Margit Fauser

The Migration–Development Nexus: Toward a Transnational Perspective

The nexus between migration and development has once again found entry into public debate and academic research in connection with the mobility of persons and issues of economic and socio-political development. This is to say, interest in the topic is currently resurging after peaking twice previously, in the 1960s and the 1980s. The current enthusiasm around migrants as agents of development reflects a paradigm which holds that migration can produce beneficial outcomes for both emigration and immigration countries. Current discussions, however, often reflect little memory of previous debates. In particular, scant systematic thought is given to what is ‘new’ this time around.

Diversität und Dynamik transnationaler persönlicher Beziehungen türkischer MigrantInnen in Deutschland

Mit dem Entstehen einer transnational orientierten Migrationsforschung und ihren zentralen Begriffen Transnationalismus und TransmigrantInnen (Glick Schiller/Basch/Blanc-Szanton 1994) wurde zunachst auf die bislang vernachlassigten grenzubergreifenden Bindungen und Praktiken von MigrantInnen verwiesen und die durch diese Perspektive entstehenden Herausforderungen fur klassische Konzepte wie Assimilation, Nation, Identitat, Familie und politische Gemeinschaft in den Blick genommen.

The Emergence of Urban Border Spaces in Europe

ABSTRACT Over the past few decades, nation state borders throughout the world have been undergoing major transformations. These changes are perhaps particularly salient in the supranational space of the European Union, where new, diverse governance arrangements have emerged for the control of borders and migrations. This governance now involves national and supranational, state and non-state actors and territories beyond the external borders of the European states. At the same time, transformations are affecting the city and urban spaces where a plethora of new mechanisms of control are emerging. Cities are considered key sites for the inclusion of migrants, affording them substantial (urban) citizenship. Nevertheless, little attention is being paid to the role of cities in the exclusion and control of migrants. Through devolution from above, as well as through urban autonomy, both public and non-state actors in cities are increasingly engaged in matters such as migrants’ legal status, removal, and deportation. Thus, an account of the city in such control has to take issue with the notion that the urban scale is simply nested in, subordinate to, and bounded within the national state space. Rather, scales are constructed and produced, which includes the historically changing relationship of urban and national scales. Drawing on migration, border, and urban studies, this paper develops a theoretical approach that locates the city within contemporary border transformations, identifies several mechanisms of urban border control, and provides some empirical examples to illustrate these points. Against this backdrop, the paper suggests considering urban space as border space.

How Receiving Cities Contribute to Simultaneous Engagements for Incorporation and Development

In the year 2007 migrant organizations from Madrid, Barcelona and a number of southern Spanish localities founded the REDCO network. REDCO is the abbreviation for Network of Immigrant and Co-development Associations. It is dedicated to the active involvement of migrant communities and migrant organizations in cross-border development projects, summarized by the now popular term co-development. Most, if not all, of the 16 founding member organizations of this network have previously been engaged in politics and service delivery in the realm of migrants’ local reception and incorporation. It includes even a local, Barcelona-based network whose representative in an interview in 2006 still maintained that development cooperation or other cross-border projects in origin countries were not on the agendas of any of their member associations. In the meantime, migrant organizations in Madrid and Barcelona engage simultaneously for reception and incorporation ‘here’ and development ‘there’.

Mixed Methods and Multisited Migration Research: Innovations From a Transnational Perspective

This article discusses the use of mixed methods design for transnational migration research. It draws on two currently expanding strategies that can form part of an integrated framework that reveals multiple complementary perspectives: (a) the incorporation of quantitative data and methods in what has been a largely qualitative field and (b) the use of multisited research that investigates individuals and families connected across borders. This framework can be supported by collaboration of researchers across methodologies and state borders, which is addressed as a third strategy. By drawing on one research project that investigates the role of transnationality in the reproduction of social inequalities, this article explores the benefits and challenges of this approach.

Migrantenorganisationen – Akteure zwischen Integration und Transnationalisierung. Erkenntnisse von Fallstudien-Ergebnissen aus Spanien

Sind Migrantenorganisationen Akteure der Integration, sind sie ein Zeichen der Segregation oder (neue) transnationale Akteure? Angenommen es handelte sich um letztere: in welchem Zusammenhang stehen transnationale Bindungen und grenzubergreifendes Engagement mit der Integration? Muss diese als gescheitert betrachtet werden oder handelt es sich um neue Formen und Muster der Integration? Der vorliegende Beitrag geht diesen klassischen Fragen am Beispiel der Untersuchung von Migrantenorganisationen im neuen Einwanderungsland Spanien nach. Dort lassen sich derzeit transnationale Dynamiken beobachten, die moglicherweise zu anderen Erkenntnissen fuhren als Untersuchungen zu den altern Einwanderungslandern in Europa bislang nahe legten.