The Big Gamble: The Migration of Eritreans to Europe

Belloni, Milena

doi:10.1525/luminos.82

Cited by 34 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…This finding is consistent with Belloni's (2016Belloni's ( , 2019) examination of secondary refugee movements in Europe triggered by unpalatable conditions in the refugees' first country of arrival. Whereas the refugees would be expected to stay in that country, or to even return to their country of origin, it is shown that the EU's migration policies driven by the intention of the Dublin Regulation to stop the refugees from seeking asylum in second EU countries fail to prevent the refugees from doing so.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…This argument arises from the response to the question why Africans from the Horn of Africa seem so determined and attempt to migrate to Europe, despite knowing that barriers and challenges exist to their movement. Belloni (2016Belloni ( , 2019 has investigated Eritrean refugees in Italy and why they try to acquire new refugee status in second EU member countries despite the measures in the Dublin Regulation designed to stop such practices as well as a range of risks inherent to irregular migration. Belloni (2019, p. 1) asks "why gamble resources, time and energy again for an unsure outcome," and uses a theory of gambling to argue that the refugees in Italy engage in a "migration lottery" of continuously attempting to proceed to northern European countries in search of asylum in the hope that it will be granted.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rational Actors, Passive and Helpless Victims, Neither, Both: EU Borders and the Drive to Migrate in the Horn of Africa

Nshimbi

2021

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This article argues that neither borders nor the ways in which migrants see them constitute significant deterrents to the migrants’ resolve to migrate. The argument is based on an investigation of migrants en route to Europe from the Horn of Africa and the ways in which they see EU external borders and how that contributes to the decision to migrate. The article advances critiques of rational choice models of migrant decision-making that are based mainly on economic factors and contributes to theoretical explanations of why some people in the Horn of Africa migrate irregularly, despite measures enforced by state authorities to curb their movement. The article draws on a qualitative thematic analysis of personal face-to-face interviews conducted with migrants from four countries in the Horn of Africa who were in Ethiopia at the time of the research. In the interviews, there was sufficient evidence that migrants had realistic perceptions of European borders and that life in Europe might not be rosy. But this did not dampen the resolve to migrate. Solutions other than those that inhibit movement but understand, are sensitive to and include the perceptions of migrants are more likely to effectively address challenges associated with irregular migration.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rational Actors, Passive and Helpless Victims, Neither, Both: EU Borders and the Drive to Migrate in the Horn of Africa

Nshimbi

2021

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“…The weight of the sacrifice requested of local citizens became increasingly unbearable after the end of the 1998–2000 border conflict with Ethiopia (and the situation remains practically unchanged today even after the 2018 peace agreement 2 ). The eighteen-month national (civil and military) service, which was meant to enable young Eritreans to become adult citizens, has not fulfilled its promise: younger generations have been stuck for decades working in public employment, mostly as soldiers and teachers with low salaries that do not enable them to help their families and pursue their aspirations (Belloni, 2019a; Hirt and Mohammad, 2018). This became the main reason that hundreds of thousands of Eritreans have fled since 2000.…”

Section: Sacrifice and Land: The Meaning Of Citizenship In Eritreamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Deserters – who are numerous in the country – and irregular emigrants are excluded. However, even those who comply with national service have a hard time enjoying their rights to land: first, even if they obtain government land, they rarely have the money – or the material – to build; second, if they build it, they cannot be there, as most of them are posted as soldiers or teachers in remote areas away from their homes (Belloni, 2019a).…”

Section: Sacrifice and Land: The Meaning Of Citizenship In Eritreamentioning

confidence: 99%

Remittance Houses and Transnational Citizenship: Mapping Eritrea’s Diaspora–State Relationships

Belloni

2021

Africa Spectrum

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Can diaspora houses be used as a site to explore transnational citizenship? Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Eritrea, this article shows that different kinds of remittance houses reify different categories of transnational citizens with various sets of rights and duties. Drawing on studies on state–diaspora relations and remittance houses, I illustrate the key role that housing plays in the Eritrean state’s efforts to build a loyal diaspora. By looking at housing projects (state-led and individual) over the last thirty years, the article shows how different groups of emigrants – based on their relationship to the state of origin as well as their status in their country of residence – have been more or less able to realise their aspirations to build a house back home. By doing this, I show the importance of considering remittance houses as not only transnational cultural artefacts but also political claims to membership.

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“…Other studies of risk and migration adopt a gambling analogy, whereby the decision to move is akin to a bet, the outcome of which is seen in terms of luck and the successful conclusion of the journey as "winning the jackpot" (Belloni, 2016). Just as people play the lottery even though the chances of winning are almost zero, the chance-albeit small-of successfully arriving at their destination urges migrants to take the gamble and try their luck, even against high odds of danger and risk (Belloni, 2019).…”

Section: Risk In Migration Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extreme Risk Makes the Journey Feasible: Decision-Making amongst Migrants in the Horn of Africa

Bakewell

Sturridge

2021

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This article explores how some potential migrants in the Horn of Africa incorporate the prospects of extreme danger into their journeys. It draws on evidence from qualitative interviews and focus group discussions with over 400 respondents, mainly from Ethiopian and Somali communities. It shows that the risks of migration within the Horn of Africa are often well known, thanks to strong migrant networks and improved mobile communications. Indeed, migrants may be better informed of the risks of the journey than they are about their prospects of securing a good living upon arrival. However, rather than discouraging people’s migration, high risk may open up new possibilities. This article supports this argument with two examples. First, as Yemen descended into civil war, the breakdown of state control created new opportunities to move undetected, notwithstanding the threat of injury and death. This helps explain why the number of Ethiopians passing through Yemen increased with the conflict, contrary to expectations. Second, some young Somalis are soliciting the services of smugglers to help them move towards Europe, knowing that they are likely to be abused and held for ransom en route. They gamble on their captors’ demands being met by family members, who would not otherwise have endorsed or paid for their journey. These findings challenge common assumptions about risk and decision-making, and suggests that some migrants may move because of, rather than in spite of, the risks involved. It also calls into question initiatives that seek to deter migration by raising awareness about the risks of the journey.

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The Big Gamble: The Migration of Eritreans to Europe

Abstract: Acknowled gmentsThis work would have not been possible without the help and care of my Eritrean informants, whose real names have been changed to protect their safety. They are the protagonists and the soul of this book. Among them I would like to mention my friends Violetta,

Cited by 34 publications

References 66 publications

Rational Actors, Passive and Helpless Victims, Neither, Both: EU Borders and the Drive to Migrate in the Horn of Africa

Rational Actors, Passive and Helpless Victims, Neither, Both: EU Borders and the Drive to Migrate in the Horn of Africa

Remittance Houses and Transnational Citizenship: Mapping Eritrea’s Diaspora–State Relationships

Extreme Risk Makes the Journey Feasible: Decision-Making amongst Migrants in the Horn of Africa

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