Sanctuary in the Americas: Envisioning a Borderless World

Catalog description

This class will examine historical and contemporary developments in the politics of resistance, solidarity, and inclusionary policies around migration. We will place a special focus on North and Central America to understand the emergence and development of both the Old and the New Sanctuary Movements, broadly defined, as a transnational and diverse coalition of religious and political groups such as churches, synagogues, NGOs, educational institutions, and pro-migrant states and cities that offer safe haven or sanctuary to migrants holding various legal statuses. In addition, we will examine the origins, development, and current state of subnational pro-migrant public policies in the region. We will close the class with reflections on what a world without borders could look like. This course draws on a range of interdisciplinary theories and methods from the social sciences and humanities that will allow students to analyze, imagine, and devise creative ways of inclusion toward migrants and marginalized populations. (GOVT-AM)