Module: HIS5108-20 Immigration and Race in 20th Century Europe

Level: 5

Credit Value: 20

Module Tutor: Sarah Hackett

Module Tutor Contact Details: s.hackett@bathspa.ac.uk

1. Brief description and aims of module:

This is an optional module for students interested in the study of immigration and race in Western Europe during the twentieth century. It examines immigration to Europe from the perspectives of both the host nations and the immigrants themselves. It considers what it means to be British, German, French, Spanish or indeed European; it asks why immigrants from some countries are more welcome than others; it evaluates immigration policy, the emergence of the far-Right, and media representations of migrant communities; and it discusses what we mean by terms like “integration”, “multiculturalism” and “Islamophobia”. The module places immigration to Europe in a historical context through an assessment of the late nineteenth, the twentieth and the early twenty-first centuries. It offers a country by country approach, and the case studies covered include Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Students gain an understanding of individual migration and integration policies and pieces of legislation, and the arrival, settlement and development of various migrant communities, as well as an overarching grasp of immigration and race in Europe from a historical perspective. Some of the migrant groups studied include the Eastern European Jewish refugees of the late 1800s, the South Asian, North African and Turkish colonial and guest-worker migrants of the post-war years, and the refugees and asylum seekers of the 1980s and 1990s. The module also explores some of the key debates and developments of recent years, including France’s headscarf affair, Denmark’s cartoon scandal, and on-going deliberations on national identity, belonging, and the place of Islam in Europe. It makes use of a wide range of sources, including documentary films, speeches, newspaper articles, oral history interviews, and official government reports.

2.Outline syllabus:

The module will explore a range of countries, themes and topics, including:

• Britain: Jewish refugees & colonial immigration

• Germany: migration, anti-Semitism & guest-workers

• France: Jews, North Africans & labour migrants

• Spain, Islam & migration: a European exception?

• Italy: a “new” country of immigration

• The Netherlands: immigration, multiculturalism & far-right politics

• Belgium: the forgotten immigration country

• Scandinavia: cartoons, immigration & the welfare state

• Switzerland: the perfect multicultural nation?

• Immigration & race in Europe: where are we now?

3.Teaching and learning activities:

Lectures, seminars, tutorials, formative tasks, summative assessments

Assessment Item 1:

• Assessment Type: Ex (In Class)

• Description: Timed Critical Analysis (2,000 words)

• % Weighting: 40%

Assessment Item 2:

• Assessment Type: Course Work

• Description: Essay (3,000 words)

• % Weighting: 60%