070092 UE Foreign Languages in Historical Science 1 (2012S)

History of European Migration from 18th-20th Century

This course focuses on various European migration systems from the 18th to the 20th century. Even in pre-modern times regional mobility was an integral and regular part of a relatively stable social and economic order. The majority of migrants moved across short distances: only a few crossed provincial or international borders, and transatlantic migration remained something of an exception. From the mid 19th century onwards, during the process of industrialization and urbanization traditional forms of short distance and seasonal mobility were increased, while new patterns of transnational migration emerged. The 20th century marks a profound reversal of human movement in Europe and between Europe and the rest of the world. The lectures associated with the course will explore central themes in understanding various European migration patterns and link these to a more global approach, especially via transatlantic migration to the Americas. Issues to be addressed will include economic, social, occupational, family, demographic, and institutional as well as political structures.
The broad aims of the course are to provide the students with an in-depth knowledge of European migration structures within the complex and long-term process by which both rural and urban societies were transformed from the 18th to the 20th centuries. The secondary literature will be examined to identify the main historical themes, methodology and approaches taken in the reconstruction of various regional mobility patterns. As an outcome of the course, it is expected that students will have a broad overview of the literature on European migration and comment and criticise this within historical research.

Class time: 50% Lecture, 50% Discussion

Work load: about 100 Pages of reading per week, up to 15 Pages of writing per semester,
1 Paper, 1 Presentation

Required books:

Leslie Page Moch, Moving Europeans. Migration in Western Europe since 1650. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2nd vol., 2003

Leo Lucassen, The Immigrant Threat. The Integration of Old and New Migrants in Western Europe since 1850. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press 2005