Overview

Migration and Diaspora Studies:

What is ‘migration’? Do we live in an age of ‘migration’, or an age of ‘borders’? How are contemporary experiences of migration and border regimes racialised, and shaped by colonial histories? What is ‘diaspora’? What challenges do diasporic communities bring to modern political constructions such as the nation-state, national ‘imagined’ communities and citizenship, and their associated metaphysics of sedentarism?

The MA in Migration & Diaspora Studies tackles these crucial and timely questions, providing students with the skills to understand, diagnose and articulate what is at stake in contemporary experiences of migration and diaspora; as well as contribute to the work of academics, communities, and activists engaged in reimagining a world beyond borders, and exclusionary modes of belonging.

The MA in Migration & Diaspora Studies is a highly interdisciplinary programme taught from a Global South perspective. It is engaged and practice oriented and offers the possibility of creative assessments along with conventional assessment forms. Students enrolled in the programme have the unique opportunity to gain work relevant experience while studying, through the module ‘From Theory to Practice & Back: Work Placements in Migration Research’. Overall, this MA programme is committed to the belief that knowledge and practice produced by diasporas, migrants’ grassroots organisations, activists, practitioners and artists should be intertwined with academic knowledge, and validated as part of a real decolonising effort.

Persian - This programme will provide students with the opportunity to combine Masters’ level training with intensive study of the Persian language, in order to acquire the skills necessary for future professional or research careers. The programme will enable students to engage with the subject of their Masters’ programme in the context of Iran, and the wider Persian speaking world, through the study of modern and classical Persian, to engage with primary Persian sources and data and to conduct research and professional work in Iran or parts of Central Asia.

This programme would suit students wishing to embark on research degrees with a focus on Iran and the wider Persianate world. Professionals wishing to pursue careers directly related to Iran, including government departments (of both the UK and other countries), and in firms requiring particular skills and knowledge related to trading, investment and promotional interests outside Europe.

Employment

A Masters in Migration and Diaspora Studies helps you to understand the world, other peoples’ ways of life and how society is organised.

Postgraduate students leave SOAS with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek, including analytical and critical skills; ability to gather, assess and interpret data; high level of cultural awareness; and problem-solving.

A postgraduate degree is a valuable experience that provides students with a body of work and a diverse range of skills that they can use to market themselves with when they graduate.