Migrants and Cities: The Case of MENA

Migration Research Center at Koç University, MiReKoc, launched its first Summer School Program entitled Migrants and Cities: The Case of MENA on 3-10 July 2011, which was designed as a one-week summer school aiming at high-level, research-oriented, interdisciplinary and innovative academic courses on migration as well as workshops on related policy issues for professional development. A week of lectures and discussions given and led by distinguished international faculty in the field of migration was combined with field trips within Istanbul involving seminars given by experts in the field. The program was able to bring together groups of interested individuals coming from enormously varied geographical, cultural and academic backgrounds.

Given the recent political and social developments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the selected theme of the Summer School this year, Migrants and Cities: The Case of MENA, was very timely. Graduate students, junior researchers and representatives of civil society organizations from Kosovo, Uganda, Hungary, Austria, Türkiye, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, and Greece met at the Koç University Sarıyer campus to study intensively for a week. Such a multi-cultural composition provided for a stimulating environment for engaging participants and faculty in an inspiring and enriching dialogue during the summer school on migration-relation issues. This was a very informative week for all the participants who were able to get valuable information from experts in the field of migration. Participants were presented with case studies from all over the Middle East and North Africa region from professors with expertise in their respective areas.

In the Summer School of 2011, the student body was chosen among approximately 80 applications. While four students were given partial scholarships, i.e., reduced fee of 50%, four participants received full scholarships. Seven students were MiReKoc affiliated assistants, who were Master and PhD students at the Koç University, and who attended the Summer School on work-based-scholarships.