Counter moves. Destabilizing the grand narrative of onward migration and secondary movements in Europe

Abstract

European migration scholars are increasingly interested in people's onward migrations and secondary movements. This paper takes a critical look at the conceptual underpinnings of this subfield by indicating how the lexicon of onward migration frames migratory processes as a staged process, involving a South–North directionality and hinting at a gradual progress for the migrants in question. This “grand narrative” of onward migration is anchored and reproduced by EU’s overarching policy frameworks. Based on an ethnographic project that followed African trajectories inside Europe, I present some dynamic im/mobility trajectories that can be considered counter narratives of onward migration. The detailed outlining of these trajectories show how mobility itself is a shifting ground without one major vector directing the movements. These counter narratives result in a discussion on the migranticization of mobility. More specifically, I plea for research approaches that free migratory movements from prepossessed directions.

Building, negotiating and sustaining transnational social networks: Narratives of international students’ migration decisions in Canada

“…For the international students in our study, social networks provided some trusted and valued knowledge but were also weighed down by inadequate or misleading information. Our study, focusing on international students in Canada, therefore supports existing findings in other countries that migrants devise strategies to sift through misinformation (Levitt, 2001; Mahler, 1995; Schapendonk & van Moppes, 2007) to accrue social capital. In our study, international students did this by utilizing multiple networks sequentially and simultaneously throughout the migration process (see Wissink & Mazzucato, 2018).…”

Onward Migration and Transnationalism: What Are the Interconnections?

“…8 by Jung on Senegalese migrations for a good illustration of this). Jung's chapter is in line with a recent paper by Schapendonk (2021) which critiques the 'grand narrative' of onward migration which frames it as a staged process involving a South-North directionality and a progression up the 'hierarchy' of targeted destinations.…”

Constrained to be (im)mobile? Refugees' and Asylum seekers' practices to integrate in restrictive socio-economic urban contexts in Northern Italy

“…Saying this, experiences of (im)mobility can vary among people, and patterns of mobility and immobility can overlap or intersect (Schapendonk, 2021 ). Migrant workers' (im)mobility (e.g., across places and jobs) are also embedded in diverse social and spatial relations; emotional ties with other family members or interactions with other people at the workplace can shape migrants' decision-making in terms of mobility (Zampoukos, 2018 ; Dimitriadis, 2023 ).…”