New Migration Dynamics on the South-Western Periphery of Europe: Theoretical Reflections on the Portuguese Case

Abstract

I reflect on the overall contents of the book and highlight the key theoretical insights contributed therein. I draw on my own theoretical writings on the nature of migration trends in Southern Europe – the so-called ‘Southern European model’ of migration, with its various historical and geographical phases – and enrich this analysis through specific reference to the Portuguese case. Notions of cores and (semi-)peripheries are crucial to understanding both the political economy and evolving typologies of Portuguese migration trends over the long term and in recent years. Key here is the coexistence of Portugal’s status as the metropolitan core of a (post)colonial periphery and its (semi-)peripheral situation within Europe. This dual perspective helps to explain the complex geography and history of Portugal’s migration flows. Finally, I point to four areas which could have been given more emphasis: the within-Portugal regional patterning of emigration trends, the relative lack of attention given to return migration, the question of gender in ongoing Portuguese migration patterns and the overall impact of migration on Portuguese economic and social development.

Migration at Work

“…At the same time, they were driven by aspirations for new employment opportunities, better-paid jobs, and career advancement (Esteves et al, 2017). Unlike these contributions, Della Puppa and King (2019) stated that Bangladeshis' decisions to move to London have not been conditioned by the effects of the economic crisis, but have rather been shaped by concerns over their children's academic futures, the desire to join the largest Bangladeshi diasporic community and experiences of racism in Italian society and discrimination at work. When it comes to racism, hence, onward migration may be seen as involuntarily, while the same is true in the case of onward migrants who identify with the country they leave in order to cope with economic hurdles (Mas Giralt, 2017).…”

“…Rather than being involuntary (Babar, Ewers & Khattab, 2018), I argue here that non-re-emigration of low-skilled migrant workers may be voluntary and shaped by social imaginaries, and thus not be associated with incapacity to relocate. Hence, imaginaries of places may both orient onward migrants (Della Puppa & Sredanovic, 2017; Della Puppa & King, 2019) and discourage settled migrants from onward-migrating.…”

Migration at Work

“…(Gjin,aged 34,Greece) This finding is in contrast with what has been claimed about onward migrants who leave their first destination to offer better future opportunities for their children; in places that are higher "in the global hierarchical order" (Pajo, 2008, p. 10). Looking at recent research on onward migrants who move from Italy to the UK, Bangladeshis represent London as "the global, multicultural, cosmopolitan city" where there are plenty of "opportunities which allows people from every country in the world to enhance their capabilities and potential" (Della Puppa & King, 2019King, , p. 1943. Motives concerning children's future are claimed in my case-studies as well, but these are of a different nature.…”

“…The answer lies in hierarchical, spatial divisions of labour (Massey, 1984) and different wage levels for the same kind of work in different assemblages of countries (North-West Europe, Southern Europe, Eastern Europe and Portugal's African ex-colonies). Portugal has a dual position within the global economy and migration system: it is peripheral to the "core" economies of North-West Europe -which offer higher wages and better job prospects -and is the centre of a former colonial empire and thus a traditional destination for labour migration flows from its ex-colonial periphery (King, 2019).…”

Türkiye’ye Göçün Değişen Zamansal ve Mekânsal Örüntüleri

“…Uluslararası göçün küresel örüntüleri zamanmekân bağlamlı olarak çok boyutlu ve dinamik bir yapı gösterdiğinden sürekli yeniden üretilmektedir. Bu sürecin temelinde ise, makro ölçekte merkez-çevre teorisinde olduğu gibi ya da pek çok Marksist yaklaşımdan ilham alan bilim insanının iddia ettiği gibi kapitalist sisteme içkin olan eşitsiz mekânsal gelişme yatar (King 2019;Parnwell 1993). Günümüzde neoliberal ekonomi politikalarının küreselleşmeyle coğrafi ölçeğini genişletmesi sonucu göçe katılanların sayısında azalma bir tarafa, hem göçmen sayısı giderek artmış hem de profili çeşitlenmiştir (Sirkeci vd.…”