Key Themes and Topics 1. Patterns of Gendered Migration - Analysis of which genders migrate, where they migrate, and for which purposes; - Examination of push and pull factors influencing gender-specific migration; - Consideration of migration routes and the vulnerabilities faced by different genders during transit. 2. Human Trafficking - Exploration of human trafficking with a focus on gendered vulnerabilities and exploitation; - Case studies on labor trafficking, sex trafficking, and organ trafficking; - International frameworks and responses to combat trafficking. 3. Health and Religious Migration ● Health-related migration: - Examination of migration for reproductive healthcare, gender-affirming care, and general medical needs; - Gendered access to healthcare for migrants. ● Religious migration: - Gender and participation in religious pilgrimages or asylum-seeking due to religious persecution; - Intersection of faith, gender, and sexual identity in migration experiences. 4. Work-Related Migration - Gendered divisions of labor among migrant workers; - Feminization of labor migration, particularly in domestic work and caregiving sectors; - Issues of wage disparity, workplace discrimination, and rights advocacy for migrant workers. 5. Migration Issues Related to Surrogacy, Marriages, and FGM ● Surrogacy: - Cross-border surrogacy arrangements and their implications for gender and migration; - Ethical and legal concerns. ● Marriages: - Migration for marriage, including forced and arranged marriages; - Child marriages as a migration issue. ● Female Genital Mutilation (FGM): - Migration as a strategy to escape or mitigate FGM; - Impacts of FGM on migrant health and integration. 6. Recognition of Familial Relationships ● Legal recognition of familial relationships across borders; ● Family reunification policies and their gendered implications; ● Intersection of LGBTQIA+ relationships and migration laws. 7. Changes in Family Roles ● Impact of migration on family structures and dynamics; ● Shifts in traditional gender roles due to economic or social factors; ● Intergenerational challenges in migrant families. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit aims to: - provide students with an advanced understanding of how the social constructs of gender, sexuality, race, nationality, body-ability are interlinked with migration; - demonstrate how normative ideas about gender, sexuality, race and disability affect im/migration policies, practices and lived experiences; - hone students’ critical thinking skills about the structural inequalities and power relations in migration politics, ideologies and discourses using an intersectional lens; - critically reflect and assess migration policies and discourses and their link with the gendering of institutions and practices; - connect gender-related migrations with other contemporary economic and social issues of in/equality. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Critically analyze the role of gender and sexualities in shaping migration patterns and experiences; - Understand and evaluate the impact of migration policies on gendered and sexual identities; - Examine case studies to identify key issues and solutions related to gender and sexualities in migration contexts; - Propose inclusive strategies to address systemic inequalities and enhance migrant well-being. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Apply an intersectional methodology in their research and inquiry; - Formulate effective questions to guide their research and inquiry; - Augment their proficiency in critical thinking, research and analytical skills; - engage in a critical analysis of their own practices and that of institutions or social organizations using knowledge and conceptual tools covered during the study-unit; - Relate academic knowledge and understanding to everyday situations related to the topics covered in the study-unit; - Carry out independent research assignments related to the issues covered during the course. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Davis K. (2008). Intersectionality as buzzword: A sociology of science perspective on what makes a successful feminist theory. Feminist Theory, 9(1),67-85. - Donata, K.M., Gabaccia, D., Holdaway, J., Manalansan, M. and Pessar, P.R. (2006). A glass half full? Gender in migration studies. International Migration Review, 40(1), 3-26. - Gatt, S., Hazibar, K., Sauermann, V., Prglau, M and Ralser, M. (2016). Migration from a gender-critical, postcolonial and interdisciplinary perspective. Austrian Journal of Sociology, 41(3), 1-12. DOI 10.1007/s11614-016-0236-4 (open access) - Georgiou, M. (2012) Introduction: gender, migration and the media. Ethnic and racial studies, 35 (5). 791-799. - Halfacree, K.H. (2003). Untying migration completely: de-gendering or radical transformation? Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 30(2), 397-413. - Mahler, S.J. and Pessar, P.R. (2006). ‘Gender matters: ethnographers bring gender from the periphery toward the core of migration studies’. International Migration Review, 40(1): 27-63. - T.D Truong, D. Gasper, J. Handmaker, S.I. Bergh (2014) Migration, Gender and social justice. Perspectives on Human Insecurity. SpringerLink.com – Part I – Introduction (full book in open Access) Supplementary Readings: - Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah. New York: Anchor Books. 2013. - Baldacchino, R., Cutajar, J., Murphy, B. & Naudi, M. (2016). ‘Gender and Sexuality: Mapping Histories and Departures’. In Briguglio, M. & Brown, M. (Eds.). Sociology of the Maltese Islands. Malta: Agenda. - Dyck, I. (2018). Migrant mothers, home and emotional capital – hidden citizenship practices, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 41(1), 98-113. DOI: 10.1080/01419870.2017.1288917 - Gilmartin, M. and Migge, B. (2016). Migrant mothers and the geographies of belonging. Gender, place and culture, 23(2), 147-161. - Gottfried, H., & Chun, J. (2018). Care Work in Transition: Transnational Circuits of Gender, Migration, and Care. Critical Sociology, 44(7-8), 997-1012. - Kofman, Eleanor. 1999. “Female ‘Birds of Passage’ a Decade Later: Gender and Immigration in the European Union.” International Migration Review 33: 269-299 - Morokvasic, Mirjana. 1984. “Birds of passage are also women.” International Migration Review 18 (4): 886-907. - Paul, A. (2015). Negotiating Migration, Performing Gender. Social Forces, 94(1), 271-293. (open access) - R. Lister (2008) Citizenship: Feminist Perspectives. Basingstoke: Macmillan Press Ltd. - Yuval-Davis, N. (2010). Theorizing identity: beyond the ‘us’ and ‘them’ dichotomy. Patterns of Prejudice, 44(3), 261–280. https://doi.org/10.1080/0031322X.2010.489736. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | ||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Zoi Arvanitidou Josephine Ann Cutajar (Co-ord.) Romina Joanna Gatt Ibtisam Sadegh Patricia Vella de Fremeaux |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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