migrations, transnationalism and the locus of research

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Migrations, Migrations, transnationalism transnationalism and and the locus of the locus of research research Multi-locality and the Multi-locality and the shift from “sites” to shift from “sites” to “fields” “fields” Giulia SINATTI Università Milano-Bicocca Goldsmiths College “Nuevos retos del transnacionalismo en el estudio de las migraciones” Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona 14-15 Febrero 2008

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Page 1: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

Migrations, Migrations, transnationalism and transnationalism and the locus of researchthe locus of research

Multi-locality and the shift Multi-locality and the shift from “sites” to “fields”from “sites” to “fields”

Giulia SINATTI

Università Milano-Bicocca

Goldsmiths College

“Nuevos retos del transnacionalismo en el estudio de las migraciones”

Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona

14-15 Febrero 2008

Page 2: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

Transnationalism: a Transnationalism: a “methodological threat”“methodological threat”

for research ?for research ?1. InnovationsInnovations of transnational theory

2. From the study of sitessites to the study

of fieldsfields

3. Implications for research practiceresearch practice

Page 3: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

1. Innovations 1. Innovations of transnational of transnational

theorytheory

Page 4: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

Beyond transnationalism: a world of flowsflows …

once distant places are increasingly connectedconnected

Page 5: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research
Page 6: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

A new interest within A new interest within the social sciences …the social sciences …DeterritorialisationDeterritorialisation (Appadurai)

DisembeddingDisembedding (Giddens)Time-space Time-space

compressioncompression (Harvey)

Page 7: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

… in migration studies … migrations are conceived as increasingly connectedconnected to the homelandhomeland (Glick Schiller, Basch, Szanton Blanc 1992)

transnational occupations and activities require regularregular cross-border social contacts, sustainedsustained over time (Portes et al. 1999)

migrant transnationalism is framed by StatesStates, their boundaries and regulations

Page 8: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

Innovative features of the transnational approach

Migrants are simultaneously conceived as imim-migrantsmigrants as well as ee-migrantsmigrants

Broader analytical framework includes:sendingsending, transittransit and receivingreceiving contexts and the circulation of not only peoplepeople, but also ideasideas, symbolssymbols and goodsgoods along the same circuits

Page 9: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

2. The locus of 2. The locus of research: research:

from ‘sites’ from ‘sites’ to ‘fields’to ‘fields’

Page 10: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

From sitessites to fieldsfields

Scholarly focus breaks away from geographic constraintsgeographic constraints and becomes disperseddispersed in time and space:

social space of post-modernism (Rouse); transnational social fields (Glick-Schiller); cultural sites (Olwig); transnational social space (Faist, Pries)

Page 11: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

Researching fieldsfields, rather than sitessites …

… requires simultaneous attention for phenomena taking place in various localities and is traditionally associated with multi-sited multi-sited fieldworkfieldwork, conducted at both ends of the migration trail

Page 12: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

TheorisingTheorising multi-sited research

Attention for relationships withinwithin as well as betweenbetween individual sites

Revival of comparativecomparative committment within migration research

EthnographyEthnography goes transnational!

Page 13: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

Manchester Manchester SchoolSchool: the Rhodesian Copperbelt

Page 14: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

Chicago Chicago SchoolSchool: urban sociology

Louis Wirth, The GhettoLouis Wirth, The Ghetto

Nels Anderson, The HoboNels Anderson, The Hobo

Page 15: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

Ethnography of the Ethnography of the transnationaltransnational

Page 16: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

3. Practicing 3. Practicing multi-sited multi-sited researchresearch

Page 17: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

ConstructingConstructing a multi-sited field

Follow the actorsactors (focus on people)

Follow the thingthing (focus on objects)

Follow the metaphormetaphor (focus on ideas)

Study the technologytechnology

Study a placeplace (of passage)

Page 18: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

Managing research practicepractice

ChoiceChoice of sites

Finding a balancebalance between sites

Being a mobile researchermobile researcher

Negotiating field accessfield access

Differing cultural competencecultural competence

Piecing togetherPiecing together different ethnographies

Page 19: Migrations, Transnationalism and the Locus of Research

[email protected]

[email protected]

The endThe end