5. Migration and Globalisation

Question 1

1. Acceleration

Answer 1

• There has been a speeding up of the rate of migration.

* UN: Between 2000 and 2013, international migration increased by 33% to reach 3.2% of the world’s population

Question 2

2. Differentiation

Answer 2

• Many types of migrant (e.g. refugees, temporary workers, spouses)
• Globalisation is increasing the diversity of migrants.
• Vertovec: Migrants now come from a much wider range of countries.
• Individuals differ in terms of their legal status (citizens or spouses), culture and religion.
• Vertovec calls this: ‘super diversity’
• Cohen: distinguished 3 types of migrant

1. Citizens: full citizenship rights.
2. Denizens: privileged foreign nationals welcomed by the state
3. Helots: most exploited group. State / Employers see them as a disposable unit of labour.

Question 3

3. Feminisation of Migration

Answer 3

• Almost half of all global migrants are female.
• Globalisation of gender division of labour
• Enrenreich and Hochschild: care, domestic and sex work in western countries is increasingly done by women from poor countries.

Question 4

4. Migrant Identities

Answer 4

• Migrants may develop hybrid identities
• Eade: second generation Bangladeshi Muslims in Britain created hierarchical identities. (Muslim first, then Bengalis, then British)

Question 5

5. Transnational Identities

Answer 5

• Eriksen: Globalisation has created more diverse migration patterns
• Migrants less likely to see themselves as belonging completely to 1 culture.
• Eriksen describes Chines migrants in Rome who found Mandarin more useful for everyday life than Italian. (simply for global connections)

Question 6

6. Politicisation of Migration

Answer 6

• Assimilation: first state policy approach to immigration.
• Aimed to encourage immigrants to adopt the ways of the host culture
• However, these face problem of transnationals who wish not to abandon culture
• Castles: assimilationist policies are counter productive (mark out minority groups as different leading to them responding by emphasizing differences more radically)
• Castles and Kosack: assimilationist policies benefit capitalism by creating a racially divided working class (through workers blaming migrants for social problems)
• Multiculturalism: accepts migrants may wish to retain a separate cultural identity.
• Eriksen: This acceptance can be limited. (distinguished between shallow and deep)
• Shallow diversity: e.g. regarding chicken tikka masala as Britain’s national dish
• Deep diversity: e.g. arranged marriages (not acceptable to the state)
• Critics argue multicultural education policies celebrate shallow diversity and fail to address deeper problems such as racism.
• 1960s: move towards MC
• Since 9/11: move back to assimilation. (e.g. France: veiling made illegal)

Question 7

Summary

Answer 7

1. Acceleration
2. Differentiation
3. Feminisation of Migration
4. Migrant Identities
5. Transnational Identities
6. Politicisation of Migration