Key Concepts
What is the guest worker system?
This type of labor system was used by Western European countries after WWII to fill jobs temporarily.
Examples of Sparks' "imaginary terrorist" messaging in current or historical news/media?
Many answers possible
Example of other guest worker programs from past readings?
Many possible, e.g. Bracero Program
Similarities of concepts between concepts discussed in (Bhattacharyya and Sparks) and (Castles and Joppke)?
Open Ended
What is the “imaginary terrorist”?
This term describes the fear-based portrayal of Muslims/"the Other" as threats in the media, especially post-9/11.
Examples of militarization in current news?
Many possible
Based on past weeks' readings/content and this week, what are two central themes framing the immigration debate?
Economy versus security. Immigrants are viewed as economically beneficial due to labor, but national security threats due to fear politics.
What do Bhattacharyya and Sparks both discuss?
These two authors analyze how the War on Terror has impacted the treatment of minorities, especially Muslims.
What does Joppke argue are the key features of the policy solutions offered in Western Europe in response to the integration crisis?
(1) the weakening of national distinctiveness & (2) a convergence with respect to the forms and contents of integration policy.
How does Trump's campaign this cycle attack principles of immigrant civic integration?
Many answers, one such is threatening to deport first-generation Americans born to 'undocumented' parents on U.S. soil
How is Edward Said's work connected to this week's readings and themes?
Open-ended, about Orientalism
What do Castles and Joppke agree influenced Western European approach to immigration?
Castles and Joppke both discuss how the economic need and demand for labor influenced Europe’s approach to immigration.
What is creating permanent, settled immigrant communities?
Castles’ work suggests that guest worker programs ended up having this unintended, long-term effect on European society.
What are some examples of "imaginary terrorist" or negative Orientalist messaging that have been criticized within the media?
Many examples possible. E.g. mass media running Orientalist fueled stories about beheaded babies on Oct 7th without confirmation of the claims
How do this week’s readings and topics relate to a few weeks ago when we learned about Labor, Criminalized Bodies and National Security Threats?
Openended, readings for this week were:
What do Sparks and Bhattacharyya agree drives much of current anti-immigration sentiment?
Sparks and Bhattacharyya suggest that the emotion of fear, amplified by the media, drives much of today’s anti-immigration sentiment.
What is militarization?
According to Bhattacharyya, this process has made everyday life feel more controlled and monitored, especially for minorities.
Open-ended
How do topics from this week connect to a few weeks ago, when we were discussing Transnational Labor Racialization?
Open-ended, readings for that week were
1. Walter Johnson, “Introduction: A Person with a Price” and “Chapter 4: Turning People into Products” in Soul by Soul: Life Inside the Antebellum Slave Market"
2. Edna Bonacich, Sabrina Alimahomed, and Jake Wilson, “The Racialization of Global Labor”
3. Steffen Mau, Fabian Gülzau, Lena Laube & Natascha Zaun (2015) “The Global Mobility Divide: How Visa Policies Have Evolved over Time”
4. Ettore Recchi, Emanuel Deutschmann, Lorenzo Gabrielli, Nodira Kholmatova, “The global visa cost divide: How and why the price for travel permits varies worldwide"
Bhattacharyya and Sparks agree that national security tactics often rely on this racial profiling method to target minority communities.
How do Bhattacharyya and Sparks argue similarly about surveillance or stop-and-search policies?