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The International Migration Institute gathers researchers who are committed to develop new thinking about migration and mobility across the world.
Moving Back or Moving Forward? Return Migration, Development and Peace-Building
This article addresses under which circumstances migrants returning from European to (post-) conflict countries are willing and able to contribute to development and peace-building in their countries of origin. Based on comparative research in six countries world-wide and an in-depth study in Afghanistan, we explore (1) the heterogeneity of the post-return experience, (2) the complex meanings and motivations of return migration, and (3) the expectations of the characteristics of migrants, on which the link between return migration, development and peace-building is based. Based on these findings, we (4) explore return migrants’ potential to be agents of change. We find that while the expectations on which migration and development policies are based only count for a small minority of returnees, this is not the group that is targeted by policy. In order to formulate adequate policies that do address the needs and potential of returnees, we propose two modifications to current policy: First, de facto voluntary and involuntary return should be redefined into more relevant terms that cover the matter. Second, we propose to re-evaluate and disentangle the different goals that inform migration and development policies
Moving from War to Peace in the Zambia-Angola Borderlands
Human mobility has long played a foundational role in producing state territories, resources, and hierarchies. When people move within and across national boundaries, they create both challenges and opportunities. In Mobility Makes States, chapters written by historians, political scientists, sociologists, and anthropologists explore different patterns of mobility in sub-Saharan Africa and how African states have sought to harness these movements toward their own ends. While border control and intercontinental migration policies remain important topics of study, Mobility Makes States demonstrates that immigration control is best understood alongside parallel efforts by states in Africa to promote both long-distance and everyday movements. The contributors challenge the image of a fixed and static state that is concerned only with stopping foreign migrants at its border, and show that the politics of mobility takes place across a wide range of locations, including colonial hinterlands, workplaces, camps, foreign countries, and city streets. They examine short-term and circular migrations, everyday commuting and urban expansion, forced migrations, emigrations, diasporic communities, and the mobility of gatekeepers and officers of the state who push and pull migrant populations in different directions. Through the experiences and trajectories of migration in sub-Saharan Africa, this empirically rich volume sheds new light on larger global patterns and state making processes.
Multi-sited Ethnography: Potentials and Challenges
Les trente dernières années ont vu des mouvements de masse d’Égyptiens vers divers pays dans le monde, allant du Koweït à l’Italie, l’Allemagne et les Etats-Unis, l’immigration est devenue un composant quintessentiel de l’histoire sociale des familles Egyptiennes, s’illustrant comme un désir commun parmi les classes moyennes en Egypte. Depuis les années 1990, l’ère de la globalisation et de la libéralisation a eu pour résultat une augmentation de la proportion de familles et de foyers dont les membres sont dispersés au-delà des frontières. Les familles au nord et au sud du Sahara ne font pas exception. Dans ma thèse de Maîtrise, je me suis concentrée sur les familles égyptiennes de classe moyenne les moins privilégiées dont le soutien de famille principal travaille dans le secteur de services de la ville de New York tout en soutenant des familles transnationales en Egypte. Sur la base d’une ethnographie de deux années sur des sites multiples avec les travailleurs migrants Egyptiens à New York et leurs familles en Egypte, j’ai exploré comment les liens intimes dans la vie des familles de migrants sont construits et négociés à l’intérieur du contexte économique étendu du capitalisme et du néo-libéralisme dans les pays où ils vivent de manière transnationale. Dans cet article, mon but est de présenter les potentiels et les défis à conduire une ethnographie à facettes multiples dans un monde qui reste limité par les domaines sociaux transnationaux. Je fais l’illustration de la façon dont la démarche sur sites multiples reflète celle des chercheurs intéressés à mener des recherches sur les migrations depuis une perspective transnationale ainsi que des chercheurs entreprenant un cadre de travail analytique sur plusieurs niveaux. Je montre que lorsque l’ethnographie est prise en considération de manière classique comme une méthode de collecte de données par interaction personnelle avec les sujets et les évènements alors qu’ils se produisent dans leurs environnements naturels, la conduite de travaux sur le terrain en vue d’une ethnographie sur sites multiples, transnationale par définition, auprès de cette population représente une approche méthodologique valable, en fait une approche devenant naturelle, par le suivi des personnes, des buts, des biens. En d’autres termes, les chercheurs souhaitant comprendre les processus transnationaux liant les perspectives macro-intermédiaires-micro. Par exemple, j’ai fait l’examen des mouvements de travailleurs migrants égyptiens de bas salaires et de bas niveau, de leurs familles, leurs ressources, ainsi que des mouvements de devises entre New York, l’Egypte et plusieurs autres destinations comme l’Arabie Saoudite, Koweït et les Émirats arabes unis. En outre, j’ai appris comment les migrants, différenciés par classe, sexe, situation de famille, accords familiaux, religion et force des croyances, vivent leurs expériences de mariage transnational dans des villes diverses. Qui plus est, mes entretiens avec les membres rapprochés des familles de migrants en Egypte m’ont donné un aperçu de la manière dont les significations culturelles et matérielles et leurs symboles sur la migration des travailleurs vers l’Occident, et les Etats-Unis en particulier, sont élaborées et reproduites parmi les classes moyennes égyptiennes. La conduite d’une ethnographie sur sites multiples m’a aussi appris les domaines sociaux transnationaux parmi les académiciens sont limités dans le système global actuel. Lors de mes déplacements entre les villes, j’ai dû faire face aux questions de délivrance de visas, de citoyenneté, ainsi que de sexospécifités et de politiques de classes dans les aéroports, les avions, les ambassades, les rues, les restaurants, les demeures, les salons et les cuisines.
Mutations du modèle migratoire marocain à travers le cas de la ville de Fès
Par son passé urbain et en référence aux circonstances historiques de son peuplement et son développement, la ville de Fès symbolise des expériences particulières de migrations nationales et internationales. Celles-ci s'inscrivent plus ou moins durablement dans l'espace et dans le temps. Depuis sa fondation en 808, cette Cité avait constitué l’un des principaux foyers d’attraction migratoires internes au Maroc. Elle a fonctionné également comme centre religieux et intellectuel et carrefour du commerce transsaharien articulant trois ensembles : l’Afrique subsaharienne, l’Orient arabe et musulman et le nord de la Méditerranée. Inscrite dans une logique d’échanges et d’ouverture, Fès avait attiré diverses populations. Elle a été toujours la source et l’aboutissement de nombreux flux migratoires nationaux et internationaux. Cité de « tradition urbaine », Fès est aussi une ville de migrants. L’appellation homogénéisante de « Ahl Fès » (les gens de Fès) renvoi à la diversité de provenances de la population de cette ville. Après des années de rempli, le champ migratoire de Fès a connu une mutation considérable. Il semble bien que Fès soit entrain de devenir de nouveau un territoire de convergence des flux de migrations internationales. La croissance et la reconfiguration de la « morphologie sociale » -au sens qu’il lui donne M. Roncayolo- de cette ville doit beaucoup de nouveau à la composante migratoire. Celle–ci est désormais ouverte sur deux catégories de populations immigrées venues du Sud et du Nord. Il s'agit en fait de migrations récentes qui concernent les subsahariens et les occidentaux. Il en découle un bouleversement du contenu social de la ville, ce qui donne à l’étude de ce phénomène migratoire et ses variations un intérêt particulier. En effet, parmi les villes marocaines, Fès se présente comme un véritable espace d’analyse des dynamiques des formes de migration et du changement qui affecte la nature du champ migratoire au Maroc d’aujourd’hui, non sans effets sur les structures socio-économiques et démographiques de celui-ci.
Narratives of statelessness and political belonging among Kurdish diasporas in Sweden and the UK
This paper investigates the phenomenon of statelessness and political belonging in a world of unequal nation-states and citizenship regimes. In so doing it will examine the theoretical construction and conceptions of the stateless in contemporary social and political thought and assess their implications for the conceptions of shared identity and citizenship rights in the legal-political framework of the nation-state and international legal processes and practices. In the academic field statelessness has been largely viewed in relation to the ‘lack’ of citizenship and the acquisition of citizenship has therefore been presented as a solution to statelessness. Although citizenship rights and membership of an internationally recognized state are central to the human rights of political subjects in the contemporary world, the conditions and experiences of statelessness do not fade away through acquisition of formal citizenship as the persistent political, legal and military struggles of the stateless groups around the world show. It is therefore important to investigate how notions of political belonging underpinning political projects and collective action of the stateless peoples are constructed and how they inform and shape the evolution of national consciousness among them. Political belonging creates collective goals to sustain or transform political order. This study combines theoretical investigation of statelessness and citizenship with empirical field research on the subjective experiences of the phenomena among the Kurds. Through deploying a narrative inquiry and in-depth interviews, this project will use the narratives of Kurdish migrants in Sweden and the UK to analyze how national consciousness emerges in the absence of a nation-state but also the role of the nation-state in shaping discourses about statelessness and political belonging outside of the ‘original’ homelands.
Negotiating "belonging" to the ancestral homeland: Ugandan refugee descendants "return"
This paper explores how second-generation Ugandan descendents negotiate ‘return’ to their parental ‘homeland’. In this British-based community of citizens, refugees, asylum-seekers and the undocumented, questions of return intertwine with issues of sanctuary, solidarity, identity and documentation. Institutional categories vie with emotional subjectivities across generations. Many in the first generation maintain a transnational optic as they nest their return orientations to ‘home’ within aspirations for their children; whilst for the second generation questions of ‘return’ reveal multiple identity positions to ‘home’ as country-of-birth Britain and ancestral ‘homeland’ Uganda. Temporal considerations loom large and age, life course and generation act as key variables within these debates, with ‘return’ the contested site for negotiating ‘belonging’. What emerges is a differentiated picture as second-generation descendants enact a range of return mobilities and relational engagements to Uganda as ancestral ‘homeland’.
Netherlands: Migration Profile
The Netherlands has a long history of immigration. Both refugees and economic migrants have come to the country in large numbers. Currently almost 20% of the Dutch population are immigrants or children of immigrant parents.
Netherlands: Migration Profile
For a long time the Dutch took pride in the fact that many people came to their country because of its relative tolerance towards other cultures and religions. Immigrants who came after the Second World War, as guest workers or from former colonies, were initially encouraged to maintain their own cultures, even after it became clear they would stay in the Netherlands permanently. Since 1998, however, several new immigration and integration laws have been introduced. Most of these laws have made Dutch immigration and integration policies stricter. Whereas early integration policies aimed at maintaining cultural diversity, this diversity is increasingly seen as something that obstructs integration into Dutch society. Even after the implementation of more restrictive legislation, policies in the Netherlands are still comparatively open. In recent years, the government has started to develop programmes to attract highly skilled workers as part of a move towards a 'modern migration policy'.
Networks Matter: The Value of Kinship Ties in the Zimbabwean Migration Landscape
Kinship networks and other ties of goodwill and mutual reciprocity constitute a substantive influence on the migration process and exploring the extent to which they bear on the decision by migrants to select specific destinations forms the subject matter of this paper. The role of kinship networks as a form of social capital in international migration is an aspect that appears with limited nuance in the migration literature. In all its forms, migration has become an issue that needs attention and nuanced analysis of its role as a livelihood option, a strategy to fulfil vital labour needs and one that continues to shape the economy and society of the SADC region in general. This paper ensues from a study conducted in two areas i.e. the Zimbabwean province of Matabeleland South and Johannesburg, South Africa in 2007. Using in depth interviews and observations the study found evidence suggesting that in the face of increased human movements across international borders kinship ties become significantly altered and amorphous, and assume a more advanced role as social capital that aids the migration process. The study concluded that kinship networks are an essential component of the decision making by migrants and there is need for more empirical evidence in understanding the dynamism and fluidity of kinship taxonomies and relations in the face of forced migration from Zimbabwe.
New approaches for researching the determinants of migration processes: ESF strategic workshop on migration research
This report reviews the key conceptual and methodological questions and issues discussed at the ‘New approaches for researching the determinants of migration processes’ workshop, organised by the International Migration Institute at the invitation of the Standing Committee of the Social Sciences of the European Science Foundation (ESF), on 29–30 September 2011.
Social determinants of overweight amongst immigrants in Spain and France
This study addresses immigrant health from the point of view of social health inequalities research. We study differences in overweight between immigrants and natives in two countries, France and Spain. Controlling for socioeconomic characteristics, we focus on effects that pertain to the country of origin and to the country of arrival in explaining overweight prevalence. We first estimate and compare between France and Spain, in women and men, the effect of immigration status on overweight when controlled for age, socioeconomic status (SES), and country of origin. We study the role of length of stay as proxied by naturalisation status and according to country of origin. We investigate the role of GDP, HDI and obesity prevalence in the country of origin. We then estimate how differences in population compositions and differences in estimated coefficients contribute to observed differences in overweight between natives and migrants for each country.
New patterns of migration between Senegal and Europe
Since the mid-1970s, sub-Saharan candidates for migration to Europe have been confronted with increasingly stiff policy measures. This chapter explores how migration between Senegal and Europe has evolved in this context. Taking advantage of the retrospective nature of the data from the MAFE project (Migration between Africa and Europe) in addition to other available sources, it offers a unique quantitative account of the history of Senegalese migration. The results show that, between 1975 and 2008, there was neither a surge in out-migration (despite the widespread belief in an African invasion in Europe) nor the decline that might have been expected if restrictions had been effective. In fact, results tend in many ways to support the hypothesis that the effectiveness of restrictive policies is hampered by a number of unintended effects due to the ability of (would-be) migrants to adapt to new rules. Among these unintended effects are: the decline in intentions to return from Europe, the increase in attempts to migrate to Europe and the growth of irregular migration.
International Migration and National Development: Viewpoints and Policy Initiatives in Countries of Origin - The Case of Nigeria
This study forms part of the research project ‘International migration and national Development’ for the research group Migration and Development (Radboud University), financed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. It aims at identifying key issues, obstacles and potential synergies in maximising the positive effects of migration on national development and minimising the negative effects from the perspective of the Nigerian state, key civil society actors and their organisations.
Nigerian entrepreneurs in Istanbul, Turkey: spatial and temporal dimensions of mixed embeddedness
This article analyses the macro-institutional framework, urban opportunity structure, and micro-level resources of Nigerian entrepreneurs in the Istanbul textile market. The paper argues that: (1) in a context of low initial capital, a limited legal framework, and ethno-racial distinction, Nigerian migrants are successfully building organisations as immigrant entrepreneurs in the textile trade of Istanbul, and (2) root causes for this growth stem from (a) Turkey’s fragmented categories of ethnonational citizenship which give space to unfamiliar ethnonational constructions and categories; (b) new economic divisions arising from the re-ordering of urban commercial space in Istanbul, and (c) temporal resources and strategies of individual migrants in shaping the urban opportunity structure. The article ends with a discussion of migrants as agents of change and directions for future research.
North Africa in Transition: Mobility, Forced Migration and Humanitarian Crises
This report analyses the main themes arising from the presentations and discussions at the ‘North Africa in Transition: Mobility, Forced Migration and Humanitarian Crises’ workshop organized by the International Migration Institute and Refugee Studies Centre on 6 May 2011.
North-African migration systems: evolution, transformations and development linkages
The relationship between migration and development is a key topic for research and policy. Earlier pessimistic perspectives focused on the threat to development of poorer countries through the loss of human resources. Recently, a more optimistic view has been advanced by northern governments and international agencies. This is based on the idea that remittance flows and transfers of know-how by migrants can actually reinvigorate development. But what do people in the South think about international migration? How do the migrants themselves experience international migration, and how do they understand development? These questions are rarely asked. This book attempts to redress the balance by initiating a South-South dialogue. It is the result of discussions among researchers, government officials and migrant activists from five major emigration countries: India, Mexico, Morocco, the Philippines, and Turkey. The five country case studies present experiences of emigration over the past 50 years and analyse the consequences for economy, society and politics.
Internationalisation and diversification of Indian academic careers
This paper examines the major patterns and drivers of interlinked geographical and career mobilities of Indian-born researchers and scientists. Based on a global survey of 4,600 Indian researchers and 40 in-depth interviews, this study provides evidence on the internationalisation of careers and the diversification of destinations of Indian-born academics. Our survey indicates that about a third of all Indian researchers have some international study or professional experience at some stage of their career. Prime destinations are still the US, Canada, and the UK, but outside these ‘academic core’ destinations some new European and East Asian destinations are emerging and are expected to play a more prominent role in the future. Mobility of Indian researchers is mainly driven by an intrinsic motivation to internationalise their scientific careers, but has also to do with the status quo of the research environment in India. Moving abroad enables researchers to acquire expertise in a field of research that is not sufficiently developed back home, and provides exposure to research facilities and personnel deemed better and more qualified than those back home. In this respect, international study and work experience are often perceived of as providing professional merits which are instrumental in career progression upon return to India. This happens through the acquisition of tangible – specialisation, access to new networks and funding – and immaterial resources: ‘know-how’, quality and reputation of degrees and work experience, new managerial skills. This study also sheds some light on the role of destination countries’ immigration policies, which seems to play a minor role in the mobility decisions of Indian scientists. However, even if researchers do not really take migration policies into account in their decision making process, we cannot conclude that their international mobility is barrier-free. Immigration policies and rights to work may affect the mobility of scientists rather indirectly by influencing the recruitment decisions of employers and departments in destination countries, without the candidates themselves being aware of these criteria.
On the move: the migration imperative
While globalisation has increased mobility, Western perceptions of the negative effects of migration are exaggerated. The flows of migrants are not all in one direction – most asylum-seekers fi nd refuge in neighbouring countries and South-South migration accounts for 40 percent of the international total. But with an estimated 214 million people living outside their country of origin, and many millions more wanting to leave home, tensions at the national and international level have to be resolved if the postive outcomes of migration are to be realised.