(English below)Mientras algunos estudios migratorios proponen un rol estatal preponderante, otros declaran que la globalización y el transnacionalismo tienen un poder estatal reducido. Existe una... Show more(English below)Mientras algunos estudios migratorios proponen un rol estatal preponderante, otros declaran que la globalización y el transnacionalismo tienen un poder estatal reducido. Existe una ambigüedad acerca de cuán influyente es el Estado de destino, particularmente en relación a los individuos, en materia de decisiones migratorias. En este artículo, se plantea una aproximación teórica-conceptual para analizar la relación entre el migrante (emigrante e inmigrante) como unidad individual y el Estado en regímenes democráticos contemporáneos en términos de control migratorio. Desde una perspectiva de la economía política, se clarifica cuáles son las condiciones políticas y legales necesarias y suficientes durante la trayectoria migratoria. Las decisiones estatales circunscriben quién migra e indican cuáles países de destino continúan intentando ejercer el control mediante lo que se conceptualiza en este análisis como “burocracia post-migratoria”. El examinar cómo estas barreras estatales afectan la agencia de los individuos permite luego investigar la integración de los inmigrantes.Some migration literature present a predominant state role, whilst others convey that globalization and transnationalism have resulted in reduced state power. There is ambiguity regarding the destination state’s influence, as compared to individuals, in migration decisions. To fill this gap, I suggest a conceptual theoretical approach for analyzing the relationship between a migrant (emigrant and immigrant) and the state within contemporary democratic regimes of migratory control. Through a political economy lens, I define which political and legal aspects are necessary and sufficient conditions during the migrant trajectory. State decisions dictate who migrates and show which destination countries continue to attempt to control migration, through what I define as ‘post-migration bureaucracy.’ Examining how state limits affect individuals’ agency allows for supplementary research on immigrants’ integration. Show less
The world is regularly confronted in the media with dramatic images of African boat migrants. Seemingly desperate, these Africans, most of them males, are willing to risk a perilous journey at sea,... Show moreThe world is regularly confronted in the media with dramatic images of African boat migrants. Seemingly desperate, these Africans, most of them males, are willing to risk a perilous journey at sea, hoping for a better life in Europe. And, even worse, hundreds more are believed to die each year, swallowed up anonymously by the choppy waters off Africa's coast. This book focuses on fishermen who have played a pivotal role in boat migration from Senegal to Spain's Canary Islands, advancing various reasons for the fishermen's prominent role. Besides their long history of migration, their proven experience with navigating, their family's push and investment, their perceptions and ideologies about Europe, there is also their growing marginalization as a result of the deepening crisis in the Senegalese fishing sector and the inadequate policies of the Senegalese government that prevents them from having any bright prospects of improving their standards of living. The book provides insights into the meaning of boat migration, and on the effects of success or failure on the migrants and their families. It goes beyond the usual economic explanations to convincingly situate boat migration within the long-standing West African culture of migration, and highlight the significance of sociocultural and political factors. Among the findings are the perception of migration as status enhancing and a rite de passage in the Senegalese fishing communities, and the profound roles of the extended family, social networks and, above all, religion, especially the widespread influence of the marabout. The importance of information and communication technologies in sustaining transnational networks is equally highlighted. [Book abstract] Show less
