‘Implicit’ remittances in family relationships: The case of Bangladeshis in Italy and beyond

Abstract

In this article -based on 100 in-depth interviews with divided and reunited Bangladeshi families in Italy, Bangladesh, and London -we discuss how remittances are influenced by gender relations within the family, what social meanings they assume, what family memberships they reinforce, how the intertwining between migration and family cycle affects them. By adopting an intersectional approach, we show how economic transfers are normally sent to the family of the first-migrant man, although they may assist the emigration of the wife's male relatives: a phenomenon that we call 'implicit remittances' .A second set of results concerns changes over time in remittances and two events of the family cycle are decisive: the family reunification in Italy and the demise of parents in the country of origin. In both cases, remittances are reduced, cease, or are limited to gifts in particular circumstances.

Chasing the dream: masculinity and male honour of Italian-Bangladeshi men relocating to London

“…In fact, there are profound inequalities and growing social polarisation: apart from a small elite connected to the global economy, the mass of people survive in incredibly precarious conditions. The first generation of Bangladeshi migrants to Italy came from a class between these two poles: an anxious middle class struggling with difficulty against the erosion of its socio-economic position (Della Puppa & Ambrosini, 2021). That is why defending their social position or, better still, being upwardly mobile, was an obsession and duty for middle class men, as well as fundamental to achieving successful masculinity (Bourdieu, 1998;Norheim & Bjorvand Bjørkøy, 2022).…”

Financial Interdependence: A Social Perspective

“…In the context of South Africa originally, and among African communities and the Black diaspora generally, the "Black Tax" is a practice of transferring money from those who have achieved a perceived level of financial success to friends and family members who are still in financial need and may have supported the person earlier in time [32]. Similarly, the practice of remittance is practiced globally, sending money to one's family of origin across national boundaries or from urban to rural areas [7]. These examples are often conducted out of a sense of obligation to one's extended family and may cause a degree of hardship for the donating person when requests for money are seemingly unrelenting, and the perception of success (such as the prestige of a particular position of employment) discounts the accompanying costs of living.…”

“…FI can have important implications for both individuals and communities. Few social science studies approach the topic of FI in such a holistic manner, focusing instead on specific cultural practices, behaviors, and expressions of FI, such as group savings [5,6], conducting remittances [7,8], or intergenerational wealth transfers [9,10]. In the United States and other neo-liberally oriented countries, these practices, behaviors, and concepts are often framed as deviations from the narrative of financial independence, despite their widespread practice.…”