Introduction: Transnational Processes and Practices in the Everyday Lives of Migrants and Non-Migrants in Europe

Authors

  • Anne Häkkinen, MA, Doctoral Student Department of History and Ethnology, University of Jyväskylä
  • Sanna Tawah, MA, Doctoral Student Department of History and Ethnology, University of Jyväskylä

Keywords:

Migration in Europe, transnational practices, translocality, everyday life, family, ethnography, migration research

Abstract

ntemporary migration research and public de- bate in Europe have concentrated primarily on migration from outside Europe, especially from Asian and African countries to Europe (Castro- Martin & Cortina 2015). Tis is especially notice- able  when  they  concern  transnational  families and family reunifications (including marriage mi- gration), and issues related to refugees and asy- lum seekers. Particular migrant groups and their descendants (e.g. Turks, Moroccans, Pakistanis, Somalis,  Kurds),  and  especially  Muslims,  have attracted much of the attention, partly because they form a considerably visible and one of the largest migrant communities in many European countries.1  However,  issues  such  as  migrants’ integration into countries of settlement, experi- enced racism and discrimination, conceived and supposed  cultural  differences  (e.g.  in  religion, marriage practices, gender roles etc.), and a po- litical climate that supports more restrictive mi- gration policies in many European countries seem to  direct  migration  research  towards  a  concen- tration on certain migrant groups and especially problem-  and  conflict-centered  themes.  Tis  is not to say that the aforementioned approaches and issues are irrelevant and not worthy of re- search. Te point here is that when research fo- cuses merely on migration from other parts of the world to Europe, it may also simplify our under- standing of the complexity of experiences of mi- gration and issues of integration and belonging.  

 

How to Cite

Häkkinen, A., & Tawah, S. (2017). Introduction: Transnational Processes and Practices in the Everyday Lives of Migrants and Non-Migrants in Europe. Ethnologia Fennica, 43, 5–11. Retrieved from https://journal.fi/ethnolfenn/article/view/65590