Mixed marriages and transnational families in the intercultural context : a case study of African-Spanish couples in Catalonia, Spain

Premi a l'excel·lència investigadora. Àmbit de les Ciències Socials. 2008One of the consequences of international migration and the permanent settlement of immigrants in southern EU countries is the growing number of inter-country marriages and the formation of transnational families. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, this article examines patterns of endogamy and exogamy (i.e. marriage within/outside a particular group or category) among African immigrants in Catalonia, focusing on bi-national Senegalese- and Gambian-Spanish couples. Socio-demographic profiles, transnationality, the dynamics of cultural change or retention, and the formation of transcultural identities are explored. The evidence presented suggests that social-class factors are more important than cultural origins in patterns of endogamy and exogamy, in the dynamics of living together and in the bringing-up of children of mixed unions. Such a conclusion negates culturalists' explanations of endogamy and exogamy while, at the same time, emphasising the role of social actors as active subjects in these processes. I further argue that mixed couples and their offspring deal-to a greater or lesser extent-with multiple localisations and cultural backgrounds (i.e. here and there), rather than experiencing a 'clash between two cultures'. Therefore, it would be a mistake to pretend that multicultural links do not exist and that they cannot be revitalised and functional. The paper starts and ends by addressing the complexities of processes of interculturalism, resisting an interpretation of hybridity and segregation as contradictory or exclusive realities

Looking for Ways to Increase Student Motivation: Internationalisation and Value Innovation

Understanding what constitutes the perceived value of foreign education to international business students is critical for business schools in order to achieve their recruitment targets. One established method relies on a financial interpretation of the costs and benefits of business education. By contrast, this study advocates a holistic approach by employing the concept of “internal” and “external” career success as its theoretical underpinning. A survey of undergraduate Chinese students in two British business schools based on such approach provides confirmation of the importance of an individual's judgement of own success as the foundation of value-related expectations and suggests that academic practice should be concerned with a wider range of competencies and responses to individual attitudes, shifting emphasis towards a greater spectrum of social values

France, Italie, Espagne, Etats-Unis. La régularisation des clandestins. Extraits du rapport du SOPEMI

Quatre pays ont décidé, à titre exceptionnel, de mettre en place des programmes de régularisation, dont pouvaient bénéficier les migrants en situation irrégulière répondant aux conditions requises. Il s'agit de la France, des Etats-Unis, de l'Espagne et de l'Italie. La régularisation, procédé ancien et récurrent, par exemple en France, ou décision longuement préparée et débattue aux Etats-Unis, représente une expérience tout à fait nouvelle pour l'Espagne et l'Italie, devenues très récemment des pays d'immigration. L'analyse comparative de ces expériences est riche d'enseignements : les situations sont très diverses ; la régularisation, à elle seule, ne règle pas le problème des migrations irrégulières... Et surtout elle met en évidence le rôle-clé joué par les travailleurs en situation irrégulière sur le marché du travail.SOPEMI. France, Italie, Espagne, Etats-Unis. La régularisation des clandestins. Extraits du rapport du SOPEMI. In: Hommes et Migrations, n°1139, janvier 1991. Citoyennetés. pp. 27-34

Une nouvelle terre d'accueil : extrait du rapport Sopemi

Longtemps pays d'émigration, l'Italie se range désormais, depuis presque une dizaine d'années, du côté des pays d'accueil. Toutefois, aujourd'hui, le rythme d'accroissement de la présence étrangère a légèrement diminué par rapport au début de la décennie.SOPEMI. Une nouvelle terre d'accueil : extrait du rapport Sopemi. In: Hommes et Migrations, n°1194, janvier 1996. L'Italie en quête d'une politique de l'immigration. pp. 6-8

Trends in international migration : continuous reporting system on migration.

Voortzetting van: SOPEMI. Annual report = Continuous reporting system on migration. Annual repor

The labour market performance of young return migrants after the crisis in CEE countries: the case of Estonia

This paper extends the earlier literature on the effects of return migration by studying selection and labour market performance in terms of the wages of young returnees in particular. The topic is motivated by various labour market issues for young people and their high exposure to the consequences of the recent financial crisis. We use Estonian Labour Force Survey data and Estonian Population and Housing Census 2011 data in combination with Estonian Tax and Customs Office data on individual payroll taxes. The econometric analysis focuses on the selection to temporary migration and the estimation of wage premium to return, along with the decomposition of the returnee-stayer wage gap using the Oaxaca-Blinder approach and an investigation of wage premium dynamics over time after return. The results generally show higher returns from temporary labour migration for young people relative to older people, and among youth, the share of the unexplained fraction of the wage premium is also higher. These results imply a stronger role of experience gained abroad on earnings for youth

Reconsidering the Claim to Family Reunification in Migration

At a time when entrance to and residence in western states is a scarce resource, a high proportion of legal immigration is based on family reunion. It has recently been suggested that, rather than giving priority to family members, the claims of refugees should be given at least equal consideration by discriminating among family applicants by restricting admission to the immediate or nuclear family. In this paper I focus on the question why we might or might not give family reunification a high priority in admission. I first review the arguments for giving priority in admission to family members from the point of view of citizens and denizens, the state, and incomers. These include: the intrinsic value of, and right to, family life, the possibility of integration, and the agent-specific nature of the obligation. I next examine some arguments we might consider for reducing family priority in migration, namely: the inheritance of privilege, the anachronistic nature of the family, the contemporary prevalence of transnational family relationships, and the multiplier effect of family reunification. I next address the questions whether and how it might be justifiable to discriminate among family members, and if so, on what basis? I ask if restricting family reunification to immediate family is culturally discriminatory, or may run counter to the reasons we respect family life. Finally I outline some sorts of changes in current family reunification policies that may be justified on the basis of these considerations.Not applicabl