Marcel van der Heijden MSc’s Post

Southern European countries continue to inspire the EU's repressive migration control strategies, replacing the former 'teachers' of Central and Northern Europe. On 10 October 2024, in search of 'innovative solutions,' the interior ministries looked south, to the ‘return hubs’ that Italy has already established in Albania, although these seem unpromising in terms of effectiveness and respect for asylum rights. This development further confirms the 'Southernisation of migration models' proposed in the volume 'Migration Control Logics and Strategies in Europe: A North-South Comparison', edited by Claudia Finotelli and myself. https://lnkd.in/d-bFrp4d

As long as our planet exists we will face wars, conflicts and displacement as their consequences. Although migration studies are a significant field in Sociology and International Relations attention is paid less and limited within certain regions. The chapter written by me tried to drive attention to Russia's use of migration as its presence in the post-Soviets, the engineering of migration in the Middle East and Israel's use of migration as a weapon to destabilize Gaza.

You are cordially invited to participate in the seminar 'Decentering and decolonizing migration research' featuring Dr. Beste İşleyen and Dr. Joris Schapendonk and moderated by Dr. Nora Stel. Please find a short introduction below. The seminar will be held on 4 June 2024 at 15:30-17:00 at EOS 01.110 and is organized as part of the ‘Revisiting Interdisciplinary Migration Studies’ seminar series created in the context of the NWO-Veni project ‘The Power of Inaction and Ambivalence in Transnational Refugee Governance,’ in collaboration with the Horizon-Europe GAPs project. We are looking forward to seeing you all there. PLEASE REGISTER HERE: https://lnkd.in/e-RPkhP9   As most other fields and disciplines in contemporary academia, migration studies has struggled with ambitions to decenter its knowledge production and decolonize its epistemologies. In a field engaging with borders, sovereignty, and mobility as central concepts much is at stake in these endeavors. Fundamental questions, however, remain to be broadly taken up: What could or should decolonizing migration studies mean? How to practically realize it? What can be done to ensure such efforts are not merely rhetorical or cosmetic? The aim of the seminar is to explicate and reflect on the political, institutional, and methodological dimensions of various approaches to decolonizing and decentering migration studies. Political scientist Beste Isleyen discusses the inspiration that migration scholars may draw from critical security studies and postcolonial theory when it comes to revisiting the study of borders and mobility. Human Geographer Joris Schapendonk reflects on the ways in which research infrastructures and methodological reflexivity might contribute to decentering our understanding of migration.   

My new article on the value of Moldovan transnational parcel-sending practices is available online, published by Economy and Sociology!

📄 Our new article, "Regional Multidimensional Attitudes Towards Immigration: Evidence from the European Social Survey Using Small Area Estimation," in Social Indicators Research dives deep into the complex attitudes towards immigration across different regions in Europe. Using small area estimation techniques, we provide a regional analysis that highlights the diverse perspectives and regional variations that are often overlooked. This research offers valuable insights for policymakers, sociologists, and anyone interested in understanding the nuanced views on immigration in Europe. We believe that these findings can contribute to more informed and effective policies that consider the multifaceted nature of public opinion on immigration. The analyses are based on the European Social Survey data! 🔗 Check out the full article here in Open Access: https://lnkd.in/eMTGPkUn #Research #Immigration #SocialIndicators #EuropeanSocialSurvey #PolicyAnalysis #SmallAreaEstimation #Sociology #RegionalStudies #AcademicResearch #SocialScience #RegionalStudies #AcademicResearch #SocialScience #EuropeanSocialSurvey

📢 📣 Call for Abstracts for the 2024 Migration Studies, Oxford Press special issue [proposal] 🌍 🌍 🔷 Innovative Methodological Approaches in Migration and refugee studies: A Global South Perspective on Ethical, Non-extractive and Just Research 🔷 I am collaborating with Dr. Jáfia Naftali Câmara, PhD, on a proposal for the 2024 Migration Studies Special Issue with Oxford University Press. We are seeking contributions for a special issue proposal on Innovative Methodological Approaches in Migration and Refugee Studies, with a particular interest in researching the Education and Educational Experiences of Refugees and Migrants. The issue will explore ethical, non-extractive, and socially just innovative methodologies that challenge traditional approaches dominated by Global North perspectives. We aim to highlight research by scholars from the Global South in particular that centres refugee and migrant voices as co-creators of knowledge. 🔑 Focus Areas: We welcome contributions that engage with innovative methodologies that stem from relational epistemologies, anticolonial and decolonial research, Afrocentric research, Indigenous methodologies,  (non-white) feminist research and participatory methods. We welcome original research articles, methodological reflections, and case studies. 🔴 Please submit a 500 words max abstract + 200 words Bio 🗓️ Deadline for submitting abstracts: 25 November 2024 📧 Submit your abstract to: Jumana.ahw2@gmail.com 🔵 See the attached for more details

It's out today- the annual report from MMC reviewing migration issues from 2024. This year's special focus is on the politics of migration - given that it was a major electoral year with elections in over 80 countries, where migration was a key electoral topic in many. How are elections shaping narratives around migration? The report also has data from 60,000 surveys carried out over the years with people on the move - data which challenges some come common misconceptions on migration

In 2023, in a five-fold increase over previous year, 96,917 undocumented ,illegal- Indian migrants were apprehended in US alone, having got there via Central America & Mexico. ✅Structural Functionalism: Dunki migration can be viewed as a response to structural inequalities within society, where individuals migrate to seek better opportunities and improve their social and economic standing. ✅Dunki migration depicts double standard migratory laws imposed by global south countries against citizens of poor countries in global south shows contrast between privileged & the marginalized , the powerful & vulnerable .It exposes injustice of global governance of migration, which often favours interests of global north over global south. ✅ Conflict Theory: Dunki migration may result from power imbalances and exploitation within society, where certain groups are marginalized and forced to migrate due to limited opportunities and resources available to them.   ✅ Symbolic Interactionism: Dunki migration can be understood through the lens of individual experiences and interactions, where migrants navigate social networks and cultural meanings to establish new identities and integrate into their new communities.   ✅ Social Stratification: Dunki migration often highlights existing social stratification, as individuals from marginalized backgrounds are more likely to engage in such migration in search of upward mobility and socioeconomic advancement.   ✅ De-Nationalized middle class - many of Dunki migrants does not comes from "BIMARU" states but from prosperous state like Gujrat & Punjab. ✅ Globalization: Dunki migration is influenced by global economic forces and interconnectedness, as individuals move across borders in response to changes in labor markets, trade policies, and geopolitical dynamics. ✅  Network Theory: Dunki migration is facilitated by social networks and connections, where migrants rely on kinship ties, community associations, and informational networks to navigate the migration process and access resources in destination areas. ✅  Intersectionality: Dunki migration intersects with various social categories such as gender, race, and class, influencing the experiences and outcomes of migrants in different ways and shaping their access to resources and opportunities.   ✅ Assimilation and Acculturation: Dunki migration involves processes of assimilation and acculturation, where migrants adapt to the cultural norms and practices of their new environment while also maintaining aspects of their own cultural identity. These sociological perspectives provide a multifaceted understanding of dunki migration, highlighting the complex interplay of social, economic, and cultural factors that shape the migration experience for individuals and communities #Dunki_Migration #Sociological_view

🌍 How do cities across Europe handle migration and diversity? Today, on International Migrants Day, we spotlight the important work of Dr. Asya Pisarevskaya, an assistant professor at Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB). Asya investigates how cities govern migrant integration and ethnic diversity, comparing approaches in superdiverse metropolises and smaller, less diverse towns. What makes Asya’s contributions even more inspiring is her personal journey—she was once a migrant in the Netherlands herself. Her lived experience enriches her understanding of migration challenges and opportunities, adding a unique depth to her academic work. 📖 In her recent open-access book, Cities of Migration (co-authored with Peter Scholten), Asya and her colleague examined 16 cities across Europe, including cities in the Netherlands, Italy, France, and Germany. They uncovered five distinct types of migration cities: 1. Superdiverse cities  2. Postindustrial diverse cities  3. Middle-class diverse cities  4. Divided cities  5. Marginal migration cities Each type has its own approach to governing migration-related diversity. Some cities embrace diversity as a normal aspect of urban life, while others mainly focus on supporting vulnerable groups like refugees. In contrast, certain cities barely address the issue at all. 📍 For example, Rotterdam is a "postindustrial diverse city," where migration-related diversity is both commonplace and intertwined with significant socio-economic inequalities. These inequalities manifest in residential segregation and are often addressed through targeted integration policies for specific groups, including both newcomers and long-term residents with a migration background. 💡 Why is this relevant?  Understanding how different cities manage migration provides valuable insights for developing policies tailored to local contexts. This work shows how important it is to acknowledge the unique social, economic, and historical factors that shape urban responses to migration-related diversity. 📘 Do you want to know more about these findings? Check out ‘Cities of Migration’: https://bit.ly/4gnXEWU #Migration #Integration #UrbanGovernance #Diversity #Research        

Just out, our annual flagship report the Mixed Migration Review 2024 in this year of elections fully dedicated to the topic of migration and politics. 280 pages filled with though-provoking essays, data busting some persistent migration myths, interviews with thought leaders, a full overview of all key migration developments in 2024, thematic snapshots on timely topics and much more. https://lnkd.in/gav2Xpud