First IMISCOE Crash Course in Lebanon
Expert instruction by four IMISCOE scholars
The first IMISCOE crash course was held in Lebanon on 24-29 April, 2008 in coorperation with the Lebanese Emigration Research Center (LERC) at Notre Dame University (NDU). The programme addressed the difficulties of research in the field of international migration and integration, with a particular focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Expert instruction over five days was given by four IMISCOE scholars: Professor Jan Rath from the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies in the Netherlands; Liza Nell from the University Leiden; Dr. August Gächter from the Centre for Social Innovation in Austria; and Professor Ahmet Içduygu from the Migration Research Programme at Koç University in Turkey. Important input on the practice of researching in Lebanon and surrounding countries was given by the organizers, LERC Associate Director Guita Hourani and NDU Associate Professor Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous. The course attracted 31 participants from Lebanon, the USA, the UK, Germany, and Egypt pooling the skills and experience of some of the most promising professors and young researchers working in the field or related fields.
Methodology of migration research
Instruction focused on the methodology of migration research. With the presence of researchers educated in different parts of the world, there was emphasis on discrepancies between critical modes of thought in different regions. In particular, the course was conducted with a view to integrate the study of migration in MENA into the global scholarship, with the latter’s critical standards and methodological schools that guide its work. Parallel with this aim was a recognition that the practices and expectations of this “global' academy are in many instances shaped by Western traditions of scholarship. It was important therefore to address the specific challenges posed by research in the MENA region, and to learn how to circumnavigate shortcomings in the available data, and to deal with limitations on data collection, as well as doing research in conflict environments.
Sharing resources and social events
This event gave participants the opportunity not only to benefit from the knowledge of the instructors, but also to share their resources through seminars, discussion groups, and a methodology master-class. Social events were included in the structure of the programme, and lively dialogue continued in and out of the auditorium over the full six days. Recognizing migration as an existential human reality, the group visited a Caritas centre on Sunday 27 April. Participants were given an insight into the work of the NGO with both refugees and migrant workers. Results of grass-roots research conducted by Caritas in Lebanon were presented, and migrant individuals currently under their care volunteered to share their personal experiences in smaller groups.
Gaining from this crash course
Participants received certificates of accomplishment from IMISCOE and LERC. More importantly, however, participants took away with them a greater knowledge and deeper understanding of the study of international migration, having acquired tools that will shape future research on the movement of peoples to, from and through the Middle East and North Africa.
