Social Sciences · Sociology and Political Science
A new article argues that migration management is entering a phase in which state action and profit-making are closely connected across public, private and nonprofit sectors. It examines how systems for managing migrants can also support the accumulation of capital, within what the authors describe as a politics of dehumanization.
A new article in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies says that migration labels such as “irregular,” “labour,” and “privileged” don’t stay stable. It argues that people constantly negotiate and contest these categories through everyday experiences, making even the label “migrant” fluid.
A paper in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies argues that the word “human” in migration research carries hidden power claims. Drawing on scholarship about “being human,” the author proposes redefining humans as a mix of biology and shared stories, with multiple valid cultural accounts. The paper also uses a short case study from Cameroon to show how looking differently at “human” can change how migration is understood.
“Migrant” categories in research can be too rigid, the study argues, and may leave people feeling “boxed in.” Using survey data from 2016 and family history interviews in four cities, the researchers test ways to understand how movement—and staying put—relates to upward social mobility.
