Reciprocal migration: the coloniality of recent two-way migration links between Angola and Portugal

Abstract

Reciprocal migration—which we define as the mutual exchange of origin and destination by two different migrating groups—is hardly acknowledged in the migration literature. In terms of the temporalities of migration, which are usually seen as sequences or transitions, reciprocal migrations are simultaneous. We analyse the reciprocal migrations between Angola and Portugal over the time-frame of the past 10–15 years. In-depth interviews were carried out with Portuguese migrants in Angola, most of whom moved there in the wake of the post-2008 financial crisis, and with Angolan third-level students and recent graduates in Portugal. A key operational concept in our analysis is the plastic notion of skill and its differential racialisation. Portuguese migrants in Angola are automatically regarded as ‘skilled’ even when they are not, whereas Angolan students and graduates in Portugal, when they seek work, are often viewed as ‘unskilled African migrant workers’. We thus distinguish and deconstruct the geographical binary between transnational origin and destination spaces and the social binary between ‘skilled white bodies’ and ‘unskilled black bodies’. These racialised embodied tropes draw on histories of Portuguese colonisation and the contested notion of ‘Lusotropicalism’, as well as the so-called Lusophone migration system involving complex transnational relations and two-way migration flows. Theoretically we frame this asymmetrical system of reciprocal migration within a modified version of core–periphery relations, as well as the coloniality of power and its enduring influence over the racialisation of skill, education, culture and language across the Portuguese–Angolan transnational space.

‘Going to study or plan to stay on?’ Mobility profiles of Angolan and Cape Verdean students in Portugal

“…The point here is that they will probably not be able to achieve this in Portugal, especially in the post‐2008 recession years when many Portuguese have themselves been emigrating, ironically some of them to Angola (Augusto & King, 2020; Candeias et al, 2019). Quite a few of our participants pointed out that, if it is hard for a young Portuguese graduate to get a decent job in Portugal, how much harder it must be for a visibly different foreigner from a less‐developed country (Augusto et al, 2022; Vala et al, 2008). Thus, the idea of staying is overtaken by the pragmatism of returning.…”

“…Miguel's questioning of fair conditions for professional integration in Portugal hints at the prejudices against Africans in the Portuguese labour market, which has been widely discussed by other authors writing about black immigrants in Portugal (e.g., Augusto et al, 2022; Vala et al, 2008). The same issue of obstacles confronting foreign students perceived as different when they apply either for part‐time jobs to support their studies or for career jobs in the host country after graduating has been noted in other settings—for instance, with Chinese students in the US Midwest (Jiang, 2021) and with Eastern European students in Denmark (Wilken & Dahlberg, 2017).…”

Insights into SARS‐CoV‐2 in Angola during the COVID‐19 peak: Molecular epidemiology and genome surveillance

“…Our results indicated virus transmission between Angola, neighboring countries, and countries further abroad. The large‐scale virus importation and exportation events between Angola and Portugal noted in this study most likely reflect their strong historical and cultural histories, as Angola represents a former Portuguese colony 27 . As a result, there was significant travel between the two countries, with many people from Angola traveling to Portugal for work, study, or tourism.…”

“…The large-scale virus importation and exportation events between Angola and Portugal noted in this study most likely reflect their strong historical and cultural histories, as Angola represents a former Portuguese colony. 27 As a result, there was significant travel between the two countries, with many people from Angola traveling to Portugal for work, study, or tourism. In agreement with these findings, the first reported case of COVID-19 was sampled from a traveler returning from Portugal (Figure 1A).…”

'I feel different…'

“…Such is the case for students from Portuguese-speaking African countries such as Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and Saint Tome and Principe, which are former Portuguese colonies. The colonial past still plays an important role both in migratory flows and in former colonies' organization (Augusto et al, 2022;Mains et al, 2013). Most African students choose Portuguese HE due to historical issues, the shared Portuguese language, the prestige of the universities, and the presence of relatives or friends in the country, among others (Doutor & Alves, 2020;Kishun, 2011).…”