Migration and Border Crossing in Film and Photography
Semester: Fall 2025
This course is conducted in Spanish. From an interdisciplinary perspective, this course explores the ways in which film and photography recount past and present human migrations, and how they contribute to and question the construction of the social imaginary of the migrant. Focusing on migrations particularly related to Spanish-speaking countries, we will examine themes such as “global” vs. “local”; conceptions of hybridity, otherness, belonging, border, assimilation, and neo-racism; the paradoxical nature of the “migrant”; the role of history, language, religion, and culture in the acceptance and rejection of foreigners; the relationship between border and identity; the feminization of migrations; the use of the term “illegal” in relation to migrations; and the emergence of “new” identities; among others. We will learn how to analyze the complexities of film and photography, considering movies, documentaries, photographs, and other visual materials which cover past and present migrations from Africa, America, Asia, and Europe. We will also study the history of migrations, and will examine the intricacies of the concept of migrant (as both emigrant and immigrant), paying particular attention to the different stages of migrants’ journeys (the departure from the home country; the crossing of transit countries and borders; the arrival; and the settlement or forced deportation). No previous knowledge of film or photography required.
