Transnational Migration Studies: Past Developments and Future Trends

Abstract

The past two decades have witnessed a sea change in migration scholarship. Most scholars now recognize that many contemporary migrants and their predecessors maintain various kinds of ties to their homelands at the same time that they are incorporated into the countries that receive them. Increasingly, social life takes place across borders, even as the political and cultural salience of nation-state boundaries remains strong. Transnational migration studies has emerged as an inherently interdisciplinary field, made up of scholars around the world, seeking to describe and analyze these dynamics and invent new methodological tools with which to do so. In this review, we offer a short history of theoretical developments, outlining the different ways in which scholars have defined and approached transnational migration. We then summarize what is known about migrant transnationalism in different arenas—economics, politics, the social, the cultural, and the religious. Finally, we discuss methodological implications for the study of international migration, present promising new scholarship, and highlight future research directions.

Are we all transnationals now? Network transnationalism and transnational subjectivity: the differing impacts of globalization on the inhabitants of a small Swiss city

“…With regard to migration, some authors have theorized the complexity of transnational processes, focusing either on established migrants settled in the host countries or on people with a Published in Ethnic and Racial Studies 32, issue 8, 1365-1386, 2098 which should be used for any reference to this work 1 continuous form of circular mobility. Furthermore, a whole range of authors have brought to light the mechanisms behind the development and morphology of long-or short-term transnational practices, and of stable or occasional transnational fields linking the migrants with their countries of origin, or with a third country (among others, Glick Schiller, Basch and Blanc-Szanton 1992;Pries 1999;Faist 2000;Levitt and Jaworsky 2007). During the past few years ideas about transnationalism have been put into perspective.…”

The Role of Nonprofit Sector Networks as Mechanisms for Immigrant Political Participation

“…The novelty of this literature lies in its focus on immigrants' participation not only in formal politics (voting, elections, representation), but also increasingly in informal politics (civic engagement, activism, community development) (de Graauw & andrew, 2011;Ramakrishnan & Bloemraad, 2008a;American Behavioral Scientist, 2011). Concomitantly, immigrant politics have drawn a great deal of attention in transnationalism studies generating studies on the new social fields of immigrant politics and activism across national borders (Levitt & Japokva, 2007;Smith & Bakker, Studies in Social Justice, Volume 7, Issue 1, 2013 The Role of Nonprofit Sector Networks 29 2008). The following discussion reviews issues in immigrant political incorporation and transnational politics relevant for the analysis of HDC's networks.…”

Governing immigrants and citizenship regimes: the case of France, 1950s–1990s

“…A number of scholars have argued that globalization and improved technologies have permitted migrants to sustain intimate contacts with family and friends in their sending communities (Levitt andJaworsky 2007, Guarnizo et al 1999). The simultaneous connections across borders reinforce economic, emotional, and moral attachments to their 'homes' and stall their integration into national citizenship regimes (Gans 1997).…”