Non-migrant, Sedentary, Immobile, or “Left Behind”? Reflections on the Absence of Migration

Main author: Jonsson, Gunvor
Format: Book Chapters           
Online access: Click here to view record


id eprints-30063
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description This paper explores the absence of migration and different frameworks for analysing it. The aim is to move beyond a sedentary perspective, which does not problematise immobility because it is considered to be the norm and therefore, not something to be explained or scrutinised. The paper starts with a discussion of the terminology denoting the absence of migration. Two opposed interpretations of different examples of the absence of migration are then presented, based on a functionalist and conflict approach, respectively. Finally, the paper discusses post-structuralist approaches, particularly addressing the role of power and hegemony in determining who does and should move. Throughout the text, various empirical cases are discussed, mainly drawn from contexts of transnational migration in West Africa.
author_additional Abdalla, E. B. M.
author_additionalStr Abdalla, E. B. M.
format Book Chapters
author Jonsson, Gunvor
author_facet Jonsson, Gunvor
authorStr Jonsson, Gunvor
author_letter Jonsson, Gunvor
title Non-migrant, Sedentary, Immobile, or “Left Behind”? Reflections on the Absence of Migration
publisher Rüdiger Köppe Verlag
publishDate 2014
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/30063/