Agnieszka Kubal

Migration Systems, Pioneer Migrants and the Role of Agency

Abstract The notion of a migration system is often invoked but it is rarely clearly defined or conceptualized. De Haas recently provided a powerful critique of the current literature highlighting some important flaws that recur through it. In particular, migration systems tend to be identified as fully formed entities, and there is no theorization as to how they come into being and how they break down. The internal dynamics which drive such changes are not examined. Such critiques of migration systems relate to wider critiques of the concept of systems in the broader social science literature, where they are often presented as black boxes in which human agency is largely excluded. The challenge is how to theorize system dynamics in which the actions of people at one time contribute to the emergence of systemic linkages at a later time. This article focuses on the genesis of migration systems and the notion of pioneer migration. It draws attention both to the role of particular individuals, the pioneers, and also the more general activity of pioneering which is undertaken by many migrants. By disentangling different aspects of agency, it is possible to develop hypotheses about how the emergence of migrations systems is related to the nature of the agency exercised by different pioneers or pioneering activities in different contexts.

Spiral effect of the law: migrants’ experiences of the state law in Russia – a comparative perspective

Through an ethnographic study of the immigration law system in Russia, and interviews with legal professionals and Central Asian migrants themselves, this paper asks: What are the lived experiences of the highly complex, though ambiguous immigration law regime of Russia? According to what ‘rules of the game’ does it operate? Are they specific to Russia only? This paper develops the concept of ‘the spiral effect of the law’ to capture the image of law, as formed through peoples experiences of the legal system. Drawing on the comparative tool of analogy, this paper suggests that ‘the spiral effect of the law’ is perhaps not that different from the observable effects of immigration law in other major migration-receiving jurisdictions, namely the US, framed as ‘legal violence’ by Cecilia Menjivar and Leisy Abrego (2012).

Exploring the Role of Interwave Dynamics in Stagnating Migration Flows: Ukrainian Migration to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands

Settled migrants’ influencing others to follow is considered to be an important explanation for sustaining migration. Migrants’ role in stagnating migration dynamics is however relatively underresearched. Migration from Ukraine to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands introduces valuable insights: while a relatively sizeable number of migrants have arrived in those destinations in the early 20th century, this migration has not developed into self-sustaining flows. We argue that the relations between settled and newcoming migrants—bearing the legacy of a 40-year generation gap—led to an ambivalent welcome of new arrivals and a lack of responsiveness of the diasporic institutions toward newcomers.

Introduction: Feedback in Migration Processes

The story of the pioneers setting off on an adventure into distant places, building new lives and then calling on people back home to join them has been told in many different ways over generations. Such tales of journeys and migrations lie at the heart of many narratives of national origin. For example, this is seen very clearly in the foundations of the United States, with the European ‘discovery’ of the New World and the subsequent mass migration across the Atlantic away from the desperate poverty of Europe. Today, it is commonly reflected in debates about the growth of migrant populations across the world. The idea of migration stimulating further migration is also well established in migration studies (de Haas, 2010; Massey et al., 1998). However, this process is often taken for granted and there is very little analysis of how and why this should happen, or—perhaps equally importantly—we are lacking the in-depth exploration of cases where it does not occur or when the process appears to be reversed so that initial migration actually hinders further migration.

Introduction: exploring the comparative in socio-legal studies

Among the diverse approaches to comparison in socio-legal studies those that employ qualitative research, richness of detail, and attention to context are the focus of this special issue. The Introduction draws on comparative law and social science literature to argue that comparison amongst studies of laws in contexts can follow different trajectories: the comparison may start from an assumption of similarity—in form, purposes, or context—in order to identify significant differences; or it may identify significant similarity across social and cultural divides. What unites many of the projects of comparison undertaken by qualitative empirical researchers is that the points of relevant comparison are identified within the complexity of the empirical studies at hand; and they are allowed to emerge, or change, as the researcher comes to understand the facts and issues more deeply.

Initiation of the RDS Recruitment Process: Seed Selection and Role

This chapter addresses the initiation of RDS, and examines the selection and role of the seeds: the first respondents in the surveys using RDS methodology. It is organized around three main questions: Who are the seeds? How do they work? Why are they important? We address these questions paying particular attention to the strategic selection of seeds, their training and role in the day-to-day sampling process. Therefore, although the selection of seeds takes place at the beginning of a survey, this process needs careful consideration, as it is likely affect data collection and analysis.

Theodoros Iosifides, Qualitative Methods in Migration Studies: A Critical Realist Perspective

Theodoros Iosifides’ book provides a much awaited critical realist perspective on qualitative migration research. In the words of the author, this perspective offers a ‘sustainable and powerful alternative both to empiricism and various forms of relativism and idealism’ (p. 43). Iosifides delivers a sophisticated critique of a plethora of approaches adopted by migration scholars which are subject to ‘methodological pragmatism and eclecticism’ (p. 35), and compares these with critical realism. However, before I learnt that reviews for JCR do not have a title, I wanted to call this review, ‘We are all critical realists’. This is because, engaging critically with Iosifides’ writings, I am tempted to say that what he offers under the guise of critical realist ontological and epistemological propositions is a book of ‘good practice’ in qualitative migration research that is already implicitly present in much contemporary migration research. This of course will be good news to critical realists, and there is no doubt that Iosifides’ systematic, concise and coherent explication of this methodological position is very welcome for many mediumand early-career qualitative migration scholars. I also recommend this book to advanced undergraduate and graduate students as a great reference point. In this review I follow Iosifides’ journey towards critical realism with reference to other approaches to migration studies. Inspired by his chapters, I focus on the concepts originating from critical realism as indispensable catalysts in much social-theory-driven qualitative migration research: agency– structure, emergence, causality, and explanation. Towards the end I offer a few critical remarks prompted by the sometimes superficial understanding of migration reality as implied by Iosifides, and its consequences for theorizing the agency of migrants. Lastly I present a few editorial points that cast some shadow over the final presentation of the book (and which – in my opinion – could easily be avoided).