Rodolfo Cruz-Piñeiro, Alberto Hernández Hernández, Carlos S. Ibarra
{"title":"Commodifying Passage: Ethnographic Insights into Migration, Markets, and Digital Mediation at the Darién Gap and Mexico–Guatemala Border","authors":"Rodolfo Cruz-Piñeiro, Alberto Hernández Hernández, Carlos S. Ibarra","doi":"10.1177/01979183241274759","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01979183241274759","url":null,"abstract":"This paper examines transit migration through the Darién Gap and the Mexico–Guatemala border, focusing on the commodification of migration, the transformative role of digital platforms, and the socio-economic impacts on local economies. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews conducted from 2021 to 2023, we explore how migration has evolved into a commodified journey where services and safety are bought and sold, often exploiting migrants’ vulnerabilities. We analyze how digital platforms have become essential tools for navigation and community building among migrants, yet also introduce new risks and inequalities. Our findings highlight the dual nature of local economic adaptations, which both capitalize on and are reshaped by the migratory flows, leading to significant economic and social transformations. The paper argues for a reevaluation of migration policies that integrates these elements and supports a migration governance framework that prioritizes human dignity and rights. Through exposing these dynamic and interlinked phenomena, we aim to contribute to a better understanding of migration that goes beyond traditional paradigms of border security and control, advocating for policies that are just, equitable, and respectful of human experiences and challenges.","PeriodicalId":48229,"journal":{"name":"International Migration Review","volume":"101 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142123774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Why Do People Migrate? Fresh Takes on the Foundational Question of Migration Studies","authors":"Jørgen Carling","doi":"10.1177/01979183241269445","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01979183241269445","url":null,"abstract":"“Why do people migrate?” is a question that forms the pivot of migration studies, and migration theory in particular. But it has hardly found satisfactory answers. In this article, I reapproach the question from an array of diverse angles and provide eight responses. Some are aligned with recent theoretical developments, others unpack long-standing ideas with evolving significance, and still others are fundamentally atheoretical. Together, they show how the question can be answered, how it is being answered—even inadvertently or misleadingly—and what the implications are of answering the question in different ways. These are the responses, which each initiates a discussion: (1) For the reasons under which they are admitted as immigrants; (2) For reasons that are socially legitimate; (3) Because the sum of push and pull factors is in favor of migration; (4) Because they have the aspiration and the ability to do so; (5) Because an opportunity presents itself; (6) Either because they chose to or because they are forced to; (7) Because they see migration as either intrinsically or instrumentally valuable; (8) To lead a normal life. The discussions demonstrate how theoretical, methodological and political dimensions of migration sway the ways in which reasons for migration are understood and represented. “Why do people migrate?” is slippery as a research question, but its indeterminate nature makes it a guiding light for research that navigates a diversity of perspectives with humility and curiosity.","PeriodicalId":48229,"journal":{"name":"International Migration Review","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142123700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stephanie Nawyn, Linlang He, Jiquan Chen, Mark Axelrod, Furqan Irfan, Fahad S. Ahmed, Mary Anne Walker
{"title":"Mapping the Future of Migration and Climate Change Science","authors":"Stephanie Nawyn, Linlang He, Jiquan Chen, Mark Axelrod, Furqan Irfan, Fahad S. Ahmed, Mary Anne Walker","doi":"10.1177/01979183241272470","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01979183241272470","url":null,"abstract":"The scholarship on migration and climate change has been rapidly developed over recent decades, moving away from apocalyptic predictions of mass displacement toward more nuanced modeling of the complex relationships between climate change and migration. Unfortunately, much of that development has happened in parallel to the core of migration studies and thus our prevailing migration theories do not reflect these emerging studies of climate and migration. Our objectives for this article are to describe the general theoretical assertions made in the climate change-migration literature and propose a theoretical framework for guiding empirical investigations into the ways that climate change drives human migration, identifying the mediating variables that more directly shape migration and integrating multiple levels of analyses. We provide an example of how our theoretical framework can be used to design an analytic strategy and conclude by suggesting how future research can use this conceptual model to move toward a cohesive theory of climate-related migration and resulting policy responses.","PeriodicalId":48229,"journal":{"name":"International Migration Review","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142090034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Toll of Exclusion on Immigrants’ Health across the Life Course: Research Advances and Future Directions","authors":"Molly Dondero, Claire E. Altman","doi":"10.1177/01979183241271638","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01979183241271638","url":null,"abstract":"Health is an integral feature of immigration, providing not only insight into population health but also a critical lens into immigrant integration and the power structure in receiving countries. The goal of this article is to chart the trajectory of scholarship on immigrants’ health, focusing on the formative shift away from dominant individualistic perspectives focused on cultural and behavioral explanations toward a profoundly structural understanding of immigrants’ health. Focusing primarily on the US context, we synthesize theoretical and empirical advances in structural perspectives of immigrants’ health. We anchor these advances in the concept of exclusion, detailing how it undergirds structuralist perspectives of immigrants’ health. We review common ways in which exclusion has been measured in the empirical literature on immigrants’ health and highlight recent evidence linking exposure to exclusion to immigrants’ health outcomes across the life course. We conclude by discussing key directions and challenges for future research.","PeriodicalId":48229,"journal":{"name":"International Migration Review","volume":"380 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142089958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Exodus of Moldova: Understanding the Migration Dilemma","authors":"Ludmila Bogdan","doi":"10.1177/01979183241264990","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01979183241264990","url":null,"abstract":"This paper explores Moldovas unique context within migration studies, highlighting its potential to enhance theoretical frameworks on migration. Despite its small size, Moldova has a significant portion of its population working abroad, offering insights into both migration and immobility. The study examines Moldova's dual migratory flows toward the European Union (EU) and Russia, influenced by cultural, historical, and economic ties. Contrary to conventional views, the context of Moldova reveals that financial accessibility and robust social networks do not always result in increased migration aspirations in migration decisions. It also addresses the interconnected issues of human trafficking and migration, emphasizing often-overlooked social dimensions. Positioning Moldova as a valuable “migration laboratory,” this study aims to generate academic interest and propose new research directions to refine migration theories.","PeriodicalId":48229,"journal":{"name":"International Migration Review","volume":"56 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141908936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Challenges for Diaspora Women to Rebuild Their Homeland: The Case of Somalia","authors":"Stefan Gröschl","doi":"10.1177/01979183241265001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01979183241265001","url":null,"abstract":"Through financial and nonfinancial remittances such as intellectual capital, social capital, advocacy, political capital and voluntarism, diaspora women provide lifelines for their families and support to community development in their homelands. However, their contributions in humanitarian and development actions are poorly documented and reported, and their potential has not been fully harnessed. This country report describes the case of Somali women diaspora and their role in rebuilding Somalia. The report outlines recent migration movements in Somalia, before describing the different profiles of Somali diaspora women returning to Somalia, and their motivation to engage in the rebuilding of their home country. Based on interviews with Somali diaspora women and members of relevant Somali ministries and governmental bodies, the author describes the challenges for Somali diaspora women to leverage their engagements in Somalia, and the changes needed to enhance the impact of their contributions.","PeriodicalId":48229,"journal":{"name":"International Migration Review","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141880358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How Does Overeducation Depend on Immigrants’ Admission Class?","authors":"Marie Louise Schultz-Nielsen","doi":"10.1177/01979183241264991","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01979183241264991","url":null,"abstract":"This study offers new insights into the phenomenon of overeducation by showing that the overeducation rates among immigrants and the wage returns of overeducated immigrants are closely linked to their admission classes. The overeducation rate in Denmark is highest among immigrants from countries that became members of the EU after 2003, 61% of whom are overeducated as compared to 24% of natives. Controlling for demographic and educational characteristics, citizens from these new EU countries, as well as reunified family members, refugees, and students, are highly overeducated compared to natives, while this is not the case for citizens from the Nordics and older EU countries, that is, those that joined the EU before 2003. Furthermore, overeducated higher-educated citizens from the Nordics and from older EU countries only suffer minor wage losses, while other admission classes typically earn between 17% and 36% less than if they had work appropriate to their educational levels. For highly educated refugees, the gap is even larger. These results emphasize the importance of the differences in immigrants’ outside options (e.g., wages and living conditions in the home country) and the admission requirements they face. The results also highlight the potential gains for immigrants as well as their host countries of acknowledging immigrants’ educational skills.","PeriodicalId":48229,"journal":{"name":"International Migration Review","volume":"86 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141880320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Book Review: Waiting for the Revolution to End","authors":"Lea Müller-Funk","doi":"10.1177/01979183241264986","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01979183241264986","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48229,"journal":{"name":"International Migration Review","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141768446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}