Migration and intercommunal relationships: an interdisciplinary and inter-regional dialogue

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>The growing significance of migration on a global scale is generating increased scholarly interest in the subject, offering a fuller and more nuanced understanding of the nature and implications of different types of migration. However, research to date has presented divergent findings on the factors influencing the presence or absence of migration-induced conflicts, as most contributions are single-case studies focusing on different regions, levels of analysis, and measurements, whether applied to ‘objective’ or ‘subjective’ situations. We develop a framework to assess a wide spectrum of interactions between ‘local’ residents and ‘migrant populations’ by integrating the literature on ethnic conflict and considering the findings of studies that have investigated developed countries separately from developing countries; utilized a methodology specific to a particular discipline; or have focused on a single historical time frame or level of analysis. We propose a distinctive way of organizing and integrating the literature, incorporating three levels of analysis (independent variables) and a wide range of responses (dependent variables). We demonstrate that this framework enables researchers who employ one level of analysis at the expense of the others, or consider only one aspect or level of conflict, to assess the limitations and representativeness of their case studies; to identify gaps in operationalization and measurements of concepts and definitions; and to become aware of the trade-offs involved in their selection and scope of analysis.</jats:p>

Migration contexts in shaping community ethnic resources: a Forms of Capital approach on ethnic migrant entrepreneurs in Malaysia

“…With regard to migration contexts and EMEs’ ethnic resources, the data of this study links previous research vis-à-vis historical context (Koning and Verver, 2013; Van Hear et al , 2018; Thawnghmung and Fasolo, 2020), EMEs’ home country migration context in the host country (Fong et al , 2020; Li et al , 2018) and the host country environment by illustrating the inter-relatedness of migration context aspects and ethnic resources.…”

“…Historical context, in this case, refers to the migrants’ home-host country shared experiences and how early or current, the wave of migration for the migrant’s home country in the host country (Van Hear et al , 2018). A home country’s experience in the host country, or vice versa, through many historical drivers of migration (for instance, colonization, prior history or labor migration) may induce home-host country knowledge (Thawnghmung and Fasolo, 2020), and for EMEs, a rich historical account of their home country in the host country may encourage less learning for them in the host country, and less effort is required to introduce their home country products in the host country. As an example, based on their history in the host country, migrants from India have been documented to fare better than their counterparts in the UK, as their migration to the UK can be traced back since the 1700s; in this regard, Indian migrants in the UK have already established a system enabling venture development for their community (Jones et al , 2014; Ram et al , 2008).…”