Migration, masculinity and social class: Insights from Pikine, Senegal

Abstract

In the shattered economy of Dakar, many young men feel stuck in prolonged bachelorhood. Handed‐down role expectations can often not be met due to dire economic prospects. Drawing on fieldwork in Pikine, an urban area within the Dakar region of Senegal, between 2011 and 2013, this article reflects upon the relation between risk, migration, social class and masculinity. Through migration to unknown destinations and by enduring the many challenges and hardships associated with it, in the hope of eventually reaching a higher social class upon return, young men wish to fix and rewrite their masculine identities. To pursue this aim even the oddest job in Europe becomes acceptable. At home, however, many work opportunities are considered to be beneath their social class. Most male urbanites seek jobs that are rewarded with respect and authority, and often assemble their choices about pursuing certain income‐generating activities considering notions of class.

Social Class, Migration Policy and Migrant Strategies: An Introduction

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“…A escolha pela migração e a busca por outro espaço para a sobrevivência decorre desse horizonte de expectativas. Em muitos contextos, a migração virou sinônimo de mobilidade social (GRAW; PROTHMANN, 2018).…”

“…Em consequência, a globalização torna-se cada vez mais um elemento constitutivo dos lifeworlds das pessoas e de suas expectativas em relação à vida. Alimentado por aspirações resultantes de processos de globalização e pela exclusão de seus benefícios (GRAW, 2012), o desejo de deixar o país continua forte, especialmente entre os jovens adultos no Senegal 7 (CARLING et al, 2013;PROTHMANN, 2018). As motivações não podem se resumir a fatores econômicos de pushpull, mas devem ser analisadas dentro de um contexto social, cultural, econômico e histórico próprio -e isso inclui a análise de elementos do imaginário e do simbólico (MBODJI, 2008;SALAZAR, 2011).…”