The Cultures Of Economic Migration

This volume explores the processes of economic migration, the social conditions that follow it and the discourses that underlie research into it. Reflecting critically on economic migration and on the process of studying and creating knowledge about it, the contributors address the question of whether recent enquiries into modernity bring a newer and better comprehension of the nature of dislocation and movement, or whether these serve simply to replicate familiar modes of placing people and individuals. The book is organized into perspectives in and on specific continents - Europe, Asia and Africa - in order to explore notions regarding economic migration within and across regions as well as towards displacing the Eurocentrism of many studies of migration.

Culture plays a central role in our understanding of migration as an economic phenomenon. This title emphasises on the distinctions in culture between migrants, the families they left behind, and the local population in the migration destination.

Around the globe, people leave their homes to better themselves, to satisfy needs, and to care for their families. They also migrate to escape undesirable conditions, ranging from a lack of economic opportunities to violent conflicts at home or in the community. Most studies of migration have analyzed the topic at either the macro level of national and global economic and political forces, or the micro level of the psychology of individual migrants. Few studies have examined the "culture of migration"—that is, the cultural beliefs and social patterns that influence people to move. Cultures of Migration combines anthropological and geographical sensibilities, as well as sociological and economic models, to explore the household-level decision-making process that prompts migration. The authors draw their examples not only from their previous studies of Mexican Oaxacans and Turkish Kurds but also from migrants from Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific, and many parts of Asia. They examine social, economic, and political factors that can induce a household to decide to send members abroad, along with the cultural beliefs and traditions that can limit migration. The authors look at both transnational and internal migrations, and at shorter- and longer-term stays in the receiving location. They also consider the effect that migration has on those who remain behind. The authors' "culture of migration" model adds an important new dimension to our understanding of the cultural beliefs and social patterns associated with migration and will help specialists better respond to increasing human mobility.

nted brings his insight and erudition to bear on one of the key issues of the 1996 presidential campaign--immigration--supplying context, insight, and reason to an inflamed debate that could very well dissolve the social fabric of our country.

International Migrations have become a central topic in the Humanities in the last years. Understanding migration requires a closer look at the migratory phenomena and the continuities within the societies involved in the migration process. This volume intends to overcome simplistic views on migration and the shortcomings of a push and pull-factor analysis. Instead, the perspective of the migrants themselves orients the approach of "cultures of migration". In this view, migration becomes a complex issue, and motives and acceptance of migration appear to be a matter of negotiations, in the migrants' societies of origin and in the host societies as well. The present volume brings together a number of essays exploring the cultures of migration in various contexts. It is organised in three sections, dealing with "Migrations as Encounters", "Migration as Challenge", and "Transcontinental Migrants". Ten contributions, each based on original fieldwork in various parts of Africa, examine the validity of the concept of "cultures of migration", as explained in the introduction.

Migration and Culture marks a first in providing a comprehensive collection of published articles linking migration and culture. Prior approaches to migration have often stressed statistical and economic factors. The theoretically challenging and comparative accounts represented here are part of a new wave of thinking which illustrates the meaning of migration and its profound cultural implications. With an original introductory essay by the editors, this title will be of great interest and value to sociologists, anthropologists, and those interested in cultural studies, diaspora, transnationalism and post-colonialism and the cultural aspects of globalisation.

Capturing the important place and power role that culture plays in the decision-making process of migration, this Handbook looks at human movement outside of a vacuum; taking into account the impact of family relationships, access to resources, and security and insecurity at both the points of origin and destination.