SOC 585 MIGRATION, TRASNATIONALISM AND THE CITY Fall 2017 Bernadette Nadya Jaworsky E-mail: jaworsky@fss.muni.cz Radka Klvaňová E-mail: klvanova@fss.muni.cz Images of transnationality in Brno • Cuisines know no Borders! Brno meets everybody! Everything begins with an encounter (Pope Francis). International Business Makers The formation of transnational approaches to migration Anthropologists‘ discovery of a new phenomena? •1990s – new form of migration: transnational migration •Critical to conventional theories of immigration •Focus on cross-border processes and identities •Basch, Glick Schiller, Szanton Blanc (1994): •Nations Unbound: Transnational Projects, Postcolonial Predicaments, and Deterritorialized Nation-States •-“By living their lives across borders, transmigrants find themselves confronted with and engaged in the nation building processes of two or more nation-states. Their identities and practices are configured by hegemonic categories, such as race and ethnicity, that are deeply embedded in the nation building processes of these nation states.“ (p. 22) •Transnationalism as a form of resistance • Since the nineties, critical anthropologists and sociologists (U.S., GB) proposed that a new form of migration has emerged – transnational migration, transmigrants. These theories were from the beginning radically critical towards what they call conventional or hegemonic migration theories of immigration (next slide) Theories of assimilation, acculturation, melting pot etc. were based on an assumption of migration as one time unidirectional movement from the country of origin to the receiving country and focused on the problems migrants face in the so-called host societies. Theories of transnational migration shifted attention to crossborder processes and organization of social life of migrants who live their lives in connection to more than one nation state, predominantly the country of origin and the country of immigration. Nations Unbound – long term anthropological research of Carribean and Filipino migrants living in NY. (one of the first books, important in developing the project of transnational migration studies) They link transnational migration to: 1.changing context of global capitalism – current mode of production (low pay, job insecurity) requires maintaing homeland ties, migrants are economically and politically vurnerable and it foster migrants‘ transnational links 2.processes of decolonization and nation-building processes in former colonies – new nation states often became sending countries to the former colonial metropolises and became dependent on migrants‘ remittances: a new form of nation state: deterritorialized nation state that encourages migrants‘ continuing relations to their homeland. Migrants are encouraged to work abroad and send remittances. While they become incorporated in the U.S., where they however faced low social standing, many of them became involved in homeland politics and civil society activities (supporting education and development in the home country) that enable them to increase their social status in their homecountry as well as in the U.S. in their immigrant communities (community leaders) - These authors even went so far to conceptualiz transnationalism of migrants as a form of resistance against their racial and class subordination in US. New category of migrants – transmigrants: -“By living their lives across borders, transmigrants find themselves confronted with and engaged in the nation building processes of two or more nation-states. Their identities and practices are configured by hegemonic categories, such as race and ethnicity, that are deeply embedded in the nation building processes of these nation states.“ (p. 22) Conventional immigration theories •The problem of assimilation (Americanization) •Chicago School of Sociology •Assimilation as an inevitable historical process •„Problem of maintaining political order…in a community that has no common culture“ •Migrants: „peoples who have abandoned the political allegiance of the old country, and are gradually acquiring the culture of the new (Park and Burgess 1969) •Melting pot •Cultural pluralism (Glazer, Moynihan) •ethnic groups and their culture (=roots, not vital links) • Americanization project •“There can be no divided allegiance here. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language, for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans, of American nationality, and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding-house; and we have room for but one soul loyalty, and that is loyalty to the American people.” (Theodore Roosevelt, 1919) the uprooted.jpg transplanted-history-immigrants-in-urban-america-john-bodnar-paperback-cover-art.jpg melting pot.jpg What is methodological nationalism and how does it influence research? Methodological nationalism •Naturalization of ethnicity/nationality - culture •Container view on society •Overemphasis on ethnic/national background •Ethnic lens (Glick Schiller, Caglar) •Groupism (Brubaker) • When people meet me, they want to know what culture I come from or where my family is from. They want to put me in a box or assign me a label. So the question of ‘what are you’ has always made me feel defensive of who I am and how I’m presented in the world. — Shirley Acuna, 22, Peruvian-American http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/21/opinion/sunday/exposures-children-immigrant.html?_r=0 http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2014/09/21/opinion/sunday/exposures-immigrants-slide-M0I9/expos ures-immigrants-slide-M0I9-master675-v2.jpg The critique of methodological nationalism •Methodological nationalism – the tendency to accept nation state as a given unit of social analysis, society = nation state •Critique of bounded concepts of ethnicity, race, culture – social constructs that reflect power relations •BOTH/AND instead of EITHER/OR logic •New phenomena requires new conceptual tools: transmigrant, transnational migration, deterritorialized nation state, transnational social field •Wimmer, Glick Schiller. 2002. Methodological nationalism and beyond: nation state building, migration and the social sciences. • A new phenomena or a new perspective? • A new phenomena or a new perspective? •Transnationalism in History studies •David Gerber – transnational activity of personal correspondence of 19th century immigrants to America •Letters as sites of construction of identity, reflection of in-betweenes •Negotiation of personal relationships •Exchange of social intelligence • „Let us do our American and Czech duty.“ „Fight for our independence.“ (Branch of Czech National Society in Halletsville, Texas, around 1917) A transnational turn in migration studies •Critical perspective: critique of methodological nationalism •Shift in the focus on cross-border processes, flows, movement •Social networks, links btn. new homes and original homes •Formation of migrant identities, hybridity •Transnationalism vs. Globalization? • What is transnationalism(s)? •Empirical transnationalism •Methodological transnationalism •Theoretical transnationalism •Philosophical transnationalism •Public transnationalism • •(Khagram, Levitt, 2007: Transnational Studies Reader) Transnational Studies Methodology Předtímto pauza Transnational Studies (Khagram, Levitt) •Global vs. Local vs. National? •Transnational perspective •No assumptions about what level of analysis is the most important for concrete research problem – only empirical exploration can reveal it •Rejection of methodological nationalism: naturalization of nation state and ethnic belonging •But continuing relevance of nation state! Transnational methodology •Methodological transnationalism/cosmopolitanism •Focus on: •Ambivalence of multiple identities •Other than ethnic attributes of the migrants, intersectionality •Transnational social networks and other links of the migrants to their homeland • Units of analysis •Migrants‘ (transnational) families •Migrants‘ religious communities •Migrants‘ social movements •Labour migrants in particular industry •Migrant online networks • • Scales – layers of relevance •Global •Regional •National •City scale •Postcolonial context •Transnational social field/space Methods and techniques •Multi-sited research •Mobile ethnography •Deteritorialized empirical field – migrants‘ online communities •Longitudinal research •Self-reflexive approach •De-ethnicization Group project •Prepare a research proposal on migration using a transnational lens, try to avoid methodological nationalism •- Narrow down the focus of your research – what will be the layers of relevance? what will be the research unit? •- Formulate a research question – what will be the main subject of your research? What do you want to find out? •- Design a research methodology – what methods will you use to collect your data? •- What are the possible limitations of the research methodology? • Final reflection •Free writing on the topic: What is transnationalism? •Write a text in full sentences, not just words •Don‘t go back to what you have written, do not correct or delete •Write all the time – even when you don‘t know what – you can write e.g.: „How can I continue…“ and try to go back to the topic Literature •Amelina, Anna, Nergiz, Devrimsel Deniz, and Faist, Thomas, eds. 2012. Beyond Methodological Nationalism: Research Methodologies for Cross-Border Studies. •Basch, L., Glick Schiller, N. & Szanton Blanc, C., 1994. Nations Unbound: Transnational Projects, Postcolonial Predicaments, and Deterritorialized Nation-States, London and New York: Routledge. •Levitt, P. & Glick Schiller, N., 2004. Conceptualizing Simultaneity: A Transnational Social Field Perspective on Society. International Migration Review, 38(3), 1002-1039. •Wimmer, A. & Schiller, N.G., 2002. Methodological nationalism and beyond: nation-state building, migration and the social sciences. Global Networks, 2(4), 301-334. •Khagram, S. & Levitt, P. 2008. The Transnational Studies Reader: Intersections and Innovations. Routledge. • • • •