Tutorial 1 + Lecture 1: Introduction

Question 1

What is a migrant? (general, UN & NL)

Answer 1

General: “Any person who is moving or has moved across an international border or within a state away from his/her habitual place of residence, regardless of
(1) the person’s legal status
(2) whether the movement is voluntary or involuntary
(3) what the causes for the movement are
(4) what the length of the stay is”

UN: “individuals who leave their country of usual residence to live in another country for at least one year”

NL: “people who stay in the country “more than 4 months”

Question 2

What are the main reasons for the enduring of migration?

Answer 2

1. Increasing levels of education and specialization + complexity of labour markets => demand for low/high-skilled migrant labour
2. Inequalities in wealth and job opportunities
3. Violent conflict and pol oppression

Question 3

Explain the diversity of migration.

Answer 3

• concentrated in particular regions, limited to set of prime destination countries
• destination countries: North America & Middle East -> US, Saudi-Arabia, Germany, Russia – UK, UAE, France, Canada and Australia
• origin countries: India, Mexico and Russia – China, Bangladesh, Syria, Pakistan, Ukraine, the Philippines, UK
• 85% live in developing countries => no global refugee crisis

Question 4

What are the types of refugees?

Answer 4

1. Voluntary vs involuntary
2. Refugee vs asylum seeker
3. Regular vs irregular migrants
4. Temporary vs permanent migrants
5. Highly skilled vs low-skilled migrants

Question 5

Is migration a human right?

Answer 5

• UNDHR: 1) everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within borders of each state + 2) everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country

Question 6

What are the trends and patterns in global migration?

Answer 6

1. globalization of migration
   = tendency of more countries to be affected by international migration
2. changing direction of dominant migration flows
   -> Europe transformed from continent of colonizers/emigrants to destination country
3. Emergence of new migration destinations
   -> migration in the Gulf, industrial cores of Asia and South-East Asia
4. proliferation of migration transitions
   -> = when traditional lands of emigration become lands of immigration Eg. Poland, Spain, Morocco, …
5. feminization of labour migration
6. politicization and securization of migration
   -> securization: tendency of some politicians and media to portray migration as a fundamental threat to the security and cultural integrity of destination societies

Question 7

What are the main challenges to international migration?

Answer 7

1. Arrival and settlement of migrants => diversity => challenged dominant concepts of a nation-state + sparked intense debate about identity, belonging and integration
2. Challenge to the sovereignty of states -> specifically to the ability to regulate movements of people across their borders in a globalizing world

Question 8

What makes handling migration difficult (concerning governance)?

Answer 8

• complexity and fragmentation of power => need to cooperate with other orgz and institutions

Question 9

Sum up the 3 migration flows in history?

Answer 9

1. Colonial times (17th-19th century)
2. Postwar migration
3. Since 1990

Question 10

Explain the migration flow during colonial times?

Answer 10

Flows?
- transatlantic migration: EU-Americas: 1492-1820: 2,6m + 1840-1914: 55m
- transatlantic slave trade: 12m (from Africa to Americas or Arabic countries)
- migration in/from Asia: 50m

Indentured labour migration (“coolie system”)
= labour migration recruitment on the basis of contracts that bound workers to a particular employer for longer periods of time

Question 11

Explain the postwar migration.

Answer 11

Flows
- postwar migration: Europeans leave for English-speaking countries (US, Canada, Australia, etc.)
- “Guest workers” migration: labour migrants from Southern Europe and North Africa to Northwest Europe -> meant as temporary but many stayed
- postcolonial migration: residents from former colonies move to former colonial powers

Question 12

Explain the international migration since 1980s

Answer 12

Flows
- after 1975: labour migration from South Asia to Gulf States (Arabic countries)
- refugee migration: longer distance and more diversity
- growing East-West migration in Europe (due to fall iron curtain and EU enlargement in 2004)
- large labour migration from Asia to oil-rich gulf States

Question 13

Can we expect mass climate migration?

Answer 13

• yes, now not major effects since it only impacts the poorest countries which do not have the means to migrate.

! shows importance possession of resources in order to migrate - aspirations-capability model