PhD Course

5-7 June 2013, Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo, Norway

This course addresses the intersection of migrants' transnational networks and the dynamics of migration itself. We know that migration processes - who moves where, when, how, and under what conditions - are strongly influenced by pre-existing networks between individuals in different locations. Such networks are often created by migration in the first place but they may also arise from institutional practices (for example, business contacts or religious orders) and increasingly from links made in cyberspace. Two-way dynamic relationships between networks and migration are central to understanding how key social-science concepts such as agency and social capital relate to mobility. Questions that will be addresses include the following:

* What are the characteristics of transnational networks that affect migration?

* How do transnational networks shape migration processes and vice-versa?

* Under what conditions does chain migration gain pace?

* How do networks operate in migration with different forms of choice and coercion?

* What is the role of different forms of social capital in migration processes?

* How do local and transnational network dynamics intersect?

* How do legal regulation and social networks interact in shaping migration outcomes?

Applications received by 8 March 2013 will be reviewed together; if there are still vacancies, applications will be reviewed on a continuous basis thereafter. For additional information, see