An Audible Minority: Migration, Settlement and Identity Among English Graduates in Scotland

Abstract

General rightsThis document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/pure/about/ebr-terms 1 An Audible Minority: migration, settlement and identity among English graduates in Scotland Ross Bond, Katharine Charsley and Sue Grundy Migration and identityIt is widely recognised that the process of migration may alter the identities of migrants just as it may alter dominant conceptions of national identity in the receiving country (Modood 1997). However, the 'assimilationist' model in which migrant identities evolved to accord more closely with dominant identities within their new national context has been widely challenged by multicultural and transnationalist perspectives (Castles 2002;Faist 2000;Koopmans and Statham 1999;Østergaard-Nielsen 2003;Portes et al 1999). While such arguments represent a valuable corrective to insufficiently nuanced understandings of the relationship between migration and identity, arguably they neglect an important dimension. While in one respect challenging 'methodological nationalism' (Wimmer and Glick Schiller 2003), the primary point of reference continues to be the state. It is states that are understood to be multicultural, and transnationalism in fact describes a situation where migrant interests and identities are divided between different state contexts.What is underemphasised is the multi-national nature of many states and the significance that this has for questions relating to migration and identity. Migration need not entail the traversing of state boundaries for questions of identity -indeed national identity -to be significant. Although discussions of the relationship between migration, identity and citizenship are important and valuable (see, e.g. Castles 2002;Nagel and Staeheli 2004) many migrants move within state boundaries but cross 2 national borders, and thus retain their previous citizenship rights but nevertheless are required to (re-)negotiate their identities within a changed national context. In these instances, migrants may have a disrupted sense of belonging and identification, and formal citizenship is no guarantee against 'informal and symbolic' exclusion (Favell and Geddes 1999: 11;Nagel and Staeheli 2004).We examine a specific instance of migration across national borders but within state boundaries: movement between England and Scotland. Our work contrasts with previous research on England-Scotland migration in that we focus on a somewhat under-researched group (graduates, specifically those who moved fromEngland to study at a university in Scotland) and on those who, although not recent migrants to Scotland, were not long-term residents. An important aspect of the research was to explore what factors may be influential in encouraging long-term settlement among this group. Graduate migration is also examined within the context of Scotland's contemporary demographic challenges, and the political response to these ch...

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“…Pre‐existing scholarship on (post‐)student migration has been characterised by studies of inter‐regional graduate migration streams (Champion and Fielding, ), human capital flows (Faggian et al ., ), regional economies (Bond et al ., ), and latterly the internationalisation of HE and the associated international flows of educated migrants (Findlay et al ., ). A landmark concept that has underpinned much of this work is Fielding's () South East escalator region, which describes the elevated and accelerated social mobility experienced by young adults within the South East (SE) region of England.…”

“…The final section presents a discussion of the findings, building generalisations about poststudent migration trajectories and teasing out the implications of returning to the parental home for the well-being of migrants and their families. regional economies (Bond et al, 2010), and latterly the internationalisation of HE and the associated international flows of educated migrants (Findlay et al, 2012). A landmark concept that has underpinned much of this work is Fielding's (1992) South East escalator region, which describes the elevated and accelerated social mobility experienced by young adults within the South East (SE) region of England.…”

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