The Middle East has long been shaped by migration movements including those generated by conflict, violence, persecution, climate change, urbanization, poverty and economic reasons. Since 1990, the estimated number of migrants and refugees in the region grew consistently and today it represents around 17% of the global total of 280 million migrants and refugees worldwide (UN DESA, 2020). Although the socalled “refugee crisis” that originated in the Middle East has been in the spotlight in the public, political and media debate, migration in the region is extremely multifaceted. Not only the distribution of foreign nationals greatly varies from one country to another, but also the type of migration is very diverse. Middle Eastern countries are both receiving countries for migrants (for example the Gulf countries, which receive among the largest global numbers of migrant domestic workers) and countries of origin (for example Lebanon, where the vast majority of the population lives in the diaspora). Some Middle Eastern countries also function as transit countries for migrants and refugees who aim to migrate to other regions (e.g. the case of Turkey). In this already very complex scenario, new insecurities (e.g. the COVID- 19 crisis) together with pre-existing inequalities have further intensified the desire for mobility of many people in the region. The question of how to study such a multidimensional context has been largely debated by scholars and many have called for approaching the study of migrations in the Middle East through transnational and interdisciplinary perspectives. This course draws on this scholarship and builds on interdisciplinarity to analyse the historical, sociological, economic, cultural and political factors that frame migration patterns across different Middle Eastern geographies. This course will introduce the students to the theoretical foundations of migration studies and the current methodological debates that emerged in the context of the Middle East. Among the themes that this course will address, we will touch upon the topics of forced migration and exile, internal displacement, diaspora, domestic workers migration, and economic migration. We will also explore the colonial root of migration movements in and from the Middle East, the question of borders, and the topics of remittances, hospitality and humanitarianism, among others. This course will be organized thematically and will be mainly taught through the discussion of case studies. However, students will be encouraged to carry out their own research work and engage with different research methods (e.g. including ethnography, bibliographical research, surveys, archival research, etc.) as well as to critically reflect on methodological and ethical challenges that arise in a multidisciplinary context. close