University of Sussex "Exploring Migration" Conference

7/31/2019 University of Sussex "Exploring Migration" Conference

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Sussex Centre for Migration Research (SCMR), University of Sussex

Day 1

Thursday 21 June Fulton Building FUL 103

09:0009:3009:15

Registration & Morning CoffeeOpening Remark

09:3011:15 1st Panel Vulnerable Migrant Communities in AsiaChair: Sajida Ally

09:3009:45 Waji HamidExclusion and fear amidst the scale-makers of Singapores Little India

09:4510:00 Danesh JayatilakaResettlement in post-war Sri Lanka: a mixed method analyzing the recovery of IDPs

10:0010:15 Raja Adnan RazzaqCargo of Miseries: Host-Stranger Conflicts and the States response to refugee influx in thePunjab

10:1510:30 Uke KshipraHindu Nationalism, identity and marginalisation in Indian Diasporic Literature in the US

10:3011:15 Q & A11:1511:30 Break11:3013:00 2nd Panel Subjective Constructions of Migrant Realities

Chair: Gunjan Sondhi11:3011:45 Claire Bennett

Seeking asylum in the UK: the Perspectives of lesbian asylum seekers11:4512:00 Jean Pierre Gauci

So Much for My Happy Ending: Persecution of Trafficked Persons12:0012:15 Aderajew Teshome

The ambivalence of consent in conceptualising trafficking in person12:1513:00 Q & A

13:0014:00 Lunch14:0015:45 3rd Panel Governance on Migration

Chair: Vanessa Iaria14:0014:15 Bani Gill

In the name of Security: Violations at the Barmer border14:1514:30 Satoko Horii

EU Border Management and the Role of Frontex: the Case of the Border Guard Training14:3014:45 Cosmas Ukachukwu Ikegwuruka

Immigration Control in the United Kingdom and the Liberal democratic paradox14:4515:00 Gioia Caminada

How do stakeholders influence migration policy? An analysis of Poverty ReductionStrategies in the Commonwealth of Independent States

15:0015:45 Q & A15:45 Concluding Remark


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SCMR Graduate Student Conference 21-22 June 2012Fulton Build. University of Sussex

Day 2

Friday 22 June Fulton Building FUL 101

09:0009:15 Morning Coffee09:1510:45 1st Panel Mixed and Textual Methodologies

Chair: Satoko Horii09:1509:30 Fran Meissner

Disentangling complexity through networks: Urban super-diversity and the clustering of homophily09:3009:45 Alisa Van Kleef

Friend or Foe: The Migrant Laborer in Weimar Germany09:4510:00 Tommaso Caiazza

Italians in San Francisco: an extra-ordinary experience? 10:0010:45 Q & A

10:4511:00 Break11:0012:45 2nd Panel Crossing Borders, Boundaries and Networks

Chair: Fran Meissner11:0011:15 Romaine Farquet

Homeland Politics and Emotions: Transnational Engagement among Albanian-speakingMigrants from Yugoslavia to Switzerland

11:1511:30 Michelle MajeedIts All About Who You Know: Guyanese migrant networks and their role in the health ofthose in the country of origin

11:3011:45 Lorenzo PiccoliImmigration and national minorities: redrawing identity boundaries, projecting integration

policiesA comparative study of Qubec and South Tyrol11:4512:00 Natasha KingPractising a no border perspective in the city: Radical migrant solidarity and the 300 hungerstrike

12:0012:45 Q & A12:4513:45 Lunch13:4515:30 3rd Panel ForcedMigration and Return

Chair: Danesh Jayatilaka13:4514:00 Sonja Fransen

Return Migration and Social Cohesion in Burundi: The Mediating Role of Land Scarcity14:0014:15 Vanessa Iaria

Iraqi refugees return and transnational livelihoods in the Middle East

14:1514:30 Ine LietaertReturnees perspectives on their return processes to the South Caucasian Republics Georgiaor Armenia

14:3014:45 Bogumil TerminskiMining- Induced Displacement and Resettlement. Theoretical Frameworks and CurrentChallenges

14:4515:30 Q & A

15:30 Concluding Remark


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Day 1 Panel 1: Vulnerable Migrant Communities in Asia

Exclusion and fear amidst the scale-makers of Singapores Little India

Wajihah HamidSchool of Global Studies, Migration StudiesUniversity of Sussex

This presentation looks at a highly contested urban transnational space - Singapores Little India as anintersection to explore the positionality of South Asian male migrant workers in contemporarySingapore society and their dislocation within the physical and metaphorical space. It will explore howLittle India becomes a space of exclusion for the workers vis--vis the other multiple users. Reportsfrom the states newspaper is used as a case study to illustrate the reinforcement of the marginal positionoccupied by these workers within Little India itself and the Singapore society at large. This presentationwill contend that while the state rhetoric has made these workers transient, these workers do at timeshave transnational sensibilities and their own agency as they thread this contested space and the larger

Singaporean society. Consequently, these male migrant workers should be viewed as scale -makersrather than the othered marginal labour migrants. Scholars need to recognise the role of these l abourmigrants beyond remittance, while the state should accord these workers some due recognition.

Resettlement in post-war Sri Lanka: a mixed method analyzing the recovery of IDPsDanesh JayatilakaSchool of Global Studies, Migration StudiesUniversity of Sussex

With the war ending in the east and north of Sri Lanka in 2006 and 2009 the government set in motiona large programme to return and resettle the hundreds of thousands displaced due to the conflict. The

first initiative was launched in the east where large owner driven housing construction projects wereconducted in combination with livelihoods support activities. The eastern projects concluded in 2009,with the activities premised on the assumption that former IDPs would regain economic normalcybecause of the aid. The outcomes on the ground however have not wholly been according toexpectations. Differences among the housing and livelihoods packages had meant beneficiariesrecovered in distorted patterns for reasons that are not always clear. Assessments had shown while somepeople had regained their previous economic setting, or became better off, others had fallen into viciouspoverty.

This presentation looks at my ongoing doctoral research to find the answer to how people make mostuse of the aid provided to them. My research question goes as What is the impact of housing andlivelihoods assistance on economic recovery of former internally displaced persons who had been

resettled?With the fieldwork concluded in 2011 I wish to share my experiences in relation to theresearch design and the methods that were employed, and the initial findings. Focusing on a former wartorn village in the east, for a period of six months, I conducted a multidisciplinary quantitative andqualitative approach using household surveys, in-depth interviews, focus groups, key informantinterviews, and ethnography to assemble information. These data are presently being analyzed usingSPSS and qualitative coding methods, whereas I am drawing out a picture to meet the objective of mystudy, which is why some former IDPs recover while others dont, when everyone receives assistance.

Cargo of Miseries: Host-Stranger Conflicts and the States response to refugee influx in thePunjabRaja Adnan Razzaq

HistoryQuaid-i-Azam University


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With the partition of India in 1947 the world saw the greatest human migration in the twentieth century.Approximately fourteen million people crossed the newly created boarders of India and Pakistan. Thecommunal frenzy resulted in an estimated death of one million people. The migrants experiencedintense trauma arising from the loss of property, family members and as a result of being forcibly

wrenched from their ancestral homes. At least 75,000 women were abducted and raped by men ofreligions different from their own.

These communal riots and barbaric killings forced the people to leave their ancestral homes and headtowards an unknown land in order to save their lives, properties and honor. Refugees started pouring into India and Pakistan every day in large numbers. Both the governments were trying their best torehabilitate and resettle the refugees who were crossing the boarders in large numbers. Having noprecedent in the past, the authorities on both sides had no clue as how to cope with that kind ofemergency situation. At first the migrants were greeted warmly by the local communities on both sidesof the borders but this honey-moon did not last for long and conflicts started to arise on petty issueswhich later on severely affected the assimilation process especially in Pakistan where despite of beingassimilated physically the migrants had to maintain their separate identity asMuhajirs(refugees/migrants).

The power struggle between the host community and the strangers even today plays a vital role in theformation of governments in Pakistan and peace and stability in Sindh.This paper would highlight the communal frenzy that prevailed at the time of partition when in order toescape the communal hatred, hundreds of thousands of people suddenly made up their minds toabandon their homes forever without even hope of crossing the border, let alone the certainty ofrehabilitation later. The paper will analyze the irregularities in the rehabilitation process which eventuallyresulted in the root causes of the prevailing conflicts between the muhajirs (also known as the Urdu-Speaking community) and the locals.

Mining-Induced Displacement and Resettlement: Theoretical Frameworks and CurrentChallenges

Bogumil Terminski,University of Warsaw, University of Geneva

The mining industry is frequently associated with decisions that have enormous social consequences.One of the most negative effects of mining today is the forcing of thousands of people to abandon theircurrent places of residence. Gold mines in Tarkwa, open-cast copper mines in Papua New Guinea orJarkhand (India), lignite mines in Germany, and diamond mines in Zimbabwe are just a few examples ofactivities leading to the displacement of large numbers of people worldwide. Today, mining-induceddisplacement constitutes a major social problem and a challenge for human rights. This particular issueaffects at least a dozen people around the world. It is therefore of great importance to conduct itsprofound analysis as well as inspire broad public debate. According to specialists from the OxfordRefugee Centre (published in 2000), the extraction of mineral resources is the cause of about ten percent

of the development-induced displacement that takes place in the world each year. Contemporaryliterature on developmentinduced displacement (Cernea, De Wet, Penz, etc.) focuses mostly on theconsequences of dam construction, irrigation projects, and artificial reservoirs. The literature of Mining-Induced Displacement and Resettlement (MIDR) is rather small and limited to the well-known cases ofcontemporary India and a few African states. My speech will cast more light on the following themes:1. Part one theoretically conceptualizes and encompasses mining-induced displacement and resettlementas a specific category of development-induced displacement and resettlement (DIDR). MIDR is a fairlyobvious cause of DIDR and a part of its global context, yet there are some crucial differences that oughtto be indicated in order to show that it is a very diverse issue indeed.2. Part two depicts mining-induced displacement and resettlement in terms of a global social problemoccurring in many countries around the world.3. Part three presents the most well-known examples of displacement caused by mining.

4. Part four emphasizes the social dimension of mining expansion and the importance of MIDR as ahuman rights issue.


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Hindu Nationalism, identity and marginalisation in Indian Diasporic Literature in the USUkeKshipraCenter for American Studies,

School of International Studies

Jawaharlal Nehru University

Migration of Asian Indian Hindus to the US in the later part of the twentieth century has created astrong religious and cultural identity in the multicultural society of America. These Hindu IndianAmericans define India as a Hindu society and are strong supporters of the Hindu nationalist movementin India. The Hindu diaspora in US, as generally understood and propagated, is not a monolithic wholeand the overlapping multiple identities within are blanketed under the term- Hindu identity with theintension of creating a Hindu Nation. This assertion of Hindu identity is not just a process of intolerancetowards other religions like Christianity and Islam but also an attempt to marginalize various internalsocio-cultural and linguistic groups within Hindus who view India as a multi-religious and multiculturalsociety and are striving to safeguard its secular fabric. Throughout the past few decades, much bloodhas been split in the name of this so-called Hindu nationalism; all for the purpose of uniting a landthatin truthhas never been united and it is believed that the rise of Hindu nationalist politics hasbeen funded and supported by Hindu diaspora groups.The speciality of Indian diaspora is that it has waves and every wave has produced rich literaturerepresenting that particular era. While the earlier diasporic literature dealt sympathetically and fairly withthe lower-caste and class, non-English-speaking segments of Indian society, the works produced byIndian writers in the US in recent times reveal a clear bias in favor of classical, Brahminic, andtherefore exclusionary, intended to produce an effect of a pure "Indianness" with little attention to itscaste and class-based, social, communal, and regional inequalities.The study is an attempt to look at the cognitive and affective elements of a specific sub-population toflesh out our collective understanding of the internal conflicting forces within a particular religiousidentity and the politics behind depiction of a homogenized Hindu identity in the contemporaryliterature in the US.

Day 1 Panel 2: Subjective Constructions of Migrant Realities

Seeking asylum in the UK: the Perspectives of lesbian asylum seekersClaire BennettSocial Work and Social Care StudentUniversity of Sussex

Lesbian asylum seekers face significant issues when applying for asylum in the UK as both gender andsexuality are not covered in the 1951 Refugee Convention. Consequently, asylum claims based'persecution around same sex experiences' have to be argued for under the particular social groupcategory. This is the most controversial and arbitrary of all five Refugee Convention grounds.

Like many refugee women, lesbians may have been subject to sexual and physical violence as part of thepersecution and the stigma they experience in their country of origin. As part of the asylum process,women have to disclose and discuss their experiences of rape, sexual and physical violenceto a range of individuals in great detail. In addition, claims based on same sex experiences also requireindividuals to evidence their sexuality in order to convince the UK Border Agency personnel andimmigration judges of their sexual orientation.

This presentation will discuss the methods and findings of my DPhil research which involvedinterviewing eleven lesbian asylum seekers and refugees (three times) who had all experienced physicaland sexual violence in their country of origin and sought protection in the UK. The presentation willoutline the difficulties associated with navigating the UK asylum process and how this influenceswomens stability, sense of self and sexual subjectivity.


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So Much for My Happy Ending: Persecution of Trafficked PersonsJean-Pierre GauciSchool of LawKings College London

This paper discusses the protection of trafficked persons through refugee law. After a brief overview ofthe relevance of asylum as a channel for long term protection the paper will critically appraise the notionof persecution as it applies to trafficked persons. The discussion will start with an overview ofdefinitions of persecution as developed through hard and soft law instruments, case law and theliterature. From this discussion the paper elaborates a working definition of persecution to be appliedthroughout the rest of the presentation.

It then moves on to apply the definition to trafficked persons arguing that a number of the risks facingtrafficked persons upon return (including re-trafficking, retribution by traffickers and societalostracisation) can amount to persecution. The paper will build on case law from the UK, USA, Canada,New Zealand, Ireland, Italy, France and Spain. Soft law and other guidance will also be considered. The

discussion will include issues such as degree of harm, timing of the harm (past and/or futurepersecution), place of the harm (country of origin, country where asylum is sought, third country),agents of persecution (traffickers, family, society, gangs, government) and absence of state protection(including what that protection should entail and when it can be considered to be absent).

The ambivalence of consent in conceptualising trafficking in personAderajew TeshomeFaculty of LawMonash University

Trafficking in person is identified as one of the major challenges of our times. It is a pervasive

phenomenon that affects virtually every part of the globe. Further, trafficking is ranked as the thirdmost, but the fastest growing lucrative illicit criminal activity- preceded only by drugs and armstrafficking. Defining trafficking was identified to be the most litigious part of the drafting of theTrafficking Protocol.Yet, arguably, the controversies surrounding the definition still linger. While evidenceattests that trafficking in persons can affect everyone regardless of gender and age, and it takes a widerange ofmodus oprandi, it is often associated and blurred with other discourses such as prostitution andsmuggling, inter alia. In particular, as reflected in the Trafficking Protocolsdefinition, the liberal feministspolarized view on prostitution has significantly contributed towards the twisting of the idea oftrafficking to be narrowly[sic] conceptualised as an issue of forced labour per se.

In this conference, I will argue that because the intention to exploit element is already conceptualised asresulting in serious injury and contrary to human dignity,# a further addition of the means element is a

deviation from other relevant legal instruments and counterproductive. To this end, I will demonstratethat in some circumstances (such as forced labour and slavery) the intention to exploit element posestoo high standard that public interest policy requires that liability should be absolute. Accordingly, Iwill suggest that, like the latter category of practices, the proscription of trafficking in persons shouldhave been regardless of the victims consent. Selected cases studies (Australia, Canadian, UK andMalaysia) will be presented to show the legislative trend in this regard.

Day 1 Panel 3: Governance on Migration

In the name of Security: Violations at the Barmer borderBani Gill

Erasmus Mundus master in Migration and Intercultural Relations


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This paper focuses on the Barmer stretch of the border between Rajasthan and Sindh, to understand theimplications of the statist project of border making on an erstwhile integrated socio-economic milieu.The dates that loom large in the memory of the Indian nation state-1947, 1965, 1971, 1999, 2001, 2008-represent a chronology of militarization and violence that has shrouded the lives of borderlanders. Whathas been the impact of this militarized notion of state security on peoples security, and on the larger

political economy of the border region? This paper seeks to deconstruct the very notion of security, byhighlighting the lives in transit of borderlanders, as communities that are insiders within thegeographical periphery of the state but outsiders in terms of their daily interaction with the nation. Itexamines the Barmer region, and the multiple borders within borders that have been created in thename of security and/or development. Concurrently, it looks at the political category of the refugeeproduced and constantly reconfigured within this border region, and the gendered repercussions thereofon local communities. The paper thus highlights how prioritisation of the state-sponsored discourse ofsecuritisation not only undermines and contests the very notions of citizenship and belonging, inclusionand exclusion, but also engenders insights into the value the state accords to the citizenry of itsperipheral borderscapes in the first place.

*This paper is supported by research conducted by SAFHR, in collaboration with local partner ,Society

for Upliftment of Rural Economy (SURE), Barmer, in 2011, as part of the Cross Border Dialoguesseries.

EU Border Management and the Role of Frontex: the Case of the Border Guard TrainingSatoko HoriiUniversity of SussexSchool of Law, Politics and SociologySussex Centre for Migration Research

EU Member States have been increasing the focus on the regional approach in EU external bordermanagement. A number of joint border operations have been conducted, most of which such as

operations in Greece and Italy have drawn much attention from media and academia.Turning our eyes from the highlighted dimension of border cooperation, this paper looks at thecommon border guard training, which has been developed by the EU border Agency Frontex. Byexploring the development process, it seeks to identify the increased interaction between multiple actorsinvolved in this field and the effects of training in the wider context of border management. The paperemploys the analytical framework from new institutionalist literature, and the methods taken for thisstudy include historiography and semi structured interviews with border guards of the Member States.An implication is that, the field of training is not a mere technical de-politicised field but has become aspace for actors to maximise their interests. In this context, UNHCR and other international actors havefound it effective to spread its protection mandate to Member States. In addition, the training hasproduced a space of socialisation, potentially taking national actors towards more integration-oriented.

Immigration Control in the United Kingdom and the Liberal democratic paradoxCosmas Ukachukwu IkegwurukaLawNewcastle University

A liberal democracy such as the United Kingdom believes in certain values and actively promotes them.This paper will evaluate the salient features of those liberal values such as the rule of law in theamphitheatre of immigration control. It will use the United Kingdoms practices in immigration controlto measure its compliance to liberal democratic ideologies and thus explore the dilemma -if any- facedby the UK in what is referred as the liberal democratic paradox. The emerging question then is howwill the UK respect these values and at the same time marry them with immigration control? If there are

conflicts between these values, what will be the remedy?


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By way of analysis, this paper will conceptualize the rights of migrants in their precarious, irregular orstranded immigration status otherwise called the precarious migrants dilemma and in doing so willaddress the issues as to whether the rights of these precarious migrants in the UK are merely theoreticaland illusory or whether they are real and practical?

By engaging in this investigation, the paper will draw a distinction between the enforcement ofimmigration control on the one hand and the protection of basic human rights of migrants on the otherhand in the sense of bifurcation or firewall argument.

The methodology is purely documentary analysis, as the study will draw immensely from existingliterature, case laws, soft laws and the applicable international legal instruments.

How do stakeholders influence migration policy? An analysis of Poverty ReductionStrategies in the Commonwealth of Independent StatesGioia Caminada

This paper explores the decision-making process behind migration policy, using Poverty ReductionStrategies (PRS) as a case study. Two questions guide the discussion: which political actors bringmigration into the political agenda, and how do different stakeholders influence the treatment ofmigration in policy plans? The focus is on the PRS of the Commonwealth of Independent States,with an in-depth analysis of Moldova and Tajikistan. The research is based on qualitative interviewswith stakeholders involved in PRS in these countries, and a longitudinal analysis of the treatment ofmigration in the policy documents. In the cases analysed, migration is brought to the policy papersmainly by the World Bank and international donors such as the International Organisation forMigration. As a result, the PRS treat migration mainly as a macroeconomic phenomenon, and largelyignore its local impact. Inequalities in the decision-making process are argued as being one of themain causes of the ineffectiveness of PRS by a great part of development literature. However, thisstudy suggests that in the case of migration the stance of the actors involved are complimentary, and

that enhanced cooperation between policy actors would lead to more effective migration policies. Infact, while the World Bank possesses expertise in macroeconomic analysis, local governments canmonitor the national characteristics of migration, and civil society organisations possess directknowledge of its local effects. Cooperation between policy actors would therefore lead to a processof mutual empowerment, rather than one actor prevailing over the others in the decision makingprocess. Moreover, this paper argues that the effectiveness of migration policies does not depend onthe mainstreaming of migration, but on migration policies being designed to meet the specificcontext to which they are being applied.

Day 2 Panel 1: Mixed and Textural Methodologies

Disentangling complexity through networks: Urban super-diversity and the clustering ofhomophilyFran MeissnerMax Plank Institute for the study religious and ethnic diversitySchool of Global StudiesUniversity of Sussex

Based on my PhD research in London and Toronto this paper focuses on the empirical analysis of thesocial networks of 55 Pacific Islanders and NZ Maori. The aim of the paper is to explore the roledifferent aspects of super-diversity (see Vertovec, 2007) play in understanding the post-migrationsocialising of these migrants in the two cities. The paper first presents a cluster analysis of thehomophily values which were measured between each respondent and her/his social contacts on a

range of variables reflecting different aspects of super-diversity. Homophily scores indicate how muchrespondents are the same as their social contacts and are usually compared on only one variable mostcommonly either race, age or gender. A cluster analysis allows to identify clusters of respondents with


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similar homophily scores on multiple variables. The analysis suggests that ethnic background is not aprimary explanatory variable but that other migration related variables are more divisive. The clusters ofrespondents identified are then analysed with reference to ego-centric network measures to establish inhow far the clusters better explain post-migration socialising. Special focus will be on qualitativeinformation about the respondents socialising habits and in how far the city specific context is relevant

for these. As such the paper presents a possible avenue for better understanding migration relateddiversity as it is reflected in the social networks of individuals living in super-diverse cities. As anacademic contribution the paper thus pepresents a non-ethnofocal analysis of how internationalmigration into cities impacts on the social processes in these cities by combining both quantitative andqualitative data analysis as well as a two city comparative pespective.

Friend or Foe: The Migrant Laborer in Weimar GermanyAlisa van KleefRice University

The proposed paper will explore the significant impact of labor migration in the Rhineland on German

society and economic development in the Weimar Republic. In the aftermath of defeat in the Great War,and exacerbated by the harsh provisions inflicted on German industry in the Rhineland by the VersaillesTreaty, German state and society were forced to re-evaluate what they perceived was the proper role ofthe migrant in society, and, more specifically, if and how labor migrants could aid in the rebuilding ofthe devastated German economy.

In the eyes of German state bureaucrats in the interwar years, migration constituted a significant threatto the livelihood of the state and threatened to undermine the sovereignty of the German nation state.The paper will consider how labor migration policy became a tool for the German state to re-claim itssovereignty and to strengthen feelings of national community in the volatile Rhineland frontier. Statemigration policy guided individual and collective opinion towards the migrant laborer, which necessarilyshaped conceptions of identity and belonging. In particular, the paper will explore the impact and

significance of Russian and Polish migration from the Rhineland to the Netherlands, Belgium andFrance in the aftermath of the Great War and their troubled attempts to re-migrate to the Rhineland,efforts by German business to persuade the government to allow Dutch and Austrian migrants to laborin the Rhineland, the appearance in official state documents of divergent attitudes and state policytoward foreign migrants from Eastern Europe versus those from culturally and linguistically alikeGermanic territories, i.e. the Netherlands and Austria. The German state introduced racial parametersthat sought to shape the composition of migrant labor in Germany. The national economy requiredsignificant levels of labor migrants in the 1920s, however, the state regulated what types of labormigrants were to be absorbed into society. Those migrants with culturally and linguistically similarheritage were preferred to those from Eastern and Southern Europe.

The case of the Rhineland in the interwar years reveals that any analysis of the impact of migration on

European societies must necessarily consider how migration influences processes of state formation andconstructions of national identity.

Italians in San Francisco: an extra-ordinary experience?Tommaso CaiazzaSocial HistoryUniversity of Venice CaFoscari

California has been seen as providing Italian immigrants more opportunities as well as work suitable fortheir skills; this has led many scholars to conclude that their adjustment was less difficult than it was forItalians in other parts of the United States. Focusing on San Francisco, my research indicates that by

overemphasizing the economic success achieved by Italian-Americans in California, historiography hasmarginalized other aspects of their experience.


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Drawing on newspapers, I first examine the origin of this California exceptionalism. I investigate theprocess by which the San Francisco Italian-American lite shaped the myth of the model colony,contrasting their experience to that of the Italian communities in the East Coast. I then analyze thecontradictions in the process of Italian Americans' integration focusing on two key decades: the 1930sand 1940s. The first decade, following the Quota laws, represented a stabilization period for the Italian

group, both demographically and socially; the second one, in contrast, was a great transition era, due tothe several changes stimulated by World War II.

In this research I pay attention on three indicators: politics, marriages and housing. I examine the Italiangroups involvement in politics by using the Municipal records (reviews, proceedings). Network analysisand prosopography allow for a micro-analytic study explaining the groups interaction with power.A statistical survey based on the US 1930 Census and the Registers of the Italian Church SS. Peter andPaul allows for an analysis of the second generations exogamic trends providing some insight into theirrelation with other groups.

Through the Census I also examine changes in the Italian neighborhoods. The exodus from Little Italyto the suburbs brought tensions with the surrounding Chinatown revealing the Italian groups

participation in the social and cultural modeling of San Franciscos racial system.

Day 2 Panel 2: Crossing Borders, Boundaries and Networks

Homeland Politics and Emotions: Transnational Engagement among Albanian-speakingMigrants from Yugoslavia in SwitzerlandRomaine FarquetUniversity of Neuchtel

My PhD research explores homeland politics among Albanian-speaking migrants from Yugoslavia inSwitzerland for the period 1981-1999. It seeks to identify the different practices followed in order to

generate political transformations in the Yugoslav Province of Kosovo as well as the factors thatinfluenced this mobilisation. Although it recognises that the usual explanations, based on the politicalconditions and opportunities as well as resources, are relevant, it also argues that cultural elementsinfluenced this mobilisation. It thus wishes to draw particular attention to questions of meaning-makingand emotions. Methodologically, my research is principally based on oral history interviews.

In my presentation, I wish especially to concentrate on how emotions contribute toward shapingtransnational political practices. I seek ways to incorporate emotions into the analysis of homelandpolitics by drawing on insights developed within the Social Movement approaches. Thus, on the onehand, I am interested in the strategic use of emotions as a resource for mobilising participantstransnationally and gaining visibility as well as extracting concessions from target governments,organisations and the general public. On the other hand, I wish to scrutinise the power of emotions

behind activists motivations, subjectivities and interpretations. I seek, for example, to scrutinise the roleof feelings in various domains, from the determination of preferences and interests to the constructionof a collective identity and solidarity. Ultimately, these issues contribute towards our understanding ofthe emergence of specific transnational practices and organisations as well as their particular orientationsand sustainability.

Finally, I wish to examine the applicability and limitations of my theoretical findings in relation to theparticular case of homeland politics among Albanianspeaking migrants from Yugoslavia in Switzerland.

Its All About Who You Know: Guyanese migrant networks and their role in the health ofthosein the country of origin

Michelle MajeedEthnic and Pluralism Studies Program


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Department of GeographyUniversity of Toronto

With more of its people living outside of the country than within, Guyana, and its migrants provide aprovocative case study of the role that transnational social networks can play in supporting the daily

needs of those that remain. The purpose of this paper is to examine how transnational spaces arecreated and used to support understandings of health and well-being and to meet the health needs ofGuyanas population. This paper will explore how those that remain in Guyana supplement their healththrough their connections with friends and family living abroad.

This research is based on thirty-six interviews conducted in Georgetown, Guyana and in a rural healthclinic in the West Demerara region of the country and twenty-six interviews conducted in Canada andthe US. This research found that there are three distinct ways that migrants support the health of thosethat remain; direct support of health in Guyana, indirect support of health in Guyana and health supportoutside of Guyana. Using case studies, this paper will illustrate each of these transnational pathways tohealth and how transnational migrant networks are utilized to support health. Overall, this paper willhighlight key issues in the areas of global health and transnationalism. , Hons BA (Toronto)

Immigration and national minorities: redrawing identity boundaries, projecting integrationpolicies A comparative study of Qubec and South TyrolLorenzo PiccoliSchool of International Studies, Trento

Following the research agenda introduced by Will Kymlicka (1995), this qualitative study offers aninterpretation of how the integration of immigrants is constructed by the national minorities of Qubecand South Tyrol, two groups that are constantly undergoing a process of redefinition of their collectiveidentities based on a differentiation from the Others who do not belong to the in-group. Immigrantstoday have become the most significant Others for these groups, as the sense of belonging that they are

expected to join is inherently fragmented since they are not part to the original compromises that arespecific of these sub-national polities. Therefore, the question this study aims to answer is how thenational minorities redraw the boundaries of their identity in relation to the phenomenon ofimmigration, and how do they practically accommodate for this change. The hypotheses to be tested arewhether the national minority groups of Qubec and South Tyrol: H1. engage in a process ofreconstruction of their identity by trying to construct a definition that allows newcomers to assimilate intheir group; H2. adopt practical policy measures to assimilate newcomers in their group. The twohypotheses are tested respectively: H1. by conducting an analysis of the political narrative of the mainparties, their electoral appeals and speeches; H2. by analysing the integration policies in the field ofeducation, language, and social policy. The comparison between Qubec and South Tyrol has thepotential to provide a basic understanding of the impact of immigration in two sub-national polities thatare very different, but still adopt similar political narratives and policy strategies with regard to the

integration of newcomers.

Practising a no border perspective in the city: Radical migrant solidarity and the 300 hungerstrike in AthensNatasha KingUniversity of NottinghamSchool of Politics and International Relations

Can our political ideologies be a barrieras well as a routeto showing solidarity? What happens whenones political ideology comes into conflict with the event unfolding in front of you? In the case ofradical migrant solidarity, what if ones ideology is anti-state, and yet the actions of migrants focus on a

demand to the state?


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In this paper I tell the story of the solidarity movement that built up around the hunger strike of 300men from the Maghreb, that took place simultaneously in Athens and Thessaloniki in the winter of2011. For some, the strike represents one of the only victories of the radical left since the crisis ofcapital gripped Greece, and a successful demonstration of co-operation across political boundaries. Forothers, the response of the solidarity movement still leaves a bitter taste.

The dilemmas played out in the solidarity movement around this campaign brought those showingsolidarity into conflict with others of different political stripes, as well as those experiencing theoppression of mobility controls first hand. What does this tell us about the tension between ourideologies and how we act? What prospects are there for reconciling these tensions?

The story is told in the context of 9 months activist fieldwork in Athens where the 300 became arecurring theme in conversations, debates and interviews, and where the boundaries between insider andoutsider; academic and activist were at times starkly defined and at others comfortably blurred.

Day 2 Panel 3: Forced Migration and Return

Return Migration and Social Cohesion in Burundi:The Mediating Role of Land ScarcitySonja FransenMaastricht Graduate School of GovernanceMaastricht University

In conflict-affected societies the return of former refugees is often considered a threat to sustainablepeace. Social relations between returnees and non-returnees have to be (re-) established and return flowsmay exacerbate existing problems of resource scarcity and poverty, leading to a decline in livingstandards and increased resource competition for all community members (see e.g. Fransen &Kuschminder, 2012; Hammond, 1999). In these contexts return does not only affect social relations

between returnees and non-returnees, but community cohesion as well. The successful reintegration offormer refugees is therefore considered an important prerequisite for sustainable peace (Black & Gent,2006; Kibreab, 2002; Macrae, 1999). However, studies on refugee reintegration are still relatively scarceand most studies focus on economic reintegration, whereas social relationships are often overlooked.Additionally, research often overlooks the effects of return on communities as a whole. Empiricalevidence on the relationship between return migration and social cohesion in conflict-affected societiestherefore remains unexplored.

This paper analyzes the effect of return migration on community cohesion by using household andcommunity data collected in Burundi, a small and densely populated country in the Central AfricanGreat Lakes region. Burundi witnessed the return of more than 500,000 former refugees over the pastdecade (UNHCR, 2011). Social cohesion is compared across communities that experienced different

levels of return, while controlling for other contextual factors such as scarcity of land and conflicthistory. The results show that return migration only negatively affects social cohesion in areas ofresource scarcity, which means that the return of former refugees to Burundi does not influence socialcohesion per se. Instead, the impact of return is highly dependent on the context to which returneescome back; a finding that emphasizes the need for reintegration support by means of context-specificpolicies.

Iraqi refugees return and transnational livelihoods in the Middle EastVanessa IariaSussex Centre for Migration ResearchUniversity of Sussex

Since the end of the US-led war in Iraq, around 500,000 Iraqi refugees have returned despite theinsecurity and slow reconstruction process in Iraq. What are the causes and nature of return migration


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in the context of the Iraqis displaced to Syria and Jordan after 2003? The article addresses this questionand contributes to theoretical and empirical debates on forced migrant return and transnationalism, twophenomena that characterise the current Iraqi displacement in the Middle East.

Based on qualitative field evidence gathered in Syria and Jordan between January 2010 and March 2011,

the article suggests that Iraqis returns and transnational livelihoods constitute a reaction to the absenceof official durable solutions to their predicament. In this context, return is rarely an end-state followedby permanent integration back home. It is a complex process that takes a long time and entails variousdegrees and modalities of transnational mobility and livelihoods connecting host and home societies.

The international refugee regime discourages Iraqis movements to enhance the management of mobilerefugee populations. Preventing post-return mobility, however, hampers the spontaneous transnationalpractices that the Iraqi people have developed as sustainable livelihoods and development opportunitiesin the absence of sedentary solutions.

Key words: Iraqi refugees, return, remigration, transnational livelihoods, Syria, Jordan

Returnees perspectives on their return processes to the South Caucasian Republics Georgia orArmeniaIne LietaertUniversity of Ghent

Although return migration has received renewed attention in migration research, there is still insufficientinsight into the complex social realities of returning/returned migrants, especially regarding their ownperspectives on their return processes. Research on returnees who are still in the host country oftenlooks at the return intentions ofpotentialreturnees, overall stating that potential migrants are ambivalentabout returning or not. However, little is known regarding the perspectives of returnees who alreadydecided to return and are awaiting this return. This study wants to study this perspective, including a

population of two groups of adult migrants who want to return from Belgium to Georgia (n=39) andArmenia (n=51), hereby supported by a governmental voluntary return program. All participants arequestioned about their migration background and process, current living circumstances, expectationsabout their return and general perceptions regarding their migration and return processes.

In this paper, we will discuss the analyses of these 90 semi-structured interviews with returnees beforetheir return to the home country. Half of the respondents are single man and more than half of themare rejected asylum seekers. Overall, our data show tensions between choice and constraint, questioningthe concept of voluntary return: although many returnees state they made the final choice to returnthemselves, the living conditions in the host country oftenforcethem to make this decision. Moreover,because of their precarious residence status and living conditions in the host country, they experiencegreatly limited opportunities to participate, either socially or economically, in the host countries society.

Related to a preliminary study with Nepalese return migrants (Lietaert, Derluyn & Broekaert, in press)and other findings on return migration (Cassarino, 2004), this also implies that they start from adisadvantageous point of departure regarding their preparedness to return and their reintegrationpossibilities after being returned.

Documents

University of Sussex "Exploring Migration" Conference