This introductory essay and collection concern the social processes within which migration for manual work is located and which are influenced by that same migration. Writing from detailed empirical studies of migration in South and South-east Asia and Africa, the contributors provide illustrations of the importance and normality of migration in rural life. The studies show that the relationship between migration and rural change is complex and context-specific. Migration has often increased inequality, but in many cases also supported vulnerable livelihoods. Much depends on the social processes at work, the ways in which identities shift through migration and how gendered ideologies of work are deployed and change. Labour mobility usually serves the interests of capital, not only in ensuring labour supply, but also, often, in dividing workers; however, the power of capital relative to labour is contingent. We conclude this essay by exploring ways in which public policies can support migrants by making migration less costly and more secure, by reducing discrimination and enhancing access to health care and other services.social processes, migration for manual work, empirical studies, south and south-east Asia and Africa, rural change, labour mobility,
Migration is a common and essential livelihood strategy in the risk-prone environment of Sahelian West Africa. But migration is not a passive reaction to economic and environmental forces. Patterns of movement are determined by context-specific and complex dynamics, mediated by social networks, gender relations and household structures. IDS-based research on sustainable livelihoods illustrated this in two locations in Mali: in a village in the Sahelian dryland with different and gendered migration patterns of various ethnic groups; and exceptional patterns in the Sudano-Sahelian cotton region with extensive and long-lasting engagement in small cocoa and coffee plantations in Cote d'Ivoire.Sahelian West Africa, migration, IDS-based research, Mali,
Summary Arjan de Haan's article introduces the concept of social exclusion and compares it to notions of deprivation that are more common in development studies. He argues that although there is substantial overlap between the different concepts and theories, a focus on social exclusion has distinct advantages: it makes the multiple and cumulative aspects of deprivation central to the analysis; and it focuses on institutions and actors. Theories of social exclusion are developed within richer countries ‐ particularly France ‐ but this does not pose a fundamental problem for the application of the theory to other countries, providing that the context‐dependant definitions and meanings of social exclusion and integration are taken into account.
Whereas other contributions in this volume focus on contemporary migration, this article explores the role migration has played over a long period of time, in western Bihar, India. By doing so, it reinforces one of the central themes in this volume, regarding the importance of migration for livelihoods: this case study challenges the assumption that migration would be a recent phenomenon, and argues that to understand the history of this area one needs to take account of the complex interaction between migration and development. Migration has been a livelihood strategy for many groups within the area, and the study explores how migration has been caused by and in turn influences poverty and livelihoods for men and women, and how these relationships have changed over time.Bihar, India, migration, development, livelihood strategy,
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