Temporary Migration Projects

Abstract

This chapter considers the empirical data on the increase and impact of temporary and circular migration patterns across different regions of the world. It calls attention to two striking features of these migration patterns. First, very often temporary migration can be explained as the result of intentional plans made by the migrants themselves, who decide to work abroad for a limited period of time to collect resources to employ back home. Second, for those migrants who are employed in low-skill jobs these migratory patterns result in a position of marginality within the receiving societies, which often converts into severe forms of vulnerability and subordination. The chapter illustrates both the voluntary nature of these forms of temporary migration and their problematic implications by analysing in depth some paradigmatic examples.

Mobility, Migration, and Mobile Migration

“…Some people might be predominantly interested in mobility opportunities; others might prioritise the opportunity to settle. Assuming that the migrants’ goals matter and should be considered as an expression of their agency (e.g., Ottonelli and Torresi, 2022, chapter 4), it is crucial to examine in which cases migration in general, and mobile migration in particular, is motivated by a prioritisation of mobility over settlement from the part of migrants, and in which cases it is the result of migration policies that hinder access to settlement for some categories of migrants.…”

“…This type of migration complicates the discussion of what counts as sufficiently voluntary migration (e.g., Ottonelli and Torresi, 2022, chapter 4) and raises questions regarding the importance of access to permanent settlement as a crucial component of a good life. We might ask if and to what extent trade-offs between mobility opportunities and access to other social goods are permissible.…”

“…When we examine these cases from the migrants' perspective, we discover that many supposedly temporary migrants might be involved in schemes of 'permanent temporariness' (Ellermann, 2020(Ellermann, , p. 2470. They might be, for example, seasonal workers working in tourism or agriculture who return to the same state (and often even to the 17 For a significant exception, which brings the perspective of mobile migrants to the forefront, see Ottonelli and Torresi (2022, 2012. However, even Ottonelli and Torresi's approach does not fully account for mobile migration, as they assume that temporary migrants have a clear intention to return to their home countries; this construes mobile migrants as predominantly sedentary residents of their state of origin.…”

“… 17 For a significant exception, which brings the perspective of mobile migrants to the forefront, see Ottonelli and Torresi (2022, 2019, 2012). However, even Ottonelli and Torresi's approach does not fully account for mobile migration, as they assume that temporary migrants have a clear intention to return to their home countries; this construes mobile migrants as predominantly sedentary residents of their state of origin.…”

The Border Within: Mobility, Stereotypes and Asylum Seekers as Migrants

“…As such, they fail in honoring a deeper cosmopolitan obligation of hospitality that is also a test of their moral integrity. By highlighting that part of refugees' trajectory is based on a series of voluntary choices, conversely, one allays fears that to give effect to these choices is to perversely do the persecuting state's bidding, whilst tapping into a rich register of liberal reasons why one would want to recognize mobile humans' "life plans" (Ottonelli and Torresi 2022).…”