Gabriela Quevedo presents her paper '‘Now smells like revolution': migrants' activism, subjectivities, and agency in contemporary London' in Parallel session V(E) of the conference Examining Migration Dynamics: Networks and Beyond, 24-26 Sept 2013 Over the last sixty years London has transformed itself into a service based city where global economic forces have developed an expanding low-paid economy that relies heavily on migrant labour (Sassen, 1991; quoted in Evans et al., 2005). These historic and social processes have been the fertile ground of new forms of political, social and cultural mobilisation often led by migrants. It is within this setting that my doctoral research seeks to illuminate empirically the links between migrant's activism -as it comes into being- and the question of agency and social change.
Using ethnographic data from my engagement with the 3cosas campaign at the University of London, I argue that the epistemological premises of feminism, and in particular the notions of subjectivity and reflexivity can be instrumental to develop a deeper understanding of how migrants in London have become authentic pioneers in the resurgence of radicalised and somewhat unconventional forms of union activism (Seidman, 2011).
I take a ‘carnal' approach to ethnography (Wacquant, 2005) that is grounded in my personal engagement as an activist in the left wing London scene for more than three years. Departing from Bourdieu's concept of ‘habitus' as methodological focus (Bourdieu, 1990), together with Touraine's theory of ‘the subject' (Touraine, 1995), this paper hopes to provide some insights into the question of how activism ‘occurs', and the entangled articulations between the migrants' sense of self in relation to their current positions (material and symbolic), and the marks of their unique histories. This approach moves on from mono-causal understandings of collective action and seeks to expand the traditional remit of current anthropological research by adopting a dialogic, bottom up methodology to explain migrants' mobilisation (Pèro and Solomos, 2010).
THEMIS: ‘Now smells like revolution': migrants' activism, subjectivities, and agency in contemporary London
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THEMIS: The ‘Neogramscian approach’: using 'Critical Theories' to explain migration systems
Robert Westermann presents his paper 'The ‘Neogramscian approach’: using 'Critical Theories' to explain migration systems' in Parallel session V(E) of the conference Examining Migration Dynamics: Networks and Beyond, 24-26 Sept 2013 Until now World System approaches, also known as Critical Theories, are mainly applied in International Relation research. In the following I will illustrate on one example, the Neogramscian approach of Robert Cox, how global correlations of social forces, forms of state and global orders profoundly affect International Migration processes and should be considered by theoretical debates in Migration Studies. Furthermore, I will show how the specific perspective of social transformation in combination with the awareness of local rescaling processes can be a promising extension for the research of Migration Systems.
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THEMIS: Accounting for diversity in Polish migration in Europe: motivation and early integration
Lucinda Platt presents her paper 'Accounting for diversity in Polish migration in Europe' co-authored by Renee Luthra & Justyna Salamonska in Parallel session VI(B) of the conference Examining Migration Dynamics: Networks and Beyond, 24-26 Sept 2013 Research on the decision to migrate overwhelmingly draws from neo-classical and revised economic models of international flows, in which individuals and their families choose migration strategies to maximize and diversify their incomes (Borjas, 1989)and reduce their exposure to financial risks (Taylor, 1999, Stark and Bloom, 1985). Yet these models do little to explain the large amount of remaining variation in the type and size of migration flows across receiving countries after the costs and benefits of migration are accounted for. We also know relatively little about how non-economic determinants of migration impact the integration process of new immigrants in the destination country.
This paper examines cross-national variation in the non-economic motivations and early integration of Polish immigrants to four Western Europe destinations: the UK, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands. We rely on a unique new data set that contains standardized measures of pre-migration and post-migration characteristics among recent Polish migrants in all four countries, enhancing comparability and sample size and reducing return-migration selection bias. Focusing only on Poles allows us to control for many economic confounders in the relationship between non-economic migration determinants and social and economic integration, because the legal and financial costs of migration from Poland to Western Europe, as well as the potential wage returns, are fairly uniform across destination countries. Despite this seeming interchangeability, we show considerable variation in the size and socioeconomic characteristics of Polish migration flows to these four countries. We link this variation to differences in the migration motives, pre-migration social networks, and settlement intentions. Furthermore, we show that these non-economic variables exert a significant impact on early socioeconomic integration in the destination countries, influencing the likelihood of unemployment as well as occupational status and subjective life satisfaction of Polish immigrants within the first 18 months after arrival.
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THEMIS: Beyond migrant lives: The rise and fall of meso-level actors
Joana Sousa Ribeiro presents his paper 'Beyond migrant lives: the rise and fall of meso-level actors' in Parallel session VI(B) of the conference Examining Migration Dynamics: Networks and Beyond, 24-26 Sept 2013 This paper examines the migration from East European countries to Portugal as a particular pattern of the named `southern European model´ (Baldin-Edwards, 1999; King, 2000). It discusses this sub-system through the analysis of the emergence, development and decline of migratory dynamics.
Biographic interviews to physicians and nurses coming from Russia Federation, Moldova and Ukraine to Portugal are explored in order to sustain the debate. These non-EU citizens arrived in Portugal without their credentials recognised before they left their country of origin; as a consequence, they do not benefit from any professional, organizational, or supra-national framework.
The analysis of the East European doctors and nurses’ pioneer paths into the Portuguese Health Service underlines the importance of multi-level actors: either as service providers (e.g. of language courses, of training programs), as bridge-builders of social capital, as mentors for newcomers or as gatekeepers.
The biographic approach of this study allows perceiving the role of the initial movers on the sustainability of the flows. Moreover, it contributes to emphasize the range of mechanisms that is on inter-play over time, namely, the ones resulted from the interactions with state institutions, employers, educational establishments, professional associations, NGO´s, Foundations, migrants fellows.
This paper argues for the need to overcome the structure/agency divide on the (re)valuation of the migratory dynamics.
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THEMIS: Transformative stages of migrant identity: a diachronic and synchronic study of the first-generation Romanian migrants in the UK
Oana Romocea presents her paper 'Transformative stages of migrant identity' in Parallel session VI(C) of the conference Examining Migration Dynamics: Networks and Beyond, 24-26 Sept 2013 Part of my doctoral research, the present paper aims to explore how migrant identity transforms over time in response to political and social changes. For the purpose of this study, I conducted in-depth interviews with first-generation Romanian migrants settled in the UK over the last half a century. Using the timing and reason of their relocation, I identified three sub-groups: pre-1989 political refugees, post-1989 knowledge diaspora and post-1989 labour migrants. The study is both a diachronic and synchronic analysis which follows the identity transformation, dynamism and re-adaptation of the Romanian migrant community. I argue that political and social changes have led to major identity shifts within the migrant community at both individual and collective level. If before the 1989 revolution, the Romanians settled in the UK had formed an active diaspora, during the 1990s, they lost this status and became known as an immigrant community motivated by aims of personal development. However, we have been witnessing a new transformative stage since 2007 when Romania joined the European Union. The Romanians settled in the UK have again started displaying traits specific to an incipient diaspora.
The study takes into account patterns of migrant integration in the context of everyday experiences in order to understand how Romanians in Britain have, over time, delineated their relationship both to their homeland and the host society across the transnational space of Europe. This interrelation is a dominant element of the diasporic imagination of what it means to be Romanian, given the migration experience. Based on this analysis, my study will reveal how the Romanian migrants responded to political and cultural changes, addressed identity crisis, adapted to new contexts and reinvented themselves. All these processes are reflected in the transformation of their migrant identity.
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THEMIS: Citizens of Kazakhstan in a Russian city: factors facilitating and limiting transnational activities (the case of Novosibirsk)
Larisa Kosygina presents her paper 'Citizens of Kazakhstan in a Russian city: factors facilitating and limiting transnational activities' in Parallel session VI(C) of the conference Examining Migration Dynamics: Networks and Beyond, 24-26 Sept 2013 This paper discusses some results of my research, “Foreign citizens in the Novosibirsk region: factors for construction of transnational practices,” undertaken within the collective research project, “Cross-border relations in the Asian part of Russia: a comprehensive assessment of benefits and risks" (funded by the Russian Academy of Science). The paper is based on an analysis of semi-structured interviews with citizens of Kazakhstan residing in Novosibirsk, which is the principal city of the region bordering Kazakhstan. It presents migrants’ understandings of their migration process and factors facilitating or limiting their transnational activity (including transnational migration).
Both Russia and Kazakhstan participate in one migration system which emerged after the collapse of the USSR. These countries are connected by a common history, cultural ties and social links, and continued mutual economic interests. The recent introduction of the Common Economic Space – the economic and political union which encompasses Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus – presupposes facilitation of migration and social integration of the citizens of these countries across the covered territory. Citizens of Kazakhstan and Belarus can enter Russia without a visa. In Russia, citizens of Belarus and Kazakhstan in comparison with other foreign citizens have the greatest access to social and economic rights. Using the example of citizens of Kazakhstan residing in the region which borders Kazakhstan, my research tries to clarify factors which promote or limit creation of a transnational social space – a social space which is “composed from networks that link individuals to institutions in more than one state” (Glick Shiller, in print) – from below, in other words, the creation of transnational space via the activities of migrants themselves.
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THEMIS: Egypt: Migration, revolution, and social change
Philip Marfleet presents his paper 'Egypt: Migration, revolution, and social change' in Parallel session VI(D) of the conference Examining Migration Dynamics: Networks and Beyond, 24-26 Sept 2013 For decades Egypt was a source country for migration to states of the Gulf. Now some of its poorest people leave villages of the Nile Delta for the cities of Europe. Despite formal efforts by European authorities to inhibit these networks, greatly increasing the risks for those involved, the pace of migration has intensified and cross-Mediterranean networks have become integral to the life of some communities.
This paper examines the rapid emergence and consolidation of the new networks. It considers the development of new social practices associated with migration and the complex outcomes for migrants and for those who do not migrate.
The paper also considers the impact of Egypt's revolution upon migration - the effect of societal upheaval and of a huge rise in expectations of social and economic advance among millions of people. It argues that processes associated with the "Arab Spring" continue to stimulate cross-Mediterranean movements and to reshape regional patterns of migration.
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THEMIS: Elites and emulators: the evolution of an Iraqi Kurdish - European migration system
Erlend Paasche presents his paper 'Elites and emulators: the evolution of an Iraqi Kurdish - European migration system' in Parallel session VI(D) of the conference Examining Migration Dynamics: Networks and Beyond, 24-26 Sept 2013 This paper deals with both emigration and return, applying a systems approach on 'forced migrants'. Empirically based on more than 100 in-depth interviews and 7 focus group discussions with Iraqi Kurdish emigrants and returnees to/from the UK and Norway, this paper explores the evolution of an Iraqi Kurdish - European migration system through three time periods, 1975-1991, 1992-1998, and 1999 until today. The first wave, comprised of political elites, were often granted asylum by sympathetic host states in Europe. Through their existentially important remittances, transnational marriages and high-profile return visits these elites had a signalling effect triggering the emigration of a more mixed group of second-wave ‘economic refugees'. Second-wavers emulated the first-wavers in search of wealth and freedom but were also fleeing a complex of civil war, generalized insecurity and economic deprivation. The final third-wavers tend to be less wealthy and younger, and idealize Europe as a vehicle of social mobility in lieu of inaccessible patronage. Unprecedented though incomplete political stability and rapid though inequitable economic growth in Iraqi Kurdistan hence produces return and emigration simultaneously. It prompts the return of political and financial elites, well positioned to capitalize on investment opportunities and benefit from personal networks and any foreign-earned skills and education they might have acquired. It also produces third wavers who continue to emulate the elites by seeking asylum in Europe to accumulate wealth and enjoy social freedoms, but are poorly positioned to do so as increasingly restrictive asylum regimes and economic downturns in Europe combine to produce irregularization, marginalization, and unfavorable exchange rates vis-à-vis the booming Kurdish economy. When these third-wavers eventually return, often forcibly, they are largely empty-handed and face disappointed households and poor prospects in an increasingly specialized labor market. In other words, emigration to Europe has been democratized but return has not.
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Hilary Seminar Series 2014: The numbers game
'The numbers game: Targets and indicators in UK immigration policy' presented by Christina Boswell (University of Edinburgh).
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Hilary Seminar Series 2014: Fortress Europe or Europe of Rights?
'Fortress Europe or Europe of Rights? The Europeanization of family migration policies in France, Germany, and the Netherlands' presented by Saskia Bonjour (Leiden University).
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THEMIS: ‘Brain-gain' return of India’s high-skilled entrepreneurs
Malasree Neepa Acharya presents her paper '‘Brain-gain' return of India’s high-skilled entrepreneurs: Home, transformation, and power politics in the cosmopolitan global south' in Parallel session V(D) of the conference Examining Migration Dynamics This paper investigates the impact of entrepreneurs of Indian origin as social and economic actors that are choosing to return to emerging cities in India. I ask how do entrepreneurs of Indian origin who have lived for a substantial time in the US and/or EU construct their lives upon returning to cosmopolitan cities in India and what factors affect their actions. Entrepreneurs, self-employed owners, financers and managers of their own business or enterprise, are a specific subset of high skilled migrants who take charge of their destinies. I theorize that entrepreneurs— as a unique action-oriented subset of returning elites (Heberer 1999, Drucker 1975)—create their work and home space as a reflection of their hybrid subjectivities and life experiences as cosmopolitan ‘expats.’ These elites transform physical infrastructures of home and work, and social relations among resident Indians and fellow ‘expats’ within emerging Indian ‘Global South’ (Simone 2007, Dawson 2004) cities. The impact of these transformations reconfigure the ways in which global elites move through the world—these entrepreneurs largely redefine transnational networks across periphery and centre while actively creating their own connection to cosmopolitan spaces globally.
Utilizing primary interview data and cognitive social networking ‘maps’ created by entrepreneurs that have returned to Bangalore, India, an emerging ecosystem in India in the wake of globalization, I attempt to investigate the subtext of entrepreneur respondent discussions of ‘opportunity’ and ‘innovation.’ I contend that entrepreneurs who see their return as an opportunity to create a new venture or idea reflect a new cosmopolitan global citizenry whose rootedness and creation of subjective selves within India reconfigures multinational movements and settlement patterns of high skilled elites as part of a larger way in which they move through the world—thereby retranslating transnational ties and engagements with settlement within spaces around the world.
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Hilary Seminar Series 2015: Sub-Saharan mobility and the transformation of the urban religious landscape in Morocco
'Sub-Saharan mobility and the transformation of the urban religious landscape in Morocco', presented by Johara Berriane
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Hilary Seminar Series 2015: Mobile female traders from Mali in Dakar
Mobile female traders from Mali in Dakar (Senegal): Place-making abroad and on the move, presented by Gunvor Jonsson
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Emigration from Central and Eastern Europe: Origin Country Perspectives
MIGRATION AND MODERNIZATION IN POLAND: AN ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE presented by Marcin Galent (Jagiellonian University, Krakow) Migrants from Central and Eastern Europe have become an inseparable part of the British ethnic mosaic. Eastern European migration attracts a lot of scholarly attention in the UK, however little has been said about the origin country perspective in this debate. What has driven these people to leave in the first place? What are the consequences of their decisions? Not only the costs – depopulation of rural areas in certain localities in Eastern Europe – but also the benefits – low unemployment, skill transfers and modernization projects – of this out-migration are occurring on an unprecedented scale.
In this special series of podcasts, three speakers aim to bring these arguments to light, thereby filling the substantial gap in how emigration from Central Eastern Europe has been conceptualised thus far.
WELFARE SYSTEMS AS EMIGRATION FACTOR: EVIDENCE FROM THE NEW ACCESSION STATES
Lucia Kurekova (Central European University, Budapest)
MIGRATION AND MODERNIZATION IN POLAND: AN ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
Marcin Galent (Jagiellonian University, Krakow)
THE ETHICS AND POLITICS OF OUTMIGRATION
Dace Dzenovska (COMPAS, University of Oxford)
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Trinity seminar series 2015: Remaining 'attached strangers': Encounters, relationships and the future of African migrants in China
Remaining 'attached strangers': Encounters, relationships and the future of African migrants in China, presented by Linessa Dan Lin
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Applying a gender lens to migration and development: insights from research in Southern Africa
Applying a gender lens to migration and development: insights from research in Southern Africa: presented by Belinda Dodson
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What archaeological data tell us about the movement of populations in the last millenia
What archaeological data tell us about the movement of populations in the last millenia: presented by Nicolas Zorzin
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Learning how to feel: Spiritual knowledge and emotionally-based narratives of social transformation amongst Nigerian and Congolese pastors in diaspora
IMI Trinity term Visiting Fellow Rafael Cazarin gives an exceptional seminar on narratives of social transformation amongst Nigerian and Congolese pastors in diaspora The celebration of conferences, the articulation of visions with spiritual gifts and the teachings on everyday life orientate Pentecostal migrants to develop personal skills, frame interpersonal challenges and ‘tune’ their minds to understand sentiments and emotions. Either in Africa or outside Africa, Pentecostal churches affect congregants though a set of multi-level activities in which transformation is the effect of rules of which obedience must be acknowledged.
As part of an ongoing doctoral research carried out in Bilbao, Spain, and, Johannesburg, South Africa this research engages with the current debates on emotions and social transformation exploring their places within church leaders’ narratives within a migratory milieu. Moreover, Cazarin analyses here the modus operandi of Nigerian and Congolese church leaders on articulating congregants’ emotional responses (hope, fear, love, suffering, etc) with everyday life in a foreign city by presenting and exploring three scales in which this process takes place. In doing so, Cazarin intends to related these geographically distant cases by a mutual, recognisable set of emotionally-based interactions, narratives and practices that frames the Pentecostal discourse on transformation.
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Legislating for transnational ageing: a challenge for the Dutch and French welfare states
What motivates policymakers to initially develop these very specifically-targeted policy proposals which contradict the territorial logic of the welfare state? Transnational mobility presents fundamental challenges to nationally-bounded welfare states, which historically have tended to be organised according to territorial principles of solidarity among permanent residents / nationals. By developing legislation to create welfare benefits encouraging the durable return of specific groups of older migrants to their countries of origin, the Dutch and French governments have taken recent unusual steps to break this link between national solidarity and territorially-bounded consumption of welfare.
This presentation asks what motivated policymakers to initially develop these very specifically-targeted policy proposals which contradict the territorial logic of the welfare state. Based on interviews and available official documents, we follow the subsequent 'biographies' of the two policies, explaining why the revised Dutch scheme has entered into force, while the implementation of the French proposal (although passed by parliament) continues to be blocked. What is noteworthy about the Dutch discussions is that the territoriality principle was not at issue; rather the political debate focused primarily on the utilitarian wish to save the welfare state money. By contrast in France, the dynamics of the debate have been precisely the contrary, with concern for the territoriality of the welfare state trumping any financial considerations. However, in both country cases the concern not to transgress anti-discrimination clauses in the EU treaties was a major preoccupation. We conclude by exploring the extent to which policymakers and other stakeholders in the respective countries have engaged in mutual ‘policy learning’.
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Immigrant integration and social capital formation: evidence from New Zealand
Comparing immigrant and native-born social capital formation via New Zealand data which permits a distinction between indicators of stocks of social capital and indicators of investment in the form of participation in community and voluntary activities In this presentation Professor Poot compares immigrant and native-born social capital formation by means of New Zealand data which permits a distinction between indicators of stocks of social capital (viz. feelings of safety, interpersonal contact and inclusion) and indicators of investment in the form of participation in community and voluntary activities, with bonding and bridging activities considered separately. For immigrants, an assessment is made of how social capital formation changes with increasing years in the host country. Additionally, impacts of spatial segregation - both interregional and intra-regional - on social capital formation are identified. The robustness of the results are gauged by replication of the statistical analysis across two different datasets: the 2006 Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey and the 2008 New Zealand General Social Survey. We find that migrants’ social capital and investment are lowest upon arrival in the host country, but migrant-native born differences largely disappear during the first five years since migration. However, ethnicity of the native born and country of birth of migrants matter a lot for social capital formation. Migrant clustering between regions appears to decrease the formation of bridging social capital, while migrant clustering within regions increases the formation of bonding social capital.
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The changing face of social protection in Africa's cities
Examining how social protection is conceptualised in research in African contexts and reviewing the extent to which these different approaches can take into account the changing populations of urban spaces, especially those experiencing high migration Over the last two decades, the concept of social protection has been widely applied to understand how poor societies reduce the multiple socio-economic risks faced by their members. Social protection is concerned with both social welfare or assistance and also social insurance that reduces risk for those most vulnerable to poverty and exploitation. It has been incorporated into a number of aid programmes in sub-Saharan Africa but the reach of formal social protection provided by the state remains extremely limited and informal social protection mechanisms often provide the majority of support that the population experiences. In Africa’s rapidly growing urban centres, the systems of social protection must be flexible in the face of the rapidly changing population, especially in areas where internal and international migration continues to contribute to their growth. In this seminar, I will look at how social protection has been conceptualised in research in African contexts and critically review the extent to which these different approaches can take into account the changing populations of urban spaces, especially those experiencing high levels of migration.
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Reverse welfare magnet
Would a narrower gap in social services provision help to manage migration from developing countries? Income gap is widely accepted to be the single-most compelling factor that determines migration from developing to developed countries. It is driven by the income maximisation motive. Hence, conventional wisdom holds that economic development in developing countries should lead to lower migration. Interestingly, data also show that there is a considerable 'welfare state' gap between developing and developed countries. Using the argument of risk minimisation motive, would a narrower gap in social services provision help to manage migration from developing countries? This research provides empirical macro and micro evidence of the 'reverse welfare magnet' and the complexity on the effect of social policy on migration. It is argued that better welfare provision in developing countries could reduce migration through the risk minimisation channel.
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Hope and uncertainty in African migration: Life after deportation to Ghana
IMI Visiting Fellow Nauja Kleist presents her research on return migration in the context of restrictive mobility regimes in Europe and Africa, within theories on hope, (im)mobility, social fields, gender, and belonging. Contemporary migration is characterized by a mobility paradox. The increased reach and accessibility of communication, media and transport technologies mean that people in many parts of the world are exposed to visions of the good life elsewhere while restrictive mobility regimes makes access to the global circuits of legal mobility increasingly difficult.
In this paper Nauja argues that hope constitutes a productive analytical framework for studies of migration in the light of this mobility paradox, highlighting potentiality as well as uncertainty. She explores this through a case study of life after deportation to Ghana with a focus on conflicting notions of hope. Returning empty-handed is widely embedded in shame and a sense of individualized failure, despite widespread knowledge of the uncertainty related to high-risk migration. Nauja suggests that this conundrum is an expression of the local persistence of social hope in the lack of desirable alternatives which I further explore in the seminar.
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Access to social protection for internal migrants and the obstacles to adequate coverage
The main destinations of migrants are the mega cities and other urban areas, yet governments are ill-prepared to receive this large influx of people and internal migrants are exposed to a new set of risks and vulnerabilities. Internal migration is increasingly rural-urban. The main destinations of migrants are the mega cities and other urban areas, in search of better or more diversified livelihoods, better access to services, or just a better life. Yet governments are ill-prepared to receive this large influx of people and unwilling to penalise employers who disregard labour laws and, as such, internal migrants to urban areas are exposed to a new set of risks and vulnerabilities. These risks include poor working conditions – such as long hours, low pay and an unsafe working environment – exploitation by recruiters, employers and middlemen, low-quality and uncertain housing, lack of sanitation and safe water, irregular or no access to utility services and generally poor access to basic and social protection services.
Despite having a great need for social protection, migrants to urban areas are less likely to have access to social protection, even when not crossing borders. This is both because of lack of entitlement for social protection (e.g. the hukou system in China prevents internal migrants from accessing state benefits) and lack of ‘physical access’. The latter can be determined by lack of knowledge or ability to apply for the programme, bureaucratic obstructions and non-coverage of informal urban areas. While it is important that policy makers concerned about poverty reduction understand the characteristics of these migrant groups, their risks and vulnerabilities, levels of access to services and social protection and barriers that obstruct access, little is known about these issues at present. This literature synthesises the literature on this subject. The focus is on the levels of access to social protection services for internal migrants and on the social protection policy features (design and implementation) that facilitate or act as obstacles to social protection participation and adequate coverage of internal migrant workers.
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Hyper-mobile migrant workers and the lack of social protection within the European Union: a case study from the Netherlands
Case study of hyper-mobile migrants employed on large-scale construction sites in the Netherlands, highlighting the ways these workers express their agency in dealing with a cross-border employment context in which social protection is difficult to access Within the European Union a labour recruitment system exists within which firms use various channels of migration and recruitment to differentiate between terms and conditions of migrant workers, exploiting the blurred boundaries of regulatory frameworks on intra-EU mobility. Though these EU migrant workers are formally not excluded from labour rights, regulations are enacted such that de facto they often are. In particular, migrants who move between EU-member states on a regular basis for work, such as those working in engineering construction, face many irregularities in their employment relations, while hardly experiencing protection from established representation and enforcement authorities.
This presentation discusses a case study of hyper-mobile migrants employed on large-scale construction sites in the Netherlands, and highlights the ways these workers express their agency in dealing with a cross-border employment context in which social protection mechanisms are absent or difficult to access. It is argued that the employment context limits the opportunities for collective organisation (via trade unions for example), and that the workers therefore employ various strategies that rework existing conditions to their advantage. On a broader scale, however, this contributes to the continuation of current labour relations.
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Transnational health insurances and the involvement of Congolese immigrants in their relatives' health from abroad
Looking at the impact of financial remittances on immigrant relatives’ access to healthcare via community-based health insurances For many years, the migration and development literature has looked at the impact of financial remittances on immigrant relatives’ access to healthcare. More recent work on social remittances also examined the circulation of ideas and practices through migration and its impact on behaviour and consumption patterns in the home country. Surprisingly, however, migration scholars have neglected the interactions between remittances and local health systems in countries of origin. This is all the more surprising considering the abundant literature on health and development that has documented numerous non-governmental initiatives to improve access to care in the Global South in recent years. Among those initiatives, community-based health insurances (CBHI) have attracted significant attention. CBHI are voluntary risk-pooling schemes run by not-for-profit organisations; they collect fees among users at the local level and organise access to care with providers. While the growing literature on CBHI is shedding light on the potential of civil society organisations to replace or compensate for weak public health systems, it forgets that – in many parts of the world – access to the necessary capital to join those schemes is still very dependent on emigration of some family members. In other words, for many families worldwide, strategies to access healthcare have become transnational.
In this paper, I look at a specific form of CHBI that we call 'transnational health insurance' (THI). These insurance schemes are set up by immigrants in cooperation with a multitude of actors including, on the one hand, health insurance companies and development aid agencies in destination countries and, on the other hand, healthcare providers in origin countries. THIs offer health coverage to a selected number of non-migrant relatives in the home country based on a premium paid directly by immigrants to the insurance company in their country of residence. Analysing the creation and implementation of THIs in the Belgian–Congolese postcolonial context allow me to contribute to pressing debates on the nature of such remittances (Are THIs social or financial remittances, or both?), the drivers of immigrant transnational engagement (What are the motivations of receiving country institutions to get involved in such co-development practices? How do these initiatives reflect and/or transform receiving countries’ health systems? How beneficial are they for emigrants and their relatives?), and its impact on communities in origin countries (Do THIs support or hamper access to public health and the development of local initiatives in countries of origin? How sustainable are those strategies as migration becomes more permanent?)
The data used in this paper were collected during multi-sited fieldwork in Belgium and the DR Congo between January 2012 and August 2013 by the co-author of this paper, Olivier Lizin. Fieldwork included long-term participant observation in one THI in Brussels and Kinshasa (Solidarco) as well as 80 semi-structured interviews. Interviewees belonged to the following categories: Congolese immigrants in Belgium; insurance fund managers in Belgium; THI managers in DR Congo; beneficiaries in DR Congo; and development aid workers.
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Migration, politics and political change: Introduction to the seminar series and preliminary TRANSMIC findings
Ali Chaudhary and Marieke van Houte introduce the seminar series on migration, politics and political change and their TRANSMIC project, examining the links between migration, citizenship, and migration and development This presentation is part of the 2016 IMI Hilary Term seminar series, which seeks to interrogate the relationship between migration, politics and political change. The series offers a wide range of (inter)disciplinary, methodological and theoretical approaches to the study of the processes and outcomes that link migration, emigrants and immigrants with politics and political change. The series seeks to discuss both how political actors govern migrants’ actions and movements ‘from above’, through policies and resources, and how migrants may shape politics ‘from below’, and can be grassroots ‘agents of change’.
Key themes highlighted in this collection of seminars include research on diasporas, transnational engagement, im/migrant politics in origin and receiving countries and political change, and the implications of migration as manifestation of social transformation. The seminar series is organised and coordinated by IMI postdoctoral fellows Dr. Marieke Van Houte and Dr. Ali R. Chaudhary who are currently working on TRANSMIC, a Marie Curie-funded project, which explores the topic of migration, politics and political change.
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Migration through marriage: Analysing struggles around mobility and its control in the European border regime
An ethnographic border regime analysis showing that the governing of migration remains an attempt to control rather than effecting a total control of movement, and that marriage becomes an important strategy for migrants' mobility According to article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 'men and women of full age, without limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family'. This should entail that citizens from so-called 'third countries' married to a citizen of an EU member state also have the right to enter the Schengen area in order to join their partner, regardless of their social background and resources. However, states intend to regulate migration and during the last decade 'marriage migration' has become a specific target of control. One can observe an increasing problematisation and politicisation of 'marriage migration' – especially from Muslim countries – which led to more restrictive policies towards this group of migrants, for example through required language certificates or verifications of genuine marriages.
In order to analyse the struggles around mobility and its control in the context of 'marriage migration', I carried out multi-sited ethnographic research in Morocco and Germany. In the sense of a 'studying through' (Shore/Wright) I conducted interviews in institutions implementing migration policies, followed different state and non-state actors that are part of the border regime and studied the practices of migrants who attempt to use this legal opportunity for migration. This ethnographic border regime analysis (Transit Migration Research Group) shows that the governing of migration remains an attempt to control rather than effecting a total control of movement, and that marriage becomes an important strategy for mobility through which migrants exercise their agency in order to cross borders and realise their aspirations.
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Who is acting for what change? A relational approach to transnational engagements of Afghans in Britain and Germany
This paper investigates why Afghans in the wider diaspora take action in certain ways. This paper investigates why Afghans in the wider diaspora take action in certain ways. It builds on the analysis of transnational activities and different ‘spheres of engagement’ (Van Hear 2015). With the help of qualitative data obtained through in-depth interviews and participant observation I first explain how informants come to direct their activities towards certain spheres of engagement and how these engagements implicate ideas of change. In a further step I use my findings to discuss the notion of diasporas as agents of change. I show how relational sociology helps to specify the structuring effects of the social context of my informants. In particular, I identify enabling and constraining structures and explore how informants exercise agency and creatively use available resources by taking action in one or several spheres of engagement. The relational approach disentangles the effects and variabilities of multi-layered structures and thus develops a more precise understanding of why people engage with their home countries in certain ways and what forms of agency are involved if people take action.
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A multilevel citizenship puzzle: Residence and citizenship in national and local elections
Rainer Baubock explores the citizenship puzzle - citizenship status and its relevance in contemporary democracies In contemporary democracies, the franchise in national elections has been largely separated from territorial residence by extending it to voters residing permanently abroad, but not from citizenship status, which remains a fundamental requirement in all but a few countries, with New Zealand as the most significant exception that confirms the rule. Conversely, the local franchise has been separated from national citizenship requirements in a significant number of (mostly European) states but remains – with only few exceptions – reserved for those who reside in the municipality. These observations can be condensed into a testable hypothesis: The national franchise is separable from territorial residence but not from national citizenship; the local franchise is separable from national citizenship but not from territorial residence. Stated differently, voting rights are increasingly differentiated according to the criteria of residence and citizenship, and there is an interaction between the vertical differentiation of voting rights in multilevel polities and the horizontal differentiation of the franchise in contexts of international migration.
In the first part of the paper we discuss findings from a European and American survey of voting rights and focus on exceptions to the two non-separability claims and examples for resistance against actual separation. Our aim is to show that the exceptions confirm the rule and that resistance against separation can be explained contextually rather than by some inherent features of the democratic franchise in national and local elections. In the second part of the paper, we try to make sense of these observations from the perspective of democratic theory.
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When the diaspora takes charge: state making and diaspora return in Rwanda
Simon Turner explores state and nation building in Rwanda since its 1994 genocide Over the past sixty years, Rwanda has experienced massive population displacements due to ethnic tensions, war and genocide. These movements of populations have in turn caused radical transformations of the political landscape in the country. This presentation explores state and nation building in Rwanda since the genocide when the Tutsi diaspora returned in large numbers and created a state that was meant to be radically different to the pre-genocide state. I argue that the returning diaspora sees the country as virgin soil and that the diaspora itself has a great responsibility to develop the country and prevent it ‘sliding back’ into ‘genocide ideologies’. This creates a new political elite of returnees with a strong ideology of top-down developmentalism. Furthermore, I argue that the Rwandan state is performed – and hence made – through regulating populations according to when and where they moved across the borders.
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Cross border migration as the transnational social question
Thomas Faist shows how the 'transnational social question' relates to political conflicts around the inequalities connected to cross-border migration in immigration and emigration contexts On a world scale, distress and social instability are reminiscent of the social inequalities that obtained in a large part of nineteenth-century Europe. At that time the 'social question' was the central subject of extremely volatile political conflicts between the ruling classes and working-class movements. Are we now on the verge of a new social conflict, this time on a cross-border scale, characterised by manifold boundaries – such as those between capital and labour, North and South, developed and underdeveloped or developing countries?
Looking at cross-border migration, this lecture exemplifies crucial mechanisms resulting in the reproduction of old inequalities and the emergence of new inequalities. The lecture shows how the 'transnational social question' relates to political conflicts around the inequalities connected to cross-border migration in immigration and emigration contexts. Among the processes relevant for the understanding of the transnational social question are marketisation, securitisation, and developmentalism.
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Ethnicity, socialization, policy preferences or social structure? Disentangling and comparing the sources of migrants' political preferences across Europe
Laura Morales compares the political party preferences of migrants across Europe The objective of this paper is to study the party preferences of migrants in a comparative perspective. While long considered politically quiescent, recent studies show that migrants participate politically in their settlement countries. While in the US there is a long tradition of studies of ethnic minorities’ party preferences, European scholars have only recently addressed the issue using mainly case studies.
Drawing on prior studies on the voting behavior of migrants and ethnic minorities, we test several hypotheses related to individual and contextual factors explaining the formation and the direction of migrants’ party preferences. Using data from individual surveys conducted in the context of the Localmultidem project (http://www.um.es/localmultidem/) to samples of migrant groups and natives in 7 European cities across 5 different countries (Budapest, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Zurich, and Geneva), our results suggest that individual factors are more important to explain the formation of party preference but that contextual factors affect the difference between migrants and natives in their party choice.
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The micro-politics of mobility and immobility
Jørgen Carling looks at the politics of the individual and the role of power relations in mobility and immobility This presentation is part of the 2016 IMI Hilary Term seminar series, which seeks to interrogate the relationship between migration, politics and political change. The series offers a wide range of (inter)disciplinary, methodological and theoretical approaches to the study of the processes and outcomes that link migration, emigrants and immigrants with politics and political change.
The series seeks to discuss both how political actors govern migrants’ actions and movements ‘from above’, through policies and resources, and how migrants may shape politics ‘from below’, and can be grassroots ‘agents of change’. Key themes highlighted in this collection of seminars include research on diasporas, transnational engagement, im/migrant politics in origin and receiving countries and political change, and the implications of migration as manifestation of social transformation. The seminar series is organised and coordinated by IMI postdoctoral fellows Dr. Marieke Van Houte and Dr. Ali R. Chaudhary who are currently working on TRANSMIC, a Marie Curie-funded project, which explores the topic of migration, politics and political change.
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Birthplace, bloodline and beyond: How 'Liberian citizenship' is currently constructed in Liberia and abroad
Robtel Neajai Pailey interrogates how Liberian citizenship has been constructed across time and space This presentation interrogates whether or not an ‘authentic’ Liberian citizen actually exists based on multi-sited fieldwork conducted between June 2012 and July 2013. Using actor-oriented analysis as my theoretical framework, I examine the interfaces between 202 Liberian respondents – namely, homeland Liberians in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital; Liberian diasporas in London, Washington, Freetown, and Accra; permanent and circular returnees; executive and legislative members of government, including the four sponsors of Liberia’s 2008 proposed dual citizenship bill – showing that their conceptualisations of 'Liberian citizenship' differ according to their lived experiences and social locations, and ultimately influence participation, or lack thereof, in post-war recovery. I argue that contemporary constructions of ‘Liberian citizenship’ transcend the legal definition enshrined in the country’s 1973 Aliens and Nationality Law—moving from passive, identity-based citizenship to more active, practice-based citizenship.
I use inverted commas to encase the term ‘Liberian citizenship’ throughout because it refers to the constantly shifting conceptualisations and practices of citizenship over space and time. Citizenship, in my analysis, is not only a bundle of rights and privileges embedded in constructions of legal, national and cultural identity, but it is also a set of practices and interactions embodied in the life-worlds of respondents in Liberia and across transnational spaces.
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Emigration and the distribution of income per natural: Evidence from Egypt
Joachim Jarreau investigates whether the benefits of migration actually reach the poorest households We study the impact of emigration on income distribution of Egyptian households, using longitudinal data covering 1998–2012. Controlling for selection of migrants and work participation of non-migrants, we find that remittances tend to increase income inequality at origin. However taking into account income earned abroad by migrants, adjusted for PPP differences, yields larger gains from migration and a negative impact on inequality of ‘income per natural’. We study the dependence of this effect with the saving share of migrants’ earnings. Positive selection of migrants tends to make migration inequality-increasing, while low transferability of skills in destination countries, primarily in the Gulf region, has the opposite effect. We argue that a focus on remittances is too restrictive to account for the whole benefits of migration to origin households, when transfer costs are high. We confirm this with household panel regressions showing that migration episodes have a significant and large impact in the medium-term on household permanent income, controlling for pre-departure characteristics. The medium-term benefits from migration have an inequality-reducing effect in particular in rural areas.
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From coffee to industry: Changes in migrants' characteristics in metropolitan areas in Brazil
Presenting his PhD research, Visiting Fellow Guilherme Ortega explores migrant characteristic in Campinas metropolitan area, Brazil The overall aim of this work is to investigate the migratory processes of Campinas Metropolitan Area in Brazil and the flows and sociodemographic characteristics of migrants, in light of the different economic and political contexts through which Brazil has passed since the 1980s. The end of slavery in Brazil in 1888 enabled the creation of a rural labour market and altered the structure of mass consumption, thanks also to the rise of coffee exports. The accumulation of capital that proceeded from this export enabled investment in infrastructure and industry, particularly the textile and cotton industries. The end of slavery also marked the beginning of European immigration, by which those European migrants would later head for the city’s industries. The Brazilian metropolises emerged due to a tendency in countries such as Brazil, which have low investment in production, of concentrating industrial parks in a single region, seeking to take advantage of transportation infrastructure, public services, teaching institutions and an appropriately qualified workforce.
Between 1980 and 1985, thanks to the end of the Brazilian military dictatorship and the external capital inflows there was an intensification of industrial and urban growth in major centres. The cost of transport, land and services increased, and part of the industry was forced to abandon big centres like São Paulo – a process understood as ‘diseconomies of agglomeration’ – which enabled the development of new economies and agglomerations around the city. The processes of economic, social and political transformation provide us with the idea that internal and international migration processes were also influenced and changed, both in relation to flows and, particularly, in relation to the characteristics of these migrants, due to changes in the industrial process and in the labour market. Lastly we must recognise the influence of industrialisation and migration processes in the structuring of space, particularly within the cities of the metropolitan areas in Brazil in which residents lived in differing ways according to their varying financial resources With this in mind, we investigate the importance of migrant destination, i.e. the area in which they live within the metropolitan area, taking into account their sociodemographic characteristics, to explore the dynamics of labour relations.
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The cultural tranmission of the fertility transition: Evidence from internal migrations in 19th century France
Hillel Rapoport (Paris School of Economics) looks at theories of migrants' social remittances in a historical context relating to fertility in 19th century France France experienced a demographic transition earlier than richer and more educated countries. This presentation offers a novel explanation for this puzzle that emphasises the diffusion of culture and information through internal migration. It tests how migration affected fertility by building a decennial bilateral migration matrix between French regions for 1861–1911. The identification strategy uses exogenous variation in transportation costs resulting from the construction of railways. The results suggest the convergence towards low birth rates can be explained by the diffusion of low-fertility norms by migrants, especially by migrants to and from Paris.
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'To have and have not': International migration, poverty and inequality in Algeria
Mouhoub el Mouhoud considers the effects of emigration on poverty and inequality by drawing on an original survey conducted in Algeria This presentation considers the effects of emigration on poverty and inequality by drawing on an original survey conducted in Algeria. It is the first household survey in Algeria that specifically addresses the issues of migration and remittances and provides the information necessary to evaluate their impacts on poverty and inequality. Furthermore, unlike many household surveys, this survey also collects information on pensions (a very important income source) received in the country of origin based on overseas work for returning migrants. It focuses on two regions (Kabylia and Tlemcen) which differ in terms of diaspora organisation, migration history and regional insertion. Semiparametric descriptive analysis is complemented by a parametric model, which allows for the estimation of counterfactual household income and the calculation of the impact of migration on the distribution of income across households.
The main findings are that remittances, including foreign pensions, do not significantly change the Gini coefficient in either region. However, the simulations suggest that migration has reduced poverty by nearly 16 percentage points (40 per cent), with the effect in Kabylia (Idjeur) being twice as large as Tlemcen (Nedroma) insofar as concerns extreme poverty. Foreign transfers, especially foreign pensions, have a strong positive impact on very poor families in Idjeur but much less in Nedroma, where poor families suffer from a ‘double loss’ due to the fact that that their migrants do not provide local income nor do they send much money home. This difference between the two regions may be explained by the fact that communities in Kabylia are more structured, and that Kabyle emigrant communities overseas replicate these structures, reinforcing strong social norms in favour of remitting behaviour. Finally, this article presents results consistent with the finding in the literature showing an inverse U-shaped relationship between past migration and inequality, but suggests a nuanced interpretation due to the inequality-inducing effects of foreign pensions.
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Humanitarian non-state actors and the delocalised EU border of the Central Mediterranean
Paolo Cuttitta looks at how different humanitarian non-state actors (from large-scale international organisations to small local NGOs) operate in different spaces of the delocalised EU border Non-state actors have become increasingly important players within the European–North African migration and border regime. Paolo Cuttitta's research looks at how different humanitarian non-state actors (from large-scale international organisations to small local NGOs) operate in different spaces (international waters as well as North African countries of transit/origin such as Tunisia, Libya and Egypt) of the delocalised EU border. The question is whether and in how far their activities can be considered as part of the processes of denationalisation and/or depoliticisation of the border; in how far these actors are just supporting states in their delocalised migration and border policies and in how far they are pushing forward their own agendas instead. Can attempts to repoliticise the border generate processes of counter-delocalisation?
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Between knowledge and power: Understanding how international organisations see migration
Antoine Pécoud (University of Paris 13) critically analyses the reports produced by international organisations on migration, shedding light on the way these actors frame migration and develop their recommendations on how it should be governed Migration has become, since the nineties, the subject of growing international discussion and cooperation. International organisations and the international community have taken a number of initiatives to better ‘manage’ migration and make it the object of ‘global governance’ mechanisms. This implies a specific intellectual and political construction of migration as a global issue that would deserve international attention. This calls for critically analysing the reports produced by international organisations on migration, and for shedding light on the way these actors frame migration and develop their recommendations on how it should be governed. In contrast to the dominant representations in many receiving countries, international migration narratives develop a positive appreciation of migration, viewed as a normal feature of a globalising world and as a central element in development strategies. But this optimism comes along a depolitisation of migration that obscures the contribution of international actors to contemporary political debates.
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Cyclone–migration–adaptation nexus in the social context of Bangladesh
Bishawjit Mallick investigates how coastal communities in Bangladesh perceive, react and adapt to a cyclone disaster, and what role migration and non-migration play in recovering devastated livelihoods Climatologists predict an increase in the frequency and intensity of cyclone disasters in tropical regions, particularly in Bangladesh. Nevertheless, effects of weather and climate events on societies might depend not only on the type and strength of the hazards, but also on the livelihood conditions of those affected. Accordingly, this presentation considers the following research questions: (a) How do coastal communities in Bangladesh perceive, react and adapt to a cyclone disaster, and why do they act so? (b) Which role do migration and non-migration play in recovering devastated livelihoods, and which lessons can be learned here for future adaptation planning?
To answer these questions, I employ a mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) approach of empirical investigation. Based on a structured questionnaire, face-to-face interviews with 1555 households from 45 cyclone-affected communities have been conducted. Expert interviews and focus group discussions were also conducted to fill the information gaps that were not covered and/or collected in the household survey. Results show that (i) external interventions (relief and rehabilitation supports to the cyclone victims) are politicised and networked locally, which intensifies the process of social marginalisation, inhibits population displacements and destabilises the societal structure; (ii) the existing planning practices are a symbol of power exercises in the decision-making process of planning; (iii) the practices of seasonal labour migration and switching to another occupation are the best alternatives in order to stay behind instead of permanently migrating to a sub-standard slum environment in a city.
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Governing migration through death in Europe and the US: Identification, burial and the crisis of modern humanism
Vicki Squire examines similarities and differences in practices of ‘governing migration through death’ across the US–Mexico (Sonoran) and in the EU–North African (Mediterranean) contexts Border deaths have become an established feature of contemporary migratory politics in both Europe and the US. This article examines similarities and differences in practices of ‘governing migration through death’ across the US–Mexico (Sonoran) and in the EU–North African (Mediterranean) contexts. Instead of taking a conventional comparative analysis of two distinct sites, I draw on critical scholarship in the field of border studies in order to examine biopolitical, thanatopolitical and necropolitical dynamics of bordering that cross contexts. I argue that these operations of power converge in both European and US bordering practices, specifically through a form of biophysical violence that operates directly on the biological functions of migrating bodies.
I further suggest that the establishment of this violence represents a crisis of modern humanism, which becomes implicated in the toleration of such violence through processes of denial, displacement, rejection and compensation. By focusing in particular on the ways that the treatment of the dead functions as a means of compensating for (yet not redressing) biophysical violence, I highlight the deficiencies of contemporary practices of identification and burial, and raise questions about the limitations of contestations that emphasise dignity only to perpetuate a hierarchy of ‘worthy’ and ‘unworthy’ lives. In so doing, I conclude by suggesting that contemporary ‘migration crises’ are better understood in terms of the crisis of modern humanism, grounded in Greco-Roman and Judaeo-Christian traditions, which can no longer deny its implication in practices of governing migration through death.
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North–South migration and postcolonial encounters: Portuguese labour migrants in Angola
Lisa Åkesson unsettles the image of migrants’ border crossing as solely taking place in South–North direction by looking at the contemporary postcolonial Portuguese labour migration to Angola Global discourses as well as migration regimes often build on and reinforce the image of migrants’ border crossing as solely taking place in South–North direction. This paper unsettles this idea by looking at the contemporary postcolonial Portuguese labour migration to Angola. In particular it focuses on the Portuguese migrants’ relation to the Angolan party-state, and the ensuing (re-) articulation of Portuguese and Angolan postcolonial identities.
The paper demonstrates that while the most influential Portuguese are closely allied with the Angolan political elite, other Portuguese migrants are in a vulnerable position in relation to the Angolan party-state, and many struggle to secure immigration documents. The vulnerability of the non-elite Portuguese brings about feelings of postcolonial score-setting among some Angolans. These feelings are still a part of the colonial legacy, but they also reflect a new turn in Angolan-Portuguese relations. Thus, in difference to most studies with a postcolonial perspective this paper does not take the continuance of the colonial as a starting point; rather it probes the limit of the colonial.
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Gender, violence and vulnerability: Examining the politics of protection in the current refugee 'crisis'
Examining the ways in which gender has been used as a category of analysis in the current refugee 'crisis', and whether in effect international organisations, NGOs, and EU governments have really offered any protection to victims of gender violence For many years gender was not taken into account in asylum and refugee policies and legislation. More recently, following pressure from women’s groups, UNHCR, followed by various regional and national authorities, have introduced measures on protection of victims of gender-based violence into their asylum and refugee policies and legislation. However, as the experience of the current refugee 'crisis' illustrates, these policies are not always adequate in guaranteeing real protection to those who may be victims of this type of violence.
In this seminar I will examine the current 'crisis' from a gendered perspective, to discuss the ways in which gender has been used as a category of analysis, and to analyse whether in effect international organisations, NGOs, and EU governments have really offered any protection to victims of gender-violence. Moreover, I will discuss the ways in which the use of categories of 'vulnerability' may not in fact offer real protection to these refugees, but may instead act to fix categories of 'gender' and create dichotomies between male and female refugees which are not helpful to understanding the real experiences and needs of refugees.
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Migratory flows, colonial encounters and the histories of transatlantic slavery
Olivette Otele explores how histories of transatlantic slavery impact on contemporary questions of migration Transatlantic slavery is a complex history of encounters between people of African and European descent. It is also a history of migrations, trade and subjugation. In this presentation, I look into the displacement of people from West Africa from the 17th to the 19th centuries. I ultimately aim at understanding how historians measure the impact of transatlantic slavery in Africa and its economic, social and cultural legacies. The presentation will consequently delve into Eltis’ and Lovejoy’s income per capita theories and explore Manning’s loss of workforce simulation model. It will then turn to histories of the territories from which Africans were captured by looking at the relationships amongst French and British traders, colonial administrators and local populations.
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African migration to and from Europe: Rethinking circular migration
Antony Otieno Ong'ayo presents an alternative approach to the management of migration in the context of EU–Africa migration relations The effects of contemporary migration dynamics within and from Africa to Europe increasingly translate into cross border challenges facing the European Union. The socio-economic and political factors shaped by the processes of globalisation continue to generate different dimensions of migration in Africa. These dynamics have become major policy challenges in the management of migration and leveraging migration of development. Current policy initiatives are informed by top-down approaches that attach different opportunities and restrictions to them through categorisations such as irregular migrants, asylum seekers, failed asylum seekers, illegal migrants, skilled migrants, highly-skilled migrants, second generation and return migrants. However, these approaches do not take into account the agentic responsibility of African migrants and the communities that they have established in the respective destinations countries to manage themselves. Moreover, they fail to address return decisions and constraints to circularity as experienced by African migrants who may consider going back. Drawing on the experience of sub-Saharan African migrants in the Netherlands, this paper presents an alternative approach to the management of migration in the context of EU–Africa migration relations. It starts from the premise that the experiences and leadership of migrant communities in host countries are vital for a bottom-up driven approach to ‘managed migration’. Tapping into diaspora agency, structures of leadership, consultation and decision-making within the African communities provides new approaches to circular migration that translates into a triple-win situation.
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'All the money I raised, I raised from Ghana': Understanding reverse remittance practice among Ghanaian migrants in the UK and their relatives in Ghana
In the context of Ghanaians in the UK, Geraldine Adiku explores how migrant remittance practices are not only from 'developed' to 'developing' country; many are sent in the reverse direction, a fact largely ignored by scholarship on the topic Remittances have acquired considerable significance on the agendas of development establishments, especially the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) since the turn of the century. The widespread attention that remittances sent from ‘developed’ to ‘developing’ countries have received has, however, ignored the fact that many remittances are sent in the opposite, or reverse, direction. Such reverse remittances can be conceptualised as transfers, which move from poor migrant origin areas to migrants in wealthy destination areas. This practice has been largely under-represented in what is now an extensive remittance literature. I investigate the other side of transnational economic exchanges between migrants and their relatives. Using a matched sampling methodological approach, I interviewed 70 Ghanaian migrants in the UK and 51 of their relatives in Ghana who come from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. This research finds that transnational economic transactions between migrants and their relatives are driven by their differential access to various forms of capital and their motivation for migration. These factors influence whether a migrant will send remittances or receive reverse remittances instead.
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Integration of Brits in Turkey and Turks in Britain
Ibrahim Sirkeci explores integration patterns of English-speaking movers in Turkey and those of Turkish-speaking movers in Britain International migration studies have largely focused on movers from the developing countries, or the South. Nevertheless, about one third of the global human mobility happens within the North and from North to South. Hence there is a need for reconsidering our understanding of global human mobility. Despite the hierarchy in the language used in describing these two categories of movers, there are similarities in causes, mechanisms and lived experiences. In this study, integration patterns of English-speaking movers in Turkey and those of Turkish-speaking movers in Britain have been contrasted. Particular attention has been paid to the perceived discrimination and integration outcomes. Drawing on analyses of census data from both Turkey and the UK, labour force survey data and the findings of a survey conducted from 2014 to 2016, patterns of integration are discussed.
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Trade unions, agency (migrant) workers and the insiders/outsiders debate: Germany and Belgium compared
Dr. Valeria Pulignano gives a presentation for the International Migration Institute Trinity Term 2017 seminar series.
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