Migration is a field of study and research that deals with global flows of people within and across national borders. It involves a series of intersecting social, cultural and political phenomena, and a corresponding set of various economic, security and ethical concerns that arguably represent some of the most pressing issues of global humanity’s present and future. Migration has been an intrinsi
c aspect of the human experience, but in the context of a political system organized around nation-states and national borders it has increasingly been classified as disruptive. Contemporary worldwide migration, whether it is classified as voluntary or involuntary, economic or forced, is growing exponentially. To a significant extent, migration accompanies economic “development,” which not infrequently also means economic exploitation, disruption and the corresponding move from countryside to urban areas. In addition, within an increasingly globalized economy driven by neo-liberal imperatives, global economic imbalances and inequalities propel movements across national and continental borders, with some 200 million people now living outside of their home countries for extended periods. It is not surprising therefore that migration significantly affects source, transit, and receiving countries throughout the world, and is at the forefront of policy concerns. The European Migration Working Group (EUMWG) consists of University of Florida faculty, researchers and graduate students working on various aspects of (historical and contemporary) migration in and from Europe. Through collaboration in research, teaching, and the organization of film series, symposia and conferences, the group aims to promote interdisciplinary European Migration studies at the University of Florida and to raise the University’s profile in this important field. Our faculty members are nationally and internationally renowned for their leading roles in these fields. Our graduate student members are working on theses and dissertations that represent the next generation of scholarship. We regularly teach topical and popular UF courses on various aspects of European Migration. The EUMWG is interdisciplinary, transnational and transmedial, and hopes to stimulate research and collaborations across a wide range of aspects associated with European Migration. We welcome membership by any UF faculty or graduate student, in any discipline, with an interest in the field. If you would like to join the European Migration Working Group or be notified of upcoming EUMWG-sponsored events, please contact Greg Mason at [email protected].
