Generational differences in translocal practices: Insights from rural–urban remittances in Vanuatu

Abstract

Although the translocal practices of first generation migrants have been relatively well researched, little is known about whether, and to what extent, their children—the second generation—engage in translocalism. Using the case study of remitting by Paamese rural–urban migrants living in Port Vila, Vanuatu, this paper compares translocal behaviours of first and second generation migrants and draws connections between the transnational and translocal scales. For Paamese, remitting provided visible evidence of incorporation into the translocal community and was considered something migrants “should” do. Beliefs about remitting were not related to migrant generation, and although remitting reliably was associated with social prestige, those who did not remit experienced feelings of guilt and shame. Participation in remitting was almost universal, and whereas first generation migrants remitted to a wider range of individuals, second generation migrants, who concentrated their remittances on close kin, remitted more frequently and reliably. Most remittances were sent to home villages, however a significant proportion were intra‐diasporic, with remittance destinations determined by the location of close family members. It is argued first, that migrant generation is not necessarily a reliable indicator of translocalism, and second, that where translocal behaviours such as remitting represent a strong social norm, it is unlikely that they will disappear with the second, or subsequent, generations.

Locating the traditional economy in Port Vila, Vanuatu: Disaster relief and agrobiodiversity

“…Isolation comes when reciprocal exchange and care practices cease (Lindstrom, 2013). To be clear, reciprocal exchange is affected by many factors from household disputes to colonial borders (Vltchek, 2009; Petrou, 2018). Our paper uses the entry point that social relations are constructed through reciprocity and exchange between places to ask: How can this inform our understandings of the places in which traditional and modern economies are located?…”

Gendered translocal connectedness: Rural–urban migration, remittances, and social resilience in Thailand

“…The central analytical elements are specific translocal practices, the simultaneous embeddedness of actors across scales, and the multispatial dimension of negotiating the transfer and usage of remittances and their impact. The translocal dimension of remittance practices thereby intersects with axes of social differentiation, including gender, generation, and class stratification (Fresnoza‐Flot & Shinozaki, 2017; Paerregaard, 2015; Petrou, 2018; Tacoli & Mabala, 2010). Disparities along these axes and ensuing disparate positions of actors in social fields affect remittance sending and usage and their impact on the household.…”

Beyond electrification for development: Solar home systems and social reproduction in rural Solomon Islands

“…With no major economic development project, from plantations to planned, but never realised, canneries, ever having succeeded sustainably on Malaita (Moore, 2007;Hobbis, 2016), villagers have continuously had to rely on support from temporary or more permanent migration to access cash and cash-dependent foreign goods; and similar to rural settlements across Melanesia (see, e.g. Dalsgaard, 2013;Hobbis, 2017;Hobbis and Hobbis, 2020;McDougall, 2017;Petrou, 2018), remittances are an integral part of Gwou'ulu lifeworlds.…”

“…What is, however, rarely done is stopping giving altogether, even among second or even later generation urbanites (see also Petrou, 2018). Not to regularly give is tantamount to dissolving both one's connection with kin networks and with one's ancestral home as a source of belonging, to metaphorically 'lose the passports' (McDougall, 2017) that migrants require to return home.…”