Geography

Refugees, Migrants and Religion

Module code: 008GRSID
Level 6
30 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Seminar, Lecture
Assessment modes: Not yet finalised

Globalisation has rendered religions increasingly visible through their materialisation in urban spaces, prompting some to argue we are now in an age of postsecularism. And yet, religion has hitherto been a much underemphasised aspect of migration, playing a distant second fiddle to issues of race, class and gender.

On this module, you will learn how religion is drawn upon as a social and cultural resource, and transformed in everyday life in relation to migrant experience. The module introduces you to ways of thinking about how movement and mobility are at the heart of lived understandings of religion.

What do religious traditions look like when seen through the lens of migration? In what ways are they re-configured and re-imagined by migrants? How do religious communities, traditions and practices shape and influence migrant experiences?

The module seeks to strike a balance between geographies of religion and the life-worlds of migrants where religious geographies are situated.

Module learning outcomes

• Demonstrate a systematic understanding of key concepts, including of their histories and biases.
• Understand and distinguish between different spatial approaches to the study of religion to better imagine the life of religious actors on the full range of geographical scales, from the local to the global.
• Analyse and critically evaluate contemporary struggles and contestations over the role of religion in migratory processes.
• Explain how religious traditions and spaces are used in public debate to address issues of immigration and refugee movements.
• Summarise and explain the religious dynamics of migration experiences.