A Spectrum of Migration Research: EMMIR Edition 12 Thesis Abstracts
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EMMIR is pleased to present the thesis abstracts of Edition 12, celebrating the research and academic contributions of its most recent graduating edition. The collection reflects the breadth of migration and intercultural relations as a field of study, bringing together research on diverse experiences, contexts, and challenges connected to migration. From the conditions shaping migration journeys and the vulnerabilities people encounter along the way to questions of transnational connections, diaspora mobilisation, labour, and belonging, these theses explore how migration is shaped by wider social, political, and economic processes, as well as by people’s own experiences and strategies.
Through a range of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches, the graduates engage critically with the complexities of migration in different parts of the world. Their research highlights the importance of examining migration in its specific contexts while recognising the cross-border relationships, structures, and inequalities that connect people and communities across places.
The collection also reflects the multilingual and international character of EMMIR. By presenting their research in different languages, graduates contribute to conversations on migration and intercultural relations that extend beyond a single linguistic or national context. This diversity of perspectives and modes of expression is an important part of the programme’s academic community. Together, the theses offer a glimpse into the questions, insights, and critical perspectives that have shaped the work of Edition 12.
Reintegration Trajectories: Assessing the Specific Needs, Drivers, Barriers, and Livelihood Prospects of Voluntary Women Returnees from Irregular Migration in Sierra Leone
Elorm Aku Adih
The reintegration of female returnees from irregular migration remains an underexplored area of migration research in Sierra Leone despite increasing numbers of women returning from destinations such as the Middle East and North Africa. This study examines how women returnee migrants navigate the process of reintegration in Sierra Leone, with particular attention to the influence of gender on migration experiences, reintegration outcomes, and access to support systems. Drawing on intersectionality theory, return migration theory, social capital theory, and feminist standpoint theory, the study explores the multidimensional nature of reintegration across social, economic, psychological, and institutional domains. A qualitative phenomenological research design was adopted to capture the lived experiences of women voluntary returnees. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews involving returnee women, community members, and stakeholders engaged in migration governance and reintegration support. The data were analysed thematically to identify recurring patterns and experiences. The findings reveal that women’s migration and reintegration experiences are deeply gendered and shaped by intersecting social, economic, and cultural factors. Migration is primarily driven by poverty, unemployment, caregiving responsibilities, and limited livelihood opportunities. Upon return, women face multiple reintegration challenges, including stigma, discrimination, family rejection, psychological distress, health vulnerabilities, and economic insecurity. Community attitudes, family expectations, and institutional support significantly influence reintegration outcomes, with notable disparities between rural and urban contexts. Although organisations such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Caritas, and local NGOs provide psychosocial support, vocational training, and livelihood assistance, access to these services remains uneven and significant gaps persist, particularly in long-term psychosocial care, childcare support, safe accommodation, and sustainable economic opportunities. The study concludes that sustainable reintegration requires gender-responsive policies, stronger institutional coordination, improved psychosocial and economic support mechanisms, and broader structural interventions that address poverty, gender inequality, unemployment, and social stigma. The findings contribute to ongoing discussions on migration governance and provide evidence-based recommendations for strengthening reintegration support for female returnees in Sierra Leone.
Keywords: female returnees, irregular migration, reintegration, gender, social reintegration, economic reintegration, psychosocial wellbeing, Sierra Leone
Résumé
La réintégration des femmes de retour issues de la migration irrégulière demeure un domaine peu exploré de la recherche migratoire en Sierra Leone, malgré l’augmentation du nombre de femmes revenant de destinations telles que le Moyen-Orient et l’Afrique du Nord. Cette étude examine la manière dont les migrantes de retour naviguent le processus de réintégration en Sierra Leone, en accordant une attention particulière à l’influence du genre sur les expériences migratoires, les résultats de la réintégration et l’accès aux systèmes de soutien. En s’appuyant sur la théorie de l’intersectionnalité, la théorie de la migration de retour, la théorie du capital social et la théorie du point de vue féministe, l’étude explore la nature multidimensionnelle de la réintégration dans les domaines social, économique, psychologique et institutionnel. Une approche de recherche phénoménologique qualitative a été adoptée afin de saisir les expériences vécues des femmes revenant volontairement. Les données ont été collectées à travers des entretiens approfondis, des discussions de groupe et des entretiens avec des informateurs clés impliquant des femmes de retour, des membres de la communauté et des acteurs engagés dans la gouvernance migratoire et le soutien à la réintégration. Les données ont été analysées de manière thématique afin d’identifier des schémas et expériences récurrents. Les résultats montrent que les expériences de migration et de réintégration des femmes sont profondément marquées par le genre et façonnées par des facteurs sociaux, économiques et culturels qui s’entrecroisent. La migration est principalement motivée par la pauvreté, le chômage, les responsabilités familiales et le manque de moyens de subsistance. À leur retour, les femmes font face à de multiples défis de réintégration, notamment la stigmatisation, la discrimination, le rejet familial, la détresse psychologique, les vulnérabilités sanitaires et l’insécurité économique. Les attitudes communautaires, les attentes familiales et le soutien institutionnel influencent fortement les résultats de la réintégration, avec des disparités notables entre les contextes ruraux et urbains. Bien que des organisations telles que l’Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM), Caritas et des ONG locales fournissent un soutien psychosocial, une formation professionnelle et une assistance aux moyens de subsistance, l’accès à ces services reste inégal et des lacunes importantes persistent, notamment en matière de soins psychosociaux à long terme, de garde d’enfants, de logement sécurisé et d’opportunités économiques durables.L’étude conclut qu’une réintégration durable nécessite des politiques sensibles au genre, une meilleure coordination institutionnelle, des mécanismes de soutien psychosocial et économique renforcés, ainsi que des interventions structurelles plus larges s’attaquant à la pauvreté, aux inégalités de genre, au chômage et à la stigmatisation sociale. Les résultats contribuent aux débats en cours sur la gouvernance migratoire et fournissent des recommandations fondées sur des données probantes pour renforcer le soutien à la réintégration des femmes de retour en Sierra Leone.
Mots-clés: Femme migrantes de retour, migration irrégulière, réintégration, genre,réintégration sociale, réintégration économique, bien-être psychosocial, Sierra leone
Between Islands and Alps: The Lived Experiences of Filipino Workers in Slovenia
Juan Paulo Gabriel P. Amurao
Facing a recent increase in demographic decline and labour shortages, Slovenia is expanding its recruitment beyond the former Yugoslav region. In response, Filipino labour migration to Slovenia has increased. The recent cooperation with the Philippines signals a new migration corridor that remains academically unexplored. Furthermore, there is little to no information regarding the scale, characteristics, and experiences of Overseas Filipino Workers in Slovenia. This paper investigates how Filipino labour migration to Slovenia can be described and how Filipino workers navigate employment alongside social, cultural, and linguistic integration. It aims to do so by mapping the current landscape of Filipino labour migration and examining the lived experiences of Filipino workers. To do this, a mixed-methods design, using statistical data, migration policy documents, job postings, and 11 semi-structured interviews, was implemented to provide a foundational understanding of the topic. Several key findings emerged from the research. The current Filipino migration trend to Slovenia points to a great demand for Filipino labour in the manufacturing, transportation and logistics, construction, and food and hospitality sectors. The pathway Filipinos face to migrate is a strict but clear one, acting as a filter that only allows entry to those whose skills are needed in the Slovenian labour market. Lastly, participants commonly said that the social and cultural aspects of their integration experience are generally positive. Most of them agree that learning Slovene is a challenging experience, but they are determined to continue learning the language. The study provides a foundation for future academic work on Filipinos in Slovenia. It also informs evidence-based policymaking on this new migration flow, and its findings help better tailor programmes for integration.
Transnational Academic Mobility and Co-Production of Knowledge Between the Global South and North: The Case of Ethiopian Academics in Germany
Zemenu Temesgen Ayalew
According to studies measuring global academic output, Africa contributes only 2% of the world's research output. Drawing on the theories of epistemic injustice and the new mobility paradigm, this dissertation explores the implications of transnational academic mobility between the Global South and the Global North for the co-production and decolonisation of knowledge. Moreover, this study examines mobility trajectories, challenges, and strategies for advancing equitable knowledge production. Methodologically, this thesis relies on a qualitative research approach, a case study research design, and thematic and content analysis, and it draws on multiple data sources (in-depth interviews, participant observation, and informal conversations). Research participants were selected through non-probability purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Accordingly, the study's findings reveal an increasing flow of academics from the Global South to the Global North. The increasing unidirectional mobility of academics is driven by the availability of infrastructure (libraries, internet, books), access to quality education, and the presence of well-trained professors across different disciplines in the Global North. Moreover, socioeconomic and political crises in the Global South contribute to this increasing trend of South–North academic mobility. This implies that transnational academic mobility is not only career-driven but also a strategy to escape the polycrises in origin countries. The thesis also found that transnational academic mobility has both positive and negative implications for the co-production of knowledge and the decolonisation of knowledge production. On the one hand, transnational academic mobility plays a critical role in the co-production and decolonisation of knowledge in academia. On the other hand, the mass unidirectional South–North mobility of academics may serve as a tool for colonial continuity. Moreover, the thesis revealed different structural barriers causing sustained intellectual division of labour, including funding inequalities and the rise of populism in the West, on the one hand, and mobile academics' integration challenges and homesickness, on the other hand, which affect Global South academics' engagement in collaborative projects and the co-production of knowledge. Furthermore, the thesis suggests decoupling research partnerships from the capacity-building approach, expanding South–North and South–South research partnerships, and advancing transformative Global South–Global North collaborations as strategies to advance equitable knowledge production.
Keywords: transnational mobility, coloniality, decoloniality, co-production of knowledge, Global South, Global North
በዓለም አቀፍ የአካዳሚክ ውጤት ህትመት በሚለኩ ጥናቶች መሠረት አፍሪካ ከዓለም የምርምር ውጤት 2% ብቻ ትይዛለች። እውቀትን መሠረተ ያደረገ ኢፍትሃዊነት፣ እውቀትን በጋራ ማምረት እንደ እውቀት ዲሞክራሲ፣ በእውቀት ቅኝ ግዛትነት እና በአዲሱ የእንቅስቃሴ ፓራዲየም ላይ በመመስረት፣ ይህ ጥናት በዓለም አቀፍ ደቡብ እና በሰሜን መካከል ያለው ድንበር ዘለል የአካዳሚክ እንቅስቃሴ ለእውቀት በጋራ ማምረት እና ቅኝ ግዛት ማስወገድ ያለውን አንድምታ ይዳስሳል። በተጨማሪም፣ ይህ ጥናት የተንቀሳቃሽነት መንገዶችን፣ ተግዳሮቶችን እና ፍትሃዊ የእውቀት ምርትን ለማሳደግ ስልቶችን ይመረምራል። ይህ ጥናት በአይነታዊ የጥናተ ስነ ዘዴ፣ በጉዳይ ጥናት ምርምር ዲዛይን፣ እና በጭብጥ እና በይዘት ትንተና ላይ የተመሰረተ ሲሆን በርካታ የውሂብ ምንጮችን (ጥልቅ ቃለመጠይቆች፣ የተሳታፊ ምልከታ እና መደበኛ ያልሆኑ ውይይቶችን) ይጠቀማል። የምርምር ተሳታፊዎች የተመረጡት በዓላማዊ እና በበረዶ ኳስ ናሙና ቴክኒኮች ነው። በዚህ መሠረት፣ የጥናቱ ግኝቶች ከደቡብ ወደ ሰሜናዊ አለም የአካዳሚክ ፍሰት እየጨመረ መምጣቱን ያሳያል። የአንድ አቅጣጫዊ ፍሰት የሚመራው በመሠረተ ልማት (ቤተ-መጻሕፍት፣ ኢንተርኔት፣ መጻሕፍት) መገኘት፣ ጥራት ያለው ትምህርት ማግኘት እና በዓለም አቀፍ ሰሜን ውስጥ በተለያዩ ዘርፎች የሰለጠኑ ፕሮፌሰሮች መኖር ከደቡብ ወደ ሰሜን የሚደርው የትምህርት ጉዞ ለመጨምሩ ምክኒያቶች ናቸው። ከዚህም በተጨማሪ፣ በታዳጊ ሀገራት ውስጥ ያሉ ማህበራዊ-ኢኮኖሚያዊ እና ፖለቲካዊ ቀውሶች ለዚህ የደቡብ-ሰሜን የአካዳሚክ ተንቀሳቃሽነት አዝማሚያ እየጨመረ እንዲሄድ አስተዋጽኦ ያደርጋሉ። ይህ የሚያመለክተው ዓለም አቀፍ የአካዳሚክ ተንቀሳቃሽነት በሙያ ብቻ የሚመራ ሳይሆን በትውልድ አገር ውስጥ ካለው ሁሉን አቀፍ ምስቀልቅል ለማምለጥ የሚያስችል ስትራቴጂ መሆኑን ነው። ይህ ጥናት እንዳመለከተው ዓለም አቀፍ የአካዳሚክ እንቅስቃሴ አዎንታዊ እና አሉታዊ አንድምታዎች አሉት። በአንድ በኩል፣ ዓለም አቀፍ የአካዳሚክ እንቅስቃሴ በአካዳሚክ ውስጥ እውቀትን በጋራ በማምረት እና ከቀኝ ግዛት በማላቀቅ ረገድ ወሳኝ ሚና ይጫወታል። በሌላ በኩል፣ የተመራማሪዎች ከደቡብ-ሰሜን አንድ አቅጣጫዊ ተንቀሳቃሽነት ለቅኝ ግዛት ቀጣይነት እንደ መሳሪያ ሊያገለግል ይችላል። ከዚህም በላይ ይህ ጥናት የተለያዩ መዋቅራዊ እንቅፋቶችን አሳይቷል፣ ይህም የሰራተኛ ፍትሀዊ ያልሆንe ምሁራዊ ክፍፍልን፣ በምዕራቡ ዓለም የቅኝ ዘመም የፖለቲካ እንቅስቃሴ መጨመርና የቀጠሉ የገንዘብ አለመመጣጠንን ጨምሮ፣ እና የምሁራን ውህደት ተግዳሮቶች። በተጨማሪም ጥናቱ የምርምር ሽርክናዎችን ከአቅም ግንባታ አቀራረብ ማላቀቅ፣ የደቡብ-ሰሜን እና የደቡብ-ደቡብ የምርምር ሽርክናዎችን ማስፋፋት እና ፍትሃዊ የእውቀት ምርትን ለማሳደግ እንደ ስትራቴጂክ ትራንስፎርሜሽን ጠቁሟል። ቁልፍ ቃላት፡ ዓለም አቀፍ የአካዳሚክ እንቅስቃሴ፣ ቅኝ ግዛት፣ ፀረ-ቅኝ ግዛት፣ የእውቀት ተባባሪ ምርት፣ ደቡባዊ ፣ ሰሜን አለም
Transnational Political Engagement and Mobilisation in the Eritrean Diaspora: A Case Study of the Eritrean Blue Revolution Front (EBRF) in Germany
Bantayehu Demissew Eneyew
Eritrea is one of the most diasporic countries in the world, and Germany hosts the largest Eritrean diaspora in Europe. This study examines the transnational political engagement and mobilisation of the Eritrean Blue Revolution Front (EBRF), formerly Brigade N'hamedu (BNH). BNH, as a diaspora opposition transnational movement, emerged in Germany in 2022 and officially transformed into EBRF in 2025. This study analyses how EBRF emerged and mobilised in Germany and across transnational spaces. Furthermore, it investigates the key challenges that EBRF faced, how it navigated them, and how it engaged with host country governments. A constructivist research paradigm guided this qualitative study, which used a case study approach. The study employed semi-structured interviews, online observation, and documentary reviews. The findings and conclusions draw on the theoretical frameworks of transnational authoritarianism, transnationalism, the transnational social field, the transnational social space, and long-distance nationalism. The findings show that the EBRF emerged in 2022 as Brigade N'hamedu, driven by structural and triggering factors. The structural factors include Eritrea’s authoritarian regime continuity and transnational repression of the diaspora. The triggering factors include political dynamics in Ethiopia, the growing political consciousness of Eritrean diaspora members, the war in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, and Eritrea’s direct involvement in the war. BNH’s transition into EBRF in 2025 was necessitated by the need for organisational consolidation, legitimacy through rebranding into a legitimised political identity, and an inclusive, umbrella transnational political organisation. The study found that EBRF’s transnational diaspora mobilisation relied on three major strategies and mechanisms: disrupting pro-regime festivals as a form of visibility politics within a transnational social field; long-distance nationalism, using symbolic framing through the blue flag and the Blue Revolution; and digital media as a transnational social space for diaspora mobilisation. The study also found that the major challenges affecting EBRF’s transnational mobilisation include fragmentation along ethno-religious and regional lines, German authorities' securitisation of EBRF and its legitimacy costs, changing regional politics in host states such as Ethiopia, and the Eritrean authoritarian regime's co-option and political alliance strategy (i.e., Ximdo). In response to the challenges faced and the quest for legitimacy and recognition, EBRF transformed into an organised transnational political actor with a charter and established counter-regional alliances and counter-framing.
Keywords: Eritrean diaspora, Germany, EBRF, transnational political mobilisation
አጠቃሎ ኤርትራ በዓለም ላይ ካሉ ከፍተኛ የዲያስፖራ ቁጥር ካላቸው አገራት አንዷ ስትሆን፣ ጀርመን ደግሞ በአውሮፓ ውስጥ ትልቁን የኤርትራ ዲያስፖራ ታስተናግዳለች። ይህ ጥናት ቀደም ሲል ብርጌድ ንሓመዱ (ብንሀ) ተብሎ ይጠራ የነበረውን የኤርትራ ሰማያዊ አብዮት ግንባር (ኤሰአግ) ድንበር ተሻጋሪ የፖለቲካ ተሳትፎ እና ቅስቀሳ ይመረምራል። ብርጌድ ንሓመዱ እንደ ዲያስፖራ ድንበር ተሻጋሪ ተቃዋሚ ንቅናቄ በ2022 በጀርመን የተመሰረተ ሲሆን፣ በ2025 በይፋ ወደ የኤርትራ ሰማያዊ አብዮት ግንባር ተቀይሯል። ይህ ጥናት ኤሰአግ እንዴት እንደተፈጠረ፣ በጀርመንና በድንበር ተሻጋሪ ምህዳሮች ውስጥ እንዴት ቅስቀሳ እንዳደረገ፣ የገጠሙትን ዋና ዋና ተግዳሮቶች፣ እነዚህን ተግዳሮቶች እንዴት እንደተወጣ እና ከአስተናጋጅ አገራት መንግስታት ጋር እንዴት እንደተገናኘ ይመረምራል። ጥናቱ በኮንስትራክቲቪስት የምርምር ፓራዳይም ውስጥ የአይነታዊ ምርምር ጉዳይ ጥናት አካሄድን ተጠቅሟል። ጥናቱ የምርምር ጥያቄዎችን ለመመለስ በከፊል የተዋቀሩ ቃለ-መጠይቆችን፣ የኢንተርኔት ምልከታዎችን እና የሰነድ ክለሳዎችን ተጠቅሟል። ጥናቱ ግኝቶቹን እና መደምደሚያዎቹን ያወጣው ድንበር ተሻጋሪ አምባገነንነት፣ ትራንስናሽናሊዝም፣ ድንበር ተሻጋሪ ማህበራዊ መስክ፣ ድንበር ተሻጋሪ ማህበራዊ ምህዳር እና የረጅም ርቀት ብሄረተኝነት ንድፈ-ሃሳባዊ ማዕቀፎች ላይ በመመስረት ነው። የዚህ ጥናት ግኝቶች እንደሚያሳዩት የኤሰአግ በ2022 የተፈጠረው በመሰረታዊና እና ቀስቃሽ ምክንያቶች ነው። መሰረታዊ ምክንያቶቹ የኤርትራ አምባገነናዊ ሥርዓት መቀጠል እና በዲያስፖራው ላይ የሚደረገው ድንበር ተሻጋሪ ጭቆናን ያጠቃልላሉ። ቀስቃሽ ምክንያቶቹ ደግሞ በኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ ያለውን የፖለቲካ ተለዋዋጭነት፣ የኤርትራ ዲያስፖራ አባላት እያደገ የመጣውን የፖለቲካ ንቃተ-ህሊና፣ በኢትዮጵያ ትግራይ ክልል የነበረውን ጦርነት እና ኤርትራ በጦርነቱ ውስጥ ያላትን ቀጥተኛ ተሳትፎ ያካትታሉ። የብርጌድ ንሓመዱ በ2025 ወደ ኤሰአግ መሸጋገር ያስፈለገው ድርጅታዊ ጥንካሬን ለመፍጠር፣ ህጋዊ የፖለቲካ ማንነት እንደገና በመዋቀር ተቀባይነትን ለማግኘት፣ እና ሁሉንም የሚያጠቃልል ጥላ ድንበር ተሻጋሪ የፖለቲካ ድርጅት ለመሆን ካለው አስፈላጊነት የተነሳ ነው። እንደ ጥናቱ ግኝት የኤሰአግ ድንበር ተሻጋሪ የዲያስፖራ ፓለቲካዊ እንቅስቃሴ በሶስት ዋና ዋና ስልቶች ላይ የተመሰረተ ነው፡ እነሱም ገዥውን ስርዓት የሚደግፉ ፌስቲቫሎችን ማስተጓጎል በድንበር ተሻጋሪ ማህበራዊ መስክ ውስጥ የታይነት ፖለቲካ አካል ማድረግ፤ የረጅም ርቀት ብሄረተኝነትን በሰማያዊው ባንዲራ እና በሰማያዊው አብዮት ምሳሌያዊ ቅንብር መጠቀም፤ እና ዲጂታል ሚዲያን እንደ ድንበር ተሻጋሪ ማህበራዊ ምህዳር ለዲያስፖራ ቅስቀሳ መጠቀም ናቸው። ጥናቱ በተጨማሪም በኤሰአግ ድንበር ተሻጋሪ ቅስቀሳ ላይ ተጽእኖ ያሳደሩ ዋና ዋና ተግዳሮቶች በብሄር-ሃይማኖት እና በአውራጃዊ ማንነቶች መከፋፈል፣ የጀርመን ባለስልጣናት ኤሰአግን ከፀጥታ ስጋት አንጻር ማየታቸው እና የህጋዊነት ዋጋ ማስከፈሉ፣ እንዲሁም እንደ ኢትዮጵያ ባሉ አስተናጋጅ ሀገራት ውስጥ እየተቀያየረ የመጣው ቀጠናዊ ፖለቲካ፣ እና የኤርትራ አምባገነን መንግስት ትብብርና እና የፖለቲካ ጥምረት ስትራቴጂ (ማለትም "ጽምዶ") መሆናቸውን አረጋግጧል። ያጋጠሙትን ተግዳሮቶች ለመቋቋም እና ህጋዊነትንና እውቅናን ለማግኘት ኤሰአግ የራሱ ቻርተር ያለው እና ቀጠናዊ ጥምረቶችን እና ተቃራኒ ትረካዎችን መሰረተ በማድረግ ድንበር ተሻጋሪ የፖለቲካ ተዋናይ ሆኖ ተለውጧል። ቁልፍ ቃላት ፤ የኤርትራ ዲያስፖራ፣ ጀርመን፣ ኤሰአግ፣ ድንበር ተሻጋሪ የፖለቲካ ቅስቀሳ
The Right to a Healthy Environment: International Migrants’ Experiences of Climate (In)justice in Andalusia, Spain
Lucía Fernández Ríos
The fulfilment of the recently recognised “right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment”, essential for the further realisation of human rights, remains significantly uneven due to deeply rooted disparities in society. The objective of this research is to analyse the extent to which international migrants living in Andalusia, one of Spain’s most climate-vulnerable regions, enjoy this right. A climate justice and intersectionality framework helps connect the existing literature on this topic to the real-world experiences of international migrants in Andalusia, shaped by the overlap of identities that may create compounded vulnerabilities and privileges in accessing this right. Designed with a qualitative and deductive approach, this research uses a systematic literature review and case study method with semi-structured interviews to compile primary and secondary data. This case study is expected to advance “leave-no-one-behind” measures in the climate agenda, identifying how structural inequalities disproportionately affect constrained populations in increasingly constrained environments.
Resumen
El acceso al reciente “derecho a un medio ambiente seguro, limpio, saludable y sostenible", esencial para ejercer el resto de derechos humanos, sigue siendo significativamente desigual debido a profundas desigualdades en la sociedad. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar en qué medida las personas migrantes internacionales que viven en Andalucía, una de las regiones españolas más vulnerable al clima, disfrutan de este derecho. Un marco teórico de justicia climática e interseccionalidad ayudará a conectar la literatura existente sobre este tema con las experiencias reales de las personas migrantes internacionales en Andalucía, moldeadas por la superposición de factores que puede generar vulnerabilidades y privilegios en el acceso a este derecho. Esta investigación, diseñada desde un enfoque cualitativo y deductivo, utiliza la revisión sistemática y el estudio de caso como métodos para recopilar datos primarios y secundarios mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas. Este estudio de caso pretende impulsar medidas para “no dejar a nadie atrás” en la agenda climática, identificando cómo las desigualdades estructurales afectan desproporcionadamente a las poblaciones más desfavorecidas en entornos cada vez más deteriorados.
“We Missed You” From Soviet Kitchen Conversations to Digital Kitchens: Voice, Recurrence, and Russian-Speaking Sociality on Clubhouse
Christina Fukuoka
This thesis examines how the Soviet-era practice of kitchen conversation is remediated through synchronous voice-centred communication amongst geographically dispersed Russian-speaking participants. Taking Clubhouse as a digital field site, it asks how a historically situated form of open-ended, recurrent sociality is transformed when bodily co-presence and the relative privacy of the domestic kitchen are replaced by platform-mediated interaction across geographic distance. The study draws on digital ethnographic observation of publicly accessible Russian-speaking Clubhouse Rooms, a platform walkthrough, and three semi-structured interviews, analysed primarily through reflexive thematic analysis. Conceptually, it brings together platform affordances, mediated co-presence and rhythm, and the Russian notions of obshchenie and svoi through the concept of the Digital Kitchen. The findings show that the Digital Kitchen was not produced by shared language, Clubhouse’s architecture, or a pre-existing community alone. Platform affordances made geographically dispersed participants recurrently available to one another, while repeated participation transformed technical availability into recognition and, over time, expectation. Through recurrent, open-ended interaction, particular voices became familiar and socially significant, with some relations extending into friendship, care, private interaction, and offline life. Mundane and political talk were not separate domains but moved into and out of one another within the continuing social occasion. These relations nevertheless remained ambivalent: familiarity could generate intimacy and companionship, but also predictability, fatigue, exclusion, and uneven audibility. The thesis argues that Soviet kitchen conversation is remediated not through replication of the historical kitchen, but through the transformation of a relational and communicative form. More broadly, it identifies recurrence as a relation-forming process through which mediated encounters can produce familiarity, expectation, and selective social relations across distance.
Аннотация
Настоящая работа исследует, каким образом советская практика кухонных разговоров ремедиируется в условиях синхронного голосового общения между географически удалёнными русскоязычными участниками. На примере социальной аудиоплатформы Clubhouse рассматривается, как исторически сложившаяся форма открытого и регулярного общения трансформируется, когда физическое соприсутствие и относительная приватность домашней кухни сменяются взаимодействием на расстоянии, опосредованным цифровой платформой. Исследование основано на цифровом этнографическом наблюдении за публично доступными русскоязычными комнатами Clubhouse, систематическом анализе интерфейса платформы и трёх полуструктурированных интервью. Эмпирический материал анализируется преимущественно методом рефлексивного тематического анализа. Теоретическая рамка объединяет анализ возможностей платформы, опосредованного соприсутствия и ритмов повторяющегося взаимодействия, а также понятий общение и свои, которые сводятся воедино в предложенном в работе концепте «Цифровой кухни». Результаты показывают, что «Цифровая кухня» не возникала автоматически благодаря общему языку, устройству Clubhouse или существованию заранее сложившегося сообщества. Техническая организация платформы создавала возможности для повторных встреч географически удалённых участников, а регулярное участие постепенно превращало простую доступность в узнавание и, со временем, в ожидание присутствия конкретных людей. Благодаря повторяющемуся открытому общению отдельные голоса становились знакомыми и социально значимыми; некоторые возникшие таким образом отношения перерастали в дружбу, заботу, приватное общение и личные встречи вне платформы. Повседневные и политические темы при этом не образовывали отдельных сфер, а свободно переходили одна в другую в ходе продолжающегося общения. Вместе с тем складывающиеся отношения оставались неоднозначными: знакомство могло способствовать близости и ощущению сопричастности, но также приводить к предсказуемости, усталости, исключению и неравным возможностям быть услышанным. Работа показывает, что советская практика кухонных разговоров ремедиируется не через воспроизведение исторической кухни, а через преобразование определённой формы общения и построения социальных отношений. В более широком смысле исследование рассматривает регулярность взаимодействия как процесс, способный не только поддерживать уже существующие отношения, но и участвовать в формировании новых связей между людьми, разделёнными географическим расстоянием.
Between Home and Host: Lived Experiences of Afghan Evacuee Women Migrants in Lower Saxony, Germany
Roshan Gul Haidari
This master’s thesis explores the lived experiences of Afghan women who were evacuated to Germany following the Taliban takeover in August 2021 and who currently reside in Lower Saxony. The study asks, “How do these women experience and negotiate life between their notions of ‘home’ and their realities in the ‘host’ society?” The research is grounded in a tripartite theoretical framework that conceptualises identity, belonging, and integration as deeply interconnected processes unfolding within a diasporic space. Identity is understood as a dynamic process of becoming in a third space, examined through an intersectional lens. Belonging is analysed through the distinction between emotional attachment and the politics of belonging, attending to where and how one can feel at home. Integration is conceptualised as a two-way process of mutual accommodation, with the theory of capital providing analytical tools to understand the devaluation of pre-migration resources and the acquisition of new ones. Employing a qualitative phenomenological approach, the research is based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with eight Afghan evacuee women. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Six major themes emerged: the chaos of evacuation, navigating legal limbo, gendered realities, belonging and identity in Germany, integration barriers and opportunities, and visions of the future. An additional theme concerned the psychological toll of displacement. Findings reveal that evacuation constitutes a form of displacement with distinctive harms—legal precarity, deskilling, family separation, and emotional distress. Participants exercise agency through language learning, further education, and community engagement, yet integration is constrained by temporary residence permits and non-recognition of qualifications. The study contributes empirically rich data on an under-researched population, theoretically refines intersectional and phenomenological frameworks, and informs gender-sensitive integration policies.
Keywords: Afghan evacuee women, forced migration, identity, belonging, integration, intersectionality, diasporic space, Germany
Exploring Identity and Belonging: Life Story of An Artist with Migration Background in German Theatre
Ifrat Jahan
Beyond the simplistic, nation-centric definition of migration, it is a complex and interconnected phenomenon influenced by global conflicts, inequalities, and historical contexts, including colonial legacies. At the macro level, such phenomena often give rise to broad narratives in public, political, and academic spaces. At the micro level, there are individuals whose lives are affected by these processes. For my dissertation, I am conducting a life story approach to understand how identity is constructed, within complex and entangled contexts of mobility. This project explores the negotiation of identity and belonging of a theatre artist with migration background within Germany’s theatre industry, a significant site given the underrepresentation of migrants in this culturally important sector. The theoretical framework of this study is grounded in Homi Bhabha’s third space theory and the concept of entangled mobilities, which emphasize the hybrid, negotiated, and interconnected nature of migrant identities and movements. To access the story, I used biographical and art-based data collection methods, guided by thorough ethical considerations. The findings show that migration in the participant’s life is not a single event, but an ongoing condition shaped by war, family separation and reunification, racialized gatekeeping, and repeated efforts to make himself legible in German theatre. The life story also shows that identity cannot be reduced to hybridity between East and West; instead, it is understood through shared humanity, ethical responsibility, reading, memory, and artistic alliances across time and space. Theatre emerges as both a site of exclusion and a site of possibility. Theatre reproduces racism and tokenism, but it also allows the participant to experiment with identity, resist racialization, and imagine a more accessible and socially responsible theatre culture. In the broader field of migration studies, this research contributes to ongoing methodological and theoretical debates on life story research within migration contexts. It demonstrates how a singular story is simultaneously entangled in and contributes to knowledge of society and migration.
Keywords: Identity, Belonging, German Theatre, Life Story
Abstract In Bengali
খুব সাধারণ অর্থ ে মাইর্েশন মার্ন এক দেশ দথর্ক অনয দের্শ যাত্রা। ককন্তু জাতীয়তাবাে-দকন্দ্রিক এই সহজ সংজ্ঞার বাইর্র মাইর্েশন আসর্ে অতযন্ত জটিে একটি ঘিনা, যা জক়ির্য় আর্ে ববকিক সংঘাত, ববষময এবং ঐকতহাকসক দেক্ষাপর্ির সর্ে, কবর্শষ কর্র দলাবাে নথ ে ও দলাবাে সাউর্থর উপকনর্বকশক সম্পর্কের ধারাবাকহকতার সর্ে। সাকব েক পয োর্য় এই ধরর্নর ঘিনা জনসাধারণ, রাজননকতক এবং একার্েকমক অের্ন কবস্ত ৃ ত নানা ধরর্নর বণ েনার জন্ম দেয়।তর্ব খুব কনকব়িভার্ব পয ের্বক্ষণ করর্ে দেখা যায়, এই ঘিনার দকর্ি থার্ক কনকেেষ্ট মানুষর্ের জীবন। জীবর্নর দভতর্র দভতর্র, নানা পয োর্য়, তাাঁর্ের অকভজ্ঞতার্ক মাইর্েশন স্পশ ে কর্র, বের্ে দেয়। আমার মাস্টার্স ের কেকের জনয করা এই গর্বষণায় আকম দবর্ে কনর্য়কে একটি োইফ দস্টাকর করসার্ে। এর মাধযর্ম আকম অনুসন্ধান কর্রকে, কীভার্ব একটি বযন্দ্রি-সত্তা মাইর্েশর্নর মর্তা জটিে ঘিনার দ্বারা বহু স্তর্র েভাকবত হয়।এই গর্বষণায় দেখা যায়, অংশেহণকারীর জীবর্ন মাইর্েশন দকানও এককােীন কসদ্ধান্ত বা একবার্রর র্র্ে যাওয়া নয়; বরং যুদ্ধ, পকরবার কবর্েে ও পুনকম েেন, বণ েবােী দগিকককপং এবং জাম োন কথর্য়িার্র কনর্জর্ক ক্রমাগত েকাশ ও বযাখযা করার দর্ষ্টার মধয কের্য় গর়্ি ওঠা একটি র্েমান অবস্থা। জীবনবৃত্তান্তটি আরও দেখায়, কারও পকরর্য়র্ক শুধু দলাবাে নথ ে ও সাউথ-এর মর্ধয হাইকিকেটি কহর্সর্ব দবাঝা যায় না; বরং তা দবাঝা যায় দযৌথ মানকবকতা, বনকতক োয়বদ্ধতা, প়িার্শানা, স্মৃকত এবং সময় ও স্থার্নর সীমানা অকতক্রম কর্র গর়্ি ওঠা কশল্পীসুেভ দজার্ির মাধযর্ম।কথর্য়িার এই গর্বষণায় এককের্ক দযমন বাধা ও বজের্নর জায়গা কহর্সর্ব হান্দ্রজর হর্য়র্ে, অনযকের্ক আবার সম্ভাবনারও জায়গা হর্য় উর্ঠর্ে। এককের্ক কথর্য়িার বণ েবাে ও দিার্ককনজম পুনরুৎপােন কর্র, অনযকের্ক একই মঞ্চ অংশেহণকারীর্ক পকরর্য় কনর্য় পরীক্ষা–কনরীক্ষা করর্ত, দরকসয়াোইর্জশর্নর কবরুর্দ্ধ েকতর্রাধ গ়ির্ত এবং আরও সহজোপয ও সামান্দ্রজকভার্ব োয়বদ্ধ এক কথর্য়িার সংস্ক ৃ কত কল্পনা করর্ত সুর্যাগ কের্য়র্ে। এ গর্বষণায় আকম জাম োকনর্ত বসবাসকারী একজন েকক্ষণ এশীয় কথর্য়িার কশল্পীর জীবনগল্প কবর্েষণ কর্রকে। এই কবর্েষর্ণর তান্দ্রিক অবকাঠার্মা গঠর্নর জনয আকম দহাকম ভাবার থােে দস্পস এবং হাইকিকেটি ধারণা বযবহার কর্রকে। সম্পূণ ে জীবনকাকহকন ও কথর্য়িার অকভজ্ঞতার আর্োর্নার মাধযর্ম গর্বষণাটি দেখায়, কীভার্ব একটি বযন্দ্রিসত্তা জাম োন কথর্য়িার্রর োকতষ্ঠাকনক পকরর্বশ, তার বণ োয়ন, তার সীমাবদ্ধতা ও সম্ভাবনার দভতর কের্য় গর়্ি ওর্ঠ, বের্ে যায় এবং েকতর্রার্ধর পথ খুাঁর্জ দনয়।
Digital Representations of Migration: How Tunisian Youth Negotiate Europe on Instagram and YouTube (2023–2025)
Nizar Jouini
Tunisia has the highest rate of migration aspiration among Maghreb youth. Yet little is known about how digital platforms sustain this aspiration, even when audiences can see clear evidence of migration's costs. This thesis asks how content made by Tunisian youth in Europe on Instagram and YouTube shapes the migration imaginaries of young people still in Tunisia. The study analyses 101 items (40 from Instagram, 61 from YouTube) produced between August 2023 and January 2025. This period was shaped by the July 2023 EU–Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding and the wave of deportations that followed it. The method combines multimodal discourse analysis, grounded in digital migration studies and netnography, with qualitative coding of 642 comments from 14 threads. Three findings stand out. First, the same migration experience is told differently on each platform: aspirational on Instagram, focused on precarity on YouTube, often by the same creators. This suggests that platform logic, and not only creator choice, shapes how migration is imagined. Second, what I call the visibility trap: when remittances are displayed publicly on Instagram, they draw moral judgement from peers, a dynamic that existing research on private family remittances does not capture. Third, deportation testimonies that framed removal as a political event rarely read as deterrence in the comments. More often, aspiration was deepened or redirected to other destinations. The comments show four modes of aspiration: active planning, considered rejection, hopelessness, and interest in alternative destinations. The thesis proposes platform architecture as a missing factor in aspiration–capability theory. It also suggests that EU migration communication is structurally out of step with the digital environment it aims to influence.
الملخص
تتصدّر تونس بلدان المغرب العربي من حيث نسبة الشباب الراغبين في الهجرة، إذ يُعبّر 52.8٪ منهم عن تطلّعهم إلى مغادرة البلاد. غير أنّ الدور الذي تؤدّيه المنصات الرقمية في إذكاء هذا التطلّع واستدامته، حتى حين يكون المتلقّون على بيّنة من تكاليف الهجرة ومخاطرها، ما يزال مسألةً لم تُشبعها الأدبيات بحثًا. وتسعى هذه الأطروحة إلى الإجابة عن سؤال مركزي: كيف تُسهم المضامين الرقمية التي ينتجها شباب تونسيون مقيمون في أوروبا على منصّتَي إنستغرام ويوتيوب في تشكيل متخيَّل الهجرة لدى أقرانهم في تونس؟
وتستند الدراسة إلى مدوّنة تضمّ 101 مادةٍ رقمية (40 من إنستغرام و61 من يوتيوب) نُشرت بين أغسطس 2023 ويناير 2025، في سياقٍ شكّلته مذكرة التفاهم بين تونس والاتحاد الأوروبي في يوليو 2023 وما أعقبها من تصاعدٍ في عمليات الترحيل. وتعتمد مقاربةً منهجية تزاوج بين تحليل الخطاب متعدّد الوسائط، المتجذّر في دراسات الهجرة الرقمية والإثنوغرافيا الشبكية، والترميز الكيفي لـ642 تعليقًا مستخرَجًا من 14 سلسلة تعليقات.
وتخلص الدراسة إلى ثلاث نتائج رئيسية. أولاها أنّ تجربة الهجرة الواحدة تُقدَّم وفق سجلَّين خطابيَّين متباينَين: سجلٍّ تطلّعي على إنستغرام يُبرز صورة أوروبا الموعودة، وسجلٍّ على يوتيوب يُركّز على الهشاشة والمعاناة، وغالبًا على أيدي المنتجين أنفسهم؛ ممّا يدلّ على أنّ منطق المنصة، وليس خيارات المنتجين وحدها، يُسهم في صياغة متخيَّل الهجرة. وثانيتها ما أقترح تسميته بـ«فخّ الظهور»، إذ يُفضي الإفصاح العلني عن التحويلات المالية على إنستغرام إلى إخضاع أصحابها لرقابةٍ أخلاقية من الأقران، وهي ظاهرة تعجز عن تفسيرها أدبيات الاقتصاد الأخلاقي للتحويلات، لكونها بُنيت أساسًا على العلاقات الأسرية والمجتمعية الخاصة. وثالثتها أنّ شهادات المُرحَّلين، التي قدّمت الترحيل بوصفه حدثًا سياسيًا، لم تُؤدِّ إلى الردع في أغلب التعليقات، بل كثيرًا ما رسّخت التطلّع إلى الهجرة أو أعادت توجيهه نحو وجهات أخرى. كما يكشف تحليل التعليقات عن أربعة أنماط من التطلّع إلى الهجرة: التخطيط الفعلي للرحيل، والعزوف الواعي، وفقدان الأمل، والتوجّه نحو وجهات بديلة.
وتقترح الأطروحة، في خاتمتها، إدراج البنية المعمارية للمنصات الرقمية بوصفها متغيّرًا وسيطًا مُغفَلًا في إطار «التطلّعات والقدرات»، كما تخلص إلى أنّ استراتيجيات التواصل التي يعتمدها الاتحاد الأوروبي في مجال الهجرة تشوبها فجوة بنيوية تفصلها عن البيئة الثقافية الرقمية التي تستهدفها.
Women of the Village to Women of the City: Reconceptualising Upward Mobility in Bangalore’s Peri-Urban Fringe
Gurbani Kaur
This thesis examines how internal migrant women working in domestic and service jobs in Tharabanahalli, a rapidly peri-urbanising village in Bangalore's airport corridor, experience and narrate upward mobility, and how their labour shapes the urbanisation of the city's edge. Migration in India is routinely framed through an economic lens that reads these women as a low-wage labour reserve. Against this, the study argues that upward mobility is poorly captured by wage progression and is better understood as the translation of limited, unevenly accessed resources into recognition, autonomy, security, and belonging (RASB)—a framework developed inductively from women's own accounts of "doing better" and read through Kabeer's resources–agency–achievements model. Drawing on twenty life-history interviews and four institutional accounts, alongside paired economic and non-economic mobility indices, the analysis shows that women perform this translation through Simone and Pieterse's everyday "Make+Shift" practices, and across Landau’s "mobile space-times", so that present precarity is tolerated for gains realised elsewhere and elsewhen—in natal villages, in children's futures, in imagined onward moves. These gains are ambivalent: the same work that yields standing, autonomy and a sense of safety also carries surveillance, bodily cost, employer dependence, and deferred dreams, making mobility less a ladder than a form of constrained resourcefulness. Reading Tharabanahalli as McFarlane’s peri-urban assemblage, the thesis further argues that these women are not incidental to urban transformation but the connective labour through which the corridor is assembled and sustained, even as the divergence between the institutional "view from the top" and the women's "view from the ground" reveals that the same assemblage which runs on their labour records them most thinly. By centring women's lived experiences and temporally shifting criteria of progress, the thesis offers RASB as a portable framework for understanding mobility beyond income and makes the case that recognising and supporting this world-making labour is both a matter of justice and a condition of the peri-urban's own reproduction.
सारांश (Hindi Abstract )
यह थीिसस बेंगलुरु के एयरपोटर् के पास बसे एक गाँव तारबनहल्ली के बारे में है, जहाँ तेज़ी से शहर फै लता जा रहा है। यहाँ द ू सरी जगहोंसे आई प्रवासी मिहलाएँ घरेलू और सेवा का काम करती हैं। यह स्टडी देखती है िक ये मिहलाएँ अपनी िज़ ं दगी में "आगे बढ़ने" (upward mobility) को कै से महसूस करती हैं और उसके बारे में क्या कहती हैं, और उनका काम शहर के िकनारे को कै से बनाता है। अक्सर भारत मेंप्रवास को िसफ़र् पैसे/आिथर् क नज़िरए से देखा जाता है, िजसमें इन मिहलाओं को बस सस्ता मज़द ू र मान िलया जाता है। लेिकनयह स्टडी कहती है िक िसफ़र् वेतन बढ़ने से "आगे बढ़ना" ठीक से नहीं समझा जा सकता। इसके बदले, आगे बढ़ने का मतलब है अपने कमऔर सीिमत संसाधनों को चार चीज़ों में बदलना: मान्यता (Recognition), स्वतंत्रता (Autonomy), सुरक्षा (Security) और अपनापन(Belonging) — यानी RASB। यह आइिडया खुद मिहलाओं की बातों से िनकला है (िक उनके िलए "बेहतर होना" क्या है), और इसेकबीर के एक मॉडल के साथ जोड़ा गया है। बीस मिहलाओं के जीवन के इं टरव्यू और चार संस्थाओं (institutions) की बात के आधार परस्टडी यह िदखाती है िक मिहलाएँ रोज़मरार् की छोटी-छोटी जुगाड़ (Make+Shift) से काम चलाती हैं और अलग-अलग जगह और समय कोजोड़कर सोचती हैं। इसिलए वे आज की मुिश्कलों को सहती हैं, क्योंिक उन्हें फ़ायदा कहीं और या िकसी और समय िमलता है — अपनेगाँव में, बच्चों के भिवष्य में, या आगे कहीं जाने की उम्मीद में। लेिकन ये फ़ायदे अधूरे हैं: जो काम उन्हें इज़्ज़त, आज़ादी और सुरक्षा देता है, वही काम उन पर नज़र (surveillance), शरीर पर बोझ, मािलक पर िनभर्रता और अधूरे सपने भी लाता है। इसिलए "आगे बढ़ना" एक सीढ़ी(ladder) जैसा नहीं, बिल्क तंग हालात में जुगाड़ लगाने जैसा है। आगे थीिसस कहती है िक ये मिहलाएँ शहर के बदलाव का मामूली िहस्सानहीं हैं, बिल्क वही अहम कड़ी हैं जो इस पूरे इलाके को जोड़ती और चलाती हैं। लेिकन अफ़सोस यह है िक संस्थाएँ "ऊपर से" जो देखती हैंऔर मिहलाएँ "ज़मीन पर" जो जीती हैं, दोनों में बड़ा अंतर है — जो िसस्टम उनके काम पर चलता है, वही उन्हें सबसे कम िगनती में लेता है।मिहलाओं की अपनी सोच को कें द्र में रखकर, यह थीिसस RASB को एक ऐसा तरीका बताती है िजससे "आगे बढ़ने" को िसफ़र् पैसे सेआगे जाकर समझा जा सके । और यह कहती है िक इन मिहलाओं के काम को पहचानना और सपोटर् करना न्याय की बात भी है, और शहरके िकनारे को चलते रहने के िलए ज़रूरी भी है।
Migrant Student Attitudes Towards English Mediation in Norwegian L3 Classrooms: Interrogating Linguistic Hierarchies in Language Education
Madison Kelly
This thesis investigates the role that English plays as a mediating language in the context of Norwegian language classrooms and its impact on learner motivation and identity construction among migrant students in Stavanger. In many multilingual educational settings where students share neither Norwegian nor the same first language (L1), English can frequently serve as a bridge, used by teachers for explanatory and managerial purposes, by students for clarification and communication in the classroom, or in student interactions inside and outside the class. However, there is a critical gap in research on the implications of the use of English as a mediating language for student experiences and learners’ attitudes towards its use in the classroom. The research draws on previous scholarship at the intersection of sociolinguistics and migration studies. Central to the work is the concept of translanguaging (García & Wei, 2014), highlighting how students’ full and fluid linguistic repertoires interact within the classroom. Building upon this, the study incorporates Canagarajah’s (2006, 2013) analysis of global English, incorporating his argument that English currently functions as a mobile resource that interacts and intersects unevenly with existing power structures. The study also engages with existing concepts of linguistic hierarchies (Bourdieu, 1991; Woolard, 1985) and situates these hierarchies within the broader context of integration and language acquisition as a moral evaluation of the “good migrant” (i.e., who is welcomed in Norway and who is not) as developed by Anderson (2013). By connecting these frameworks, the study aims to investigate how student attitudes towards English as a mediating language are shaped by broader discourses of language prestige and national belonging in the context of migration in Norway. To explore these questions, the study employs a mixed-methods approach, utilising qualitative and quantitative data collected from interviews, classroom observations, and survey responses. The participants are adult migrant students attending beginner Norwegian classes in Stavanger, Norway, and include only students who have an L1 other than English. The interviews centre the participants’ backgrounds, linguistic and otherwise, and their experiences and perspectives on English use in the class, as well as their evolving identities in Norway, inside and outside the classroom. The study aims to contribute to contemporary discussions on language learning in migration contexts, offering insight into the role that language use and linguistic hierarchies play in the lives of migrants around the world. It also seeks to inform language education policy and education reform within Norway, centring the voices of those whose linguistic and cultural identities are most affected by decisions about language use in the classroom.
Sammendrag
Denne masteroppgaven undersøker rollen engelsk spiller som medierende språk i norske språklæringsklasserom, og hvilken innflytelse det har på deltakernes motivasjon, identitetskonstruksjon og deltakelse i undervisningen. I flerspråklige utdanningsmiljøer, der deltakerne verken deler norsk eller samme førstespråk (L1), kan engelsk ofte fungere som et bindeledd. Det brukes av lærere til forklaringer og klasseromsledelse, av deltakere for avklaringer og kommunikasjon i undervisningen, samt i samhandling mellom deltakere både i og utenfor klasserommet. Til tross for dette finnes det et betydelig forskningsmessig kunnskapshull når det gjelder konsekvensene av å bruke engelsk som medierende språk for deltakernes erfaringer og holdninger til språkbruken i klasserommet. Med utgangspunkt i tidligere forskning i skjæringspunktet mellom sosiolingvistikk og migrasjonsstudier benytter denne studien intervjuer, klasseromsobservasjoner og digitale spørreundersøkelser for å undersøke hvilke betydninger deltakerne tillegger bruken av engelsk. Analysen viser at engelsk ofte fungerer som en viktig ressurs ved å redusere kommunikative barrierer i de tidlige fasene av tilegnelsen av et tredjespråk og ved å muliggjøre deltakelse i det norske samfunnet mer generelt. Samtidig formes deltakernes holdninger til bruk av engelsk som medierende språk gjennom bredere forestillinger om språklæring, forventninger om integrering og opplevelser av legitimitet som migranter. Videre fremkom engelskkunnskaper som en form for kapital som både kunne lette og begrense tilgang til ressurser og muligheter. Studien har som mål å bidra til aktuelle diskusjoner om språklæring i migrasjonskontekster ved å gi innsikt i hvilken rolle språkbruk og språklige hierarkier spiller i migranters liv verden over. Den søker også å informere språkpolitikk og utdanningsreformer i Norge ved å løfte frem stemmene til dem hvis språklige og kulturelle identiteter påvirkes mest av beslutninger om språkbruk i klasserommet. Nøkkelord: sosiolingvistikk, flerspråklig utdanning, fortjenthet (deservingness), engelsk som medierende språk, språklig kapital, migrasjonsutdanning
Rethinking the Kafala System and Sierra Leone’s Labour and Gender Laws: A Case Study of Sierra Leonean Migrant Women in Lebanon
Margret Leomy
This dissertation examines the relationship between legality, labour migration, and exploitation through a case study of Sierra Leonean migrant domestic workers under the Kafala system in Lebanon. Challenging the dominant assumption within migration governance that formal migration pathways guarantee protection, the study explores how state-sanctioned migration systems may themselves produce and sustain vulnerability. Drawing on a multi-sited mixed-methods approach, the research combines semi-structured interviews with returnee migrant domestic workers, institutional actors, legal practitioners, and advocacy groups alongside documentary, legal, and policy analysis. Guided by feminist legal and socio-legal perspectives, the study investigates how legality is constructed, experienced, and contested within transnational labour migration systems. The findings reveal that migrant domestic workers frequently equate legality with procedural indicators such as visas, contracts, licensed recruitment agents, and official departure channels. However, these markers of legality often fail to translate into substantive protection in practice. The research identifies deceptive recruitment, contract substitution, racialised labour hierarchies, gender-based violence, institutional neglect, and legal invisibility as central mechanisms through which exploitation is normalised within formally legal migration pathways. The dissertation further demonstrates that exploitation under the Kafala system cannot be understood solely as the result of individual misconduct or isolated legal failures. Rather, it is structurally produced through the interaction of migration governance frameworks, labour systems, institutional practices, and socio-economic inequalities. The study contributes to broader debates within migration studies, feminist legal scholarship, and labour migration governance by arguing that legality, when detached from enforceable rights and institutional accountability, may function less as a safeguard and more as a mechanism through which exploitation is obscured and sustained. Ultimately, the study calls for a fundamental rethinking of migration governance frameworks, emphasising the need to move beyond procedural legality towards rights-based approaches grounded in substantive protection, dignity, and accountability for migrant domestic workers.
Keywords: Kafala system, migrant domestic workers, legality, labour migration, feminist legal theory, Sierra Leone, Lebanon, migration governance, exploitation
“Between Hope and Despair”: Navigating Delayed Transitions to Adulthood in Bangladesh
Marion Martins Antunes
Despite residing in a country with the world's youngest population, youth in Bangladesh face persistent challenges in education, employment, and broader life trajectories. While these conditions have contributed to delayed transitions into adulthood, young people, rather than remaining passive, have adopted strategies to navigate these constraints, ranging from everyday individual practices to collective action and migration aspirations. Although existing studies have examined youth precarity in Bangladesh from multiple perspectives, the temporal consequences and interplay of these challenges for achieving social markers of adulthood remain underexplored. Similarly, the role of digital infrastructures and intersecting social identities such as gender, ethnicity, religion, class, and geography remains insufficiently examined. This study therefore analyses how young people experience and interpret delayed transitions into adulthood in Bangladesh and how they navigate different pathways in response to precarity. It adopts a qualitative approach based on 12 semi-structured interviews with higher education students from Bangladesh aged 19 to 24. The findings reveal that transitions to adulthood are shaped by difficulties accessing education, intense familial and societal pressure surrounding achievement, and low-quality education, which contributes to difficulties entering a labour market characterised by limited opportunities and mismatches between qualifications, aspirations, and available employment. In response, youth developed different forms of agency, from quieter practices centred on survival and self-development to collective protest and migration aspirations. Across these experiences, opportunities and constraints were increasingly shaped by digital infrastructures and unequally distributed across social identities. Beyond providing empirical insights into youth experiences, this study contributes to broader scholarship on youth transitions by demonstrating that youth transitions in Bangladesh are shaped by interconnected processes unfolding across digital and intersectional inequalities. Educational precarity contributes to labour market exclusion, encouraging everyday survival strategies that coexist with political mobilisation, while disappointment with these pathways, in turn, reinforces migration aspirations.
বাাংলা সারসাংক্ষেপ বিশ্বের অন্যতম তরুণ জন্শ্ব োষ্ঠীর দেশ হওযো সশ্বেও, িোাংলোশ্বেশ্বশর তরুণরো বশক্ষো, কমমসাংস্থোন্ এিাং জীিশ্বন্র িৃহত্তর বতপশ্বে ক্রমো ত চ্যোশ্বলশ্বের মুশ্বিোমুবি হশ্বে। এসি পবরবস্থবত প্রোপ্তিযস্কতোয উত্তরণ বিলবিত করশ্বলও তরুণরো বন্ষ্ক্রিয ন্ো দেশ্বক এই সীমোিদ্ধতোগুশ্বলো দমোকোবিলোয বিবিন্ন দকৌশল গ্রহণ কশ্বরশ্বে, দেন্ষ্ক্রিন্ িযষ্ক্রি ত অন্ুশীলন্ দেশ্বক শুরু কশ্বর সষ্ক্রিবলত পেশ্বক্ষপ এিাং অবিিোসশ্বন্র আকোঙ্ক্ষো পর্মন্ত। বিেযমোন্ শ্বিষণোগুশ্বলো িোাংলোশ্বেশ্বশ তরুণশ্বের অবন্শ্চযতোশ্বক িহুমোষ্ক্রিক েৃষ্টিশ্বকোণ দেশ্বক পরীক্ষো করশ্বলও, প্রোপ্তিযস্কতোর সোমোষ্ক্রজক মোন্েণ্ড অজমশ্বন্ এসি চ্যোশ্বলশ্বের সময ত পবরণবত ও পোরস্পবরক ষ্ক্রক্রযো এিন্ও অপর্মোপ্তিোশ্বি অন্ুসন্ধোন্ করো হশ্বযশ্বে। একইিোশ্বি, বিষ্ক্রজটোল অিকোঠোশ্বমো এিাং বলঙ্গ, জোবতসত্তো, ধমম, দেবণ ও দিৌশ্ব োবলক অিস্থোশ্বন্র মশ্বতো পরস্পরশ্বেেী সোমোষ্ক্রজক পবরচ্যগুশ্বলোর িূবমকোও র্শ্বেি পরীবক্ষত হযবন্। তোই এই শ্বিষণোয বিশ্বেষণ করো হশ্বযশ্বে দর্, িোাংলোশ্বেশ্বশ তরুণরো কীিোশ্বি প্রোপ্তিযস্কতোয বিলবিত উত্তরণশ্বক অন্ুিি ও িযোিযো কশ্বর এিাং অবন্শ্চযতোর প্রবতষ্ক্রক্রযোয কীিোশ্বি বিবিন্ন পে অিলিন্ কশ্বর। এই শ্বিষণোয িোাংলোশ্বেশ্বশর ১৯ দেশ্বক ২৪ িের িযসী উচ্চবশক্ষোরত বশক্ষোেীশ্বের সোশ্বে ১২ষ্টট আধো-কোঠোশ্বমোিদ্ধ সোক্ষোৎকোশ্বরর বিবত্তশ্বত একষ্টট গুণ ত পদ্ধবত গ্রহণ করো হশ্বযশ্বে। শ্বিষণোর ফলোফশ্বল দেিো র্োয দর্, প্রোপ্তিযস্কতোয উত্তরণ বিবিন্ন সীমোিদ্ধতো দ্বোরো প্রিোবিত হয, র্োর মশ্বধয রশ্বযশ্বে বশক্ষোয প্রশ্বিশ্বশর অসুবিধো, সোফলযশ্বক বিশ্বর তীব্র পোবরিোবরক ও সোমোষ্ক্রজক চ্োপ এিাং বশক্ষোর বন্ম্নমোন্ দর্িোশ্বি েমিোজোশ্বর প্রশ্বিশশ্বক কষ্টঠন্ কশ্বর দতোশ্বল, র্ো সীবমত সুশ্বর্ো এিাং দর্ো যতো, আকোঙ্ক্ষো ও প্রোপ্ত কমমসাংস্থোশ্বন্র মশ্বধয অসোমেসয দ্বোরো বচ্বিত। এর প্রবতষ্ক্রক্রযোয, তরুণরো বিবিন্ন ধরশ্বন্র সষ্ক্রক্রযতো শ্ব়ে তুশ্বলশ্বে, ষ্টটশ্বক েোকো ও আত্মউন্নযন্শ্বকষ্ক্রিক ন্ীরি অন্ুশীলন্ দেশ্বক শুরু কশ্বর সষ্ক্রিবলত প্রবতিোে এিাং অবিিোসশ্বন্র আকোঙ্ক্ষো পর্মন্ত। এসি অবিজ্ঞতো জুশ্ব়ে, সুশ্বর্ো ও সীমোিদ্ধতো ক্রমিধমমোন্িোশ্বি বিষ্ক্রজটোল অিকোঠোশ্বমো দ্বোরো রূপোবযত এিাং সোমোষ্ক্রজক পবরচ্য জুশ্ব়ে অসমিোশ্বি িবিত হশ্বযশ্বে। তরুণশ্বের অবিজ্ঞতোর িোস্তিসিত অন্তেৃমষ্টি প্রেোন্ এিাং বিেযমোন্ শ্বিষণোর িযোপকতর দিোঝোপ়েোয অিেোন্ রোিোর পোশোপোবশ, এই শ্বিষণোর ফলোফল প্রেশমন্ কশ্বর দর্, িোাংলোশ্বেশ্বশ তরুণশ্বের উত্তরণ বিষ্ক্রজটোল ও পরস্পরশ্বেেী দিষময জুশ্ব়ে উে্িূত আন্তঃসাংর্ুি প্রষ্ক্রক্রযো দ্বোরো ষ্টঠত। বশক্ষো ত অবন্শ্চযতো েমিোজোর দেশ্বক িজমশ্বন্ অিেোন্ রোশ্বি, র্ো দেন্ষ্ক্রিন্ ষ্টটশ্বক েোকোর দকৌশলশ্বক উৎসোবহত কশ্বর এিাং এগুশ্বলো রোজনন্বতক সাং ঠশ্বন্র সোশ্বে সহোিস্থোন্ কশ্বর, আর এসি পশ্বে হতোশো পরিতীশ্বত অবিিোসশ্বন্র আকোঙ্ক্ষোশ্বক আরও শষ্ক্রিশোলী কশ্বর।
Memory Bank Narratives and Storytelling of Somali Migrants in Stavanger: Using Memory Bank Narratives to Construct Identity and Belonging
Suraya Mohammed
This thesis examines what oral history interviews from the Memory Bank project at the University of Stavanger, combined with researcher-conducted interviews, reveal about how Somali migrants in Stavanger construct identity and belonging through storytelling. Despite more than three decades of Somali presence in Norway, existing scholarship has focused primarily on integration outcomes and structural disadvantage, leaving underexplored the question of how Somali migrants narrate their own experiences and what cultural resources they draw upon in doing so. This thesis addresses that gap by foregrounding Somali oral traditions that shape how participants structure and tell their stories, including proverbs (maahmaah), genealogical recitation (abtirsiinyo), and intergenerational addresses. The study draws on five interviews: two oral history interviews selected from the Memory Bank archive based on participant consent and relevance and three semi-structured interviews conducted directly by the researcher through personal and community connections in Stavanger. The researcher also contributed to the Memory Bank project through an internship, and the three researcher-conducted interviews form part of the archive's ongoing development. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-phase thematic analysis. The theoretical framework integrates counter-narrative theory (Bamberg & Andrews, 2004; Solórzano & Yosso, 2002), Somali oral tradition (Andrzejewski & Lewis, 1964), and diaspora studies (Brah, 1996; Hall, 1990). Three themes emerged from the analysis: Trauma, Displacement, and Struggle; Resilience, Adaptation, and Personal Growth; and Identity, Belonging, and Cultural Negotiation. The findings demonstrate that participants' narratives are active sites of counter-narrative production, contesting deficit framings of Somali migrants in Norwegian public discourse. Somali oral storytelling forms emerge as living resources through which cultural identity and historical memory are transmitted across generations. Belonging was found to be layered, multidimensional, and negotiated through storytelling rather than determined by legal status or cultural conformity. The thesis contributes theoretically by demonstrating the productive intersection of counter-narrative theory with Somali oral tradition in a Norwegian diaspora context not previously studied; empirically by providing a close reading of five specific migrant narratives; and methodologically by modelling how Memory Bank archival data can be combined with researcher-conducted interviews to both analyse and enrich a developing archive. The study also considers the Memory Bank's growing potential as a research site, educational resource, and community institution.
Algorithmic Care Chains: The Digital Transformations of Filipino Migrants’ Work in the U.S. and U.K. Healthcare Systems
Justine Angelica Orbe
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being deployed in healthcare systems around the globe, yet little is known about how these technological advancements interact with the structural hierarchies of gender, race, and migrant dependency in global care labour. This study examines the intersection of technological, socioeconomic, and sociopolitical transformation by investigating how AI integration reorganises and transforms the nature of care work for Filipino migrant nurses across two different contexts: the United States, where AI deployment in healthcare is well underway, and the United Kingdom, where AI-oriented policy initiatives are yet to be realised. Drawing on postcolonial feminist theories of global care chains, frameworks on algorithmic governance and AI ethics, and biopolitical analyses of technological control, this study presents algorithmic care chains as a conceptualisation of the new layer of power linking transnational hierarchical labour flows with digitalisation. Methodologically, the study employs an anticipatory, comparative qualitative design, utilising semi-structured interviews and a supplementary anonymous online survey among Filipino nurses in the United States and the United Kingdom to capture perceptions, experiences, and expectations of AI modernisation agendas. The findings indicate that nurses in both countries largely perceive AI as a tool for augmenting rather than replacing nursing practice while emphasising the continued necessity of human oversight, professional judgement, and relational care. They further suggest that AI is understood through existing workplace conditions characterised by staffing shortages, resource constraints, and institutional inequalities, indicating that technological integration occurs within, rather than independently of, established systems of care labour. By situating contemporary technological innovations within the context of long-standing hierarchies present in sociopolitical realities, the study refines the concept of algorithmic care chains and generates empirically grounded, justice-centred insights into how AI is reshaping the governance of migrant care labour.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, healthcare, Filipino migrant nurses, global care chains, algorithmic care chains, algorithmic governance, migration, United States, United Kingdom
Filipino
Ang artipisyal na intelihensya (AI) ay ginagamit sa mga sistemang pangkalusugan sa modernisadong mundo, ngunit kakaunti pa rin ang kaalaman tungkol sa kung paano nakikipag- ugnayan ang mga teknolohiyang ito sa umiiral na estruktural na hirarkiya batay sa kasarian, lahi, at pag-asa sa mga manggagawang migranteng tagapag-alaga. Sinusuri ng pag-aaral na ito ang ugnayan ng teknolohikal, sosyo-ekonomiko, at sosyo-politikal na transpormasyon sa pamamagitan ng pagsiyasat sa kung paano binabago ng AI ang gawaing pang-alaga para sa mga Pilipinong migranteng nars sa dalawang magkaibang konteksto: sa Estados Unidos, kung saan malawak na ang paggamit ng AI sa pangangailangang pangkalusugan, at sa Britanya, kung saan umuusbong pa lang ang mga patakarang nakatuon sa AI. Gamit ang postkolonyal at peministang teorya sa global care chains, mga balangkas sa algorithmic governance at AI ethics, at mga biopolitikal na analisa ng teknolohikal na kontrol, inihaharap ng pag-aaral na ito ang konsepto ng algorithmic care chains bilang paglalarawan ng bagong antas ng kapangyarihang nag-uugnay sa transnasyunal na hirarkiya ng paggawa at digitalisasyon. Ang pag-aaral na ito ay gumagamit ng antisipatorya at kumparatibo na kwalitatibong disenya, at sa pamamagitan ng semi-structured na mga panayam at isang karagdagang online survey sa mga Pilipinong nars sa Estados Unidos at Britanya, nakuha nito ang kanilang mga pakiwari, karanasan, at ekspektasyon hinggil sa mga programang modernisasyon gamit ang AI. Ipinakikita ng mga natuklasan na sa pangkalahatan ay tinitignan ng mga nars sa parehong bansa ang AI bilang kasangkapang sumusuporta at nagpapalawak sa kanilang gawain. Patuloy din nilang binibigyang-diin ang kahalagahan ng human oversight at relasyunal na pangangalaga. Ipinahihiwatig ng mga natuklasan sa pag-aaral na ito na ang teknolohiya ay nagaganap sa loob, at hindi hiwalay sa, umiiral nang mga sistema ng gawaing pang- alaga. Sa pamamagitan ng paglalagay ng kasalukuyang teknolohikal na inobasyon sa konteksto ng matagal nang umiiral na mga sosyo-politikal na hirarkiya, pinauunlad ng pag-aaral ang konsepto ng algorithmic care chains, at nagbibigay ito ng empirikal at makatarungang pananaw kung paano binabago ng AI ang pamamahala sa migranteng gawaing pag-alaga.
Between Platforms and Places: Social Media, Belonging, and Repeated Mobility Among Nine Mexican Erasmus Mundus Students
Vanessa Lorena Orozco Roca
This thesis examines how social media practices shape the negotiation of belonging among nine Mexican Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree (EMJMD) scholarship holders during the first 18 months of their multi-sited mobility. Using analytic autoethnography, the study combines the author’s self-narrative with eight semi-structured interviews and analyses them through three interconnected dimensions: relational, spatial, and emotional belonging. The analysis shows that social media functioned as an infrastructure of anticipation before arrival and as a resource for everyday navigation during mobility, but it did not produce belonging directly or predictably; its effectiveness depended on whether digital interactions could be converted into sustained, offline participation, a conversion shaped by prior networks, platform habits, local infrastructure, and individual disposition. In several trajectories, active participation in offline social life, encouraged by social media use, increased visibility and presence without producing a sense of belonging or inclusion in the host society. By centring a population largely underrepresented in belonging research, namely Mexican scholarship students in the EMJMD programme, this study advances the debate on bonding and bridging social capital. It argues that social media mediates belonging not independently but in conjunction with these capitals, and that its effectiveness during repeated relocations, as in Erasmus Mundus master’s degrees, depends on structural conditions rather than on individual digital effort or skill. Furthermore, the use of the analytic autoethnography methodology yielded contextualised, theory-based knowledge about the sense of belonging among highly mobile student populations. It was not intended to be extrapolated beyond this specific group.
Resumen
Esta tesis analiza cómo las prácticas de uso de las redes sociales influyen en la creación del sentido de pertenencia entre nueve becarios mexicanos del Máster Conjunto Erasmus Mundus (EMJMD) durante los primeros dieciocho meses de su movilidad multisituada. Mediante la autoetnografía analítica, el estudio combina la narrativa personal de la autora con ocho entrevistas semiestructuradas y las analiza a través de tres dimensiones interconectadas: la pertenencia relacional, la espacial y la emocional. El análisis muestra que las redes sociales funcionaron como una infraestructura de anticipación antes de la llegada y como un recurso para la orientación cotidiana durante la movilidad, pero no generaron un sentimiento de pertenencia de forma directa ni predecible; su eficacia dependía de si el contacto digital podía convertirse en una participación sostenida fuera de línea, una conversión condicionada por las redes previas, los hábitos de uso de las plataformas, la infraestructura local y la disposición individual. En varias trayectorias, la participación activa en la vida social fuera de Internet, impulsada por el uso de las redes sociales, aumentó la visibilidad y la presencia, sin generar, por ello, un sentimiento de pertenencia o de inclusión en la sociedad de acogida. Al centrarse en una población muy poco representada en las investigaciones sobre el sentido de pertenencia (estudiantes becados mexicanos del programa de Máster Conjunto Erasmus Mundus), este estudio contribuye al debate sobre el capital social de vinculación (bonding) y de puente (bridging). De igual forma, argumenta que las redes sociales no median el sentido de pertenencia de manera independiente, sino en conjunción con estos capitales, y que su eficacia en situaciones de movilidad repetida, como los másteres Erasmus Mundus, depende de condiciones estructurales más que del esfuerzo o de las habilidades digitales individuales. Además, utilizar la metodología de autoetnografía analítica generó un conocimiento contextualizado y con base teórica sobre el sentido de pertenencia en poblaciones estudiantiles altamente móviles. No pretendió ser extrapolable más allá de este grupo específico.
Forced Youth Migration to Nigeria: Exploring Vulnerabilities and Exploitative Practices in the Host Country
Waliyilah Adetope Oyesomi
Using adultism as a primary analytical lens, this thesis critically investigates the vulnerabilities and exploitative practices faced by forced migrant youth in Nigeria. Nigeria has always been known as a country of emigration; however, due to armed conflict, environmental degradation, and economic instability, it is increasingly becoming a destination for forced migrants from all over West and Central Africa. There is a dearth of research on the unique experiences of young people in these migration movements. This qualitative study, based on adultism, structural violence theory, and the Human Rights-Based Approach, explores the lived experiences of forced migrant youth in Lagos. Through semi-structured interviews with three forced migrant youth, one NGO representative, and one immigration official, the study investigates the types of exploitation and vulnerability young migrants encounter, their coping mechanisms, the efficacy of their support networks, and how adultist power structures influence their treatment. The results show that forced migrant teenagers face multiple forms of exploitation, such as dangerous informal employment, precarious housing, institutional criminalisation, and social marginalisation. Adultist institutional norms and fragmented governance are the systemic causes of these vulnerabilities. Young migrants exhibit agency in spite of these limitations through informal economic involvement and peer networks. Youth are invisible to protection systems because of policy-practice gaps and institutional responses that are adultist and dispersed. Female youth are more vulnerable because of their gender. By emphasising youth voices and operationalising adultism as a paradigm for examining generational power dynamics, the thesis advances migration studies. It makes the case that systemic adultism is the primary cause of the marginalisation of forced migrant youth. The study highlights the critical need for participatory, youth-centred approaches in migration governance by putting forth an anti-adultist framework that emphasises youth involvement, rights-based approaches, and institutional responsibility.
Keywords: forced migration, youth, adultism, Nigeria, vulnerability, exploitation
Redefining the Merchant Trajectory: F&B Entrepreneurship Among Second-Generation Vietnamese in Prague
Thu Tra Phung
The Vietnamese diaspora represents one of the largest immigrant groups in the Czech Republic, historically characterised by necessity-driven entrepreneurship of the first generation (G1), restricted to peripheral markets and ethnic enclaves. However, a recent and unresearched phenomenon has emerged in Prague: a rapid surge of highly conceptualised, design-led food and beverage (F&B) ventures owned by Vietnamese entrepreneurs of the second generation (G2). This thesis investigates how these G2 entrepreneurs conceptualise, perform, and operationalise their creative ventures. Utilising a qualitative, multi-method approach comprising spatial mapping, digital ethnography, and in-depth interviews, the research analyses 45 G2-owned F&B businesses. The findings reveal that these businesses are strategically concentrated in Prague’s affluent, gentrifying neighbourhoods, marking a significant spatial and economic departure from the G1 survivalist model. To unpack this phenomenon, the theoretical framework synthesises Bourdieu’s forms of capital and habitus frameworks with Bhabha’s frameworks of third space, hybridity, and mimicry. The findings demonstrate that G2 entrepreneurs actively reject the taste of necessity traditionally associated with immigrant bistros. Instead, they leverage modern financial resources, institutionalised cultural capital, and sophisticated digital geosemiotics to construct a strategic pan-Asian credibility. By deliberately commodifying their cultural in-betweenness, these entrepreneurs navigate host-society expectations and escape the structural pricing stigma historically placed on ethnic cuisine. Ultimately, this thesis argues that the G2’s return to entrepreneurship is not a survival mechanism but a calculated reconstruction of their habitus. By claiming central urban spaces and shaping cosmopolitan tastes, the Vietnamese G2 demonstrates a new paradigm of integration, transforming from marginalised minorities into active, taste-making agents within Prague’s symbolic economy.
Resistance to Advocacy: An Analysis of Civil Society Responses to Anti-Migrant Vigilante Movements in South Africa
Piyatida Phatcharasirasit
Anti-migrant vigilantism and xenophobia have intensified in South Africa in recent years, with movements such as Operation Dudula and similar groups exploiting widespread frustration over unemployment, poverty, corruption, crime, and governance failures. Despite the harmful effects of such mobilisations on the rights, safety, and everyday lives of migrants, state responses have been limited, inconsistent, or dismissive, creating conditions in which vigilante groups operate with relative impunity. In this context, civil society actors have assumed an important role in advocating for migrant rights, challenging exclusionary practices, and addressing the immediate and longer-term impacts of anti-migrant vigilantism. Yet, little scholarly attention has been given to the strategies, internal dynamics, and strengths and limitations of these actors. To address these gaps, this dissertation examined: (a) how civil society actors have understood and responded to anti-migrant vigilante movements; (b) the factors that facilitate or constrain these responses; (c) how collective identity and solidarity are understood and mobilised within civil society organising; and (d) the roles migrants play in mobilisation efforts and how they perceive their inclusion or exclusion from these processes. The study employed a qualitative case study design, drawing on semi-structured interviews with 10 participants, including representatives of non-profit organisations (NPOs), community-based organisations (CBOs), coalitions, and migrants. It also drew on participant observation at migration and anti-xenophobia-related events, as well as secondary data analysis. This study applied resource mobilization theory, collective identity frameworks, and solidarity theory as analytical lenses. Through the lens of resource mobilization theory, collective identity, and solidarity, the research analyses how resources, identity, and migrant solidarity shape the responses of civil society actors and the broader migrant rights movement. The findings reveal a highly diverse civil society landscape, consisting of formal NPOs, CBOs, coalitions, academic institutions, informal networks, and others. Civil society responses are shaped by resource constraints, donor dependency, organisational mandates, and the broader political environment. While migrant participation in organising efforts is growing, responses remain heavily dominated by formal NPOs, raising questions about inclusion, representation, and ownership within the movement. This study argues that the migrant rights movement's limited success in attracting broad participation and achieving its goals is due to the absence of genuine solidarity within the movement. This is closely linked to a fragmented and narrow collective identity that fails to resonate with the broader South African public, an over-reliance on NPOs for responses and movement organising, and unclear shared objectives. Together, these weaknesses undermine the conditions necessary for genuine solidarity, committed participation, and sustained collective action.
บทคัดย่อ (Abstract)
ในช่วงหลายปีที่ผ่านมา ปรากฏการณ์การจัดตั้งกลุ่มพลเรือนต่อต้านผู้อพยพ (anti-migrant vigilante movement) และภาวะความเกลียดกลัวต่างชาติ (xenophobia) ได้ทวีความรุนแรงขึ้นในประเทศแอฟริกาใต้ โดยมีความเกี่ยวเนื่องกับการเกิดขึ้นของ Operation Dudula และขบวนการที่มีลักษณะคล้ายคลึงกัน ซึ่งกลุ่มเหล่านี้ฉวยโอกาสจากความไม่พอใจของประชาชนในประเทศที่มีต่อปัญหาการว่างงาน ความยากจน การทุจริต อาชญากรรม และความล้มเหลวในการบริหารประเทศแม้ การระดมการเคลื่อนไหวดังกล่าวจะสร้างผลกระทบอย่างร้ายแรงต่อสิทธิ ความปลอดภัย และวิถีชีวิตประจำวันของผู้อพยพ แต่การ ตอบสนองของภาครัฐกลับมีอย่างจำกัด ไม่สม่ำเสมอ หรือแสดงท่าทีเพิกเฉย ซึ่งเอื้อให้กลุ่มเหล่านี้สามารถดำเนินการได้โดยแทบไม่ต้องแสดงเความรับผิดชอบใดๆ ในบริบทนี้ ภาคประชาสังคมจึงเข้ามามีบทบาทสำคัญในการปกป้องสิทธิของผู้อพยพ ท้าทายแนวปฏิบัติที่กีดกัน และรับมือกับผลกระทบระยะสั้นและระยะยาวจากการเคลื่อนไหวต่อต้านผู้อพยพ อย่างไรก็ตาม นักวิชาการยังให้ความสนใจ เพียงเล็กน้อยต่อการศึกษากลยุทธ์ พลวัตภายใน และจุดแข็งและข้อจำกัดขององค์กรภาคประชาสังคมเหล่านี้
งานวิจัยฉบับนี้จึงมุ่งศึกษา (1) การเข้าใจของภาคประชาสังคมและการตอบสนองต่อกลุ่มพลเรือนต่อต้านผู้อพยพ (2) ปัจจัยที่ส่งเสริมหรือขัดขวางการตอบสนองดังกล่าว (3) วิธีที่อัตลักษณ์ร่วม (collective identity) และภราดรภาพ (Solidarity) ถูกทำความเข้าใจและนำมาใช้ในการจัดตั้งองค์กรภาคประชาสังคม และ (4) บทบาทของผู้อพยพในความพยายามระดมการเคลื่อนไหว รวมถึงมุมมองของผู้อพยพเกี่ยวกับการมีส่วนร่วมหรือการถูกกีดกันออกจากการเคลื่อนไหวเหล่านี้
งานวิจัยนี้ใช้รูปแบบการศึกษาเชิงคุณภาพแบบกรณีศึกษา โดยอาศัยการสัมภาษณ์แบบกึ่งโครงสร้างกับผู้เข้าร่วม 10 คน ประกอบด้วยตัวแทนจากองค์กรพัฒนาเอกชน (non-profit organization) องค์กรชุมชน (community-based organizations) กลุ่มแนวร่วม (coalition) และผู้อพยพ นอกจากนี้ยังใช้การสังเกตแบบมีส่วนร่วมในกิจกรรมที่เกี่ยวข้องกับหัวข้อ การอพยพและการต่อต้านภาวะความเกลียดกลัวต่างชาติ รวมถึงการวิเคราะห์ข้อมูลทุติยภูมิ งานวิจัยนี้ประยุกต์ใช้ทฤษฎีการระดมทรัพยากร อัตลักษณ์ร่วม และภราดรภาพ เป็นกรอบในการวิเคราะห์ว่าทรัพยากร อัตลักษณ์ และภราดรภาพของผู้อพยพส่งผลต่อการตอบสนองของภาคประชาสังคมและขบวนการสิทธิผู้อพยพในวงกว้างอย่างไร
ผลการวิจัยพบว่าภาคประชาสังคมมีความหลากหลายอย่างมาก ประกอบด้วยองค์กรไม่แสวงหากำไรที่เป็นทางการองค์กรชุมชน กลุ่มแนวร่วม สถาบันวิชาการ เครือข่ายไม่เป็นทางการ และอื่น ๆ การตอบสนองของภาคประชาสังคมถูกกำหนดโดยข้อจำกัดด้านทรัพยากร การพึ่งพาองค์กรที่บริจาคเงิน พันธกิจขององค์กร และสภาพแวดล้อมทางการเมืองในวงกว้าง แม้การมีส่วนร่วมของผู้อพยพในการจัดการเคลื่อนไหวจะเพิ่มขึ้น แต่การตอบสนองยังคงถูกครอบงำโดยองค์กรไม่แสวงหากำไรที่เป็นทางการเป็นหลัก
งานวิจัยนี้ชี้ให้เห็นว่าสาเหตุที่ทำให้ขบวนการสิทธิผู้อพยพไม่สามารถทำให้เกิดการมีส่วนร่วมในวงกว้างและบรรลุเป้าหมายนั้น เกิดจากการขาดภราดรภาพที่แท้จริงภายในขบวนการ ซึ่งมีความเชื่อมโยงอย่างใกล้ชิดกับอัตลักษณ์ร่วมที่แตกแยกและคับแคบ ซึ่งไม่สามารถดึงดูดสาธารณชนแอฟริกาใต้ในวงกว้างให้เข้าร่วม การพึ่งพาองค์กรไม่แสวงหากำไรมากเกินไป และการ ขาดวัตถุประสงค์ร่วมที่ชัดเจน ความอ่อนแอเหล่านี้ร่วมกันบั่นทอนเงื่อนไขที่จำเป็นสำหรับการสร้างภราดรภาพที่แท้จริง การมีส่วนร่วม และความร่วมมือ
German Language Support for Bangladeshi Migrant Children in Bremen Schools: A Parental Evaluation
Morium Rubi
This study examines how Bangladeshi parents in Bremen evaluate the German language support their children receive at school. The Bangladeshi community in Germany is small, dispersed, and absent from existing educational research. Adopting a qualitative, interpretivist design informed by integration and plurilingualism, the study draws on semi-structured interviews with five families, conducted in Bangla and analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. It finds that the organisation of support is shaped decisively by the prior Kindergarten pathway; that the challenges parents identify are concentrated in academic rather than conversational German and compounded by the limits of parents’ own German; and that Bangla is institutionally invisible, with heritage-language maintenance displaced onto families. Across all five families, the overall evaluation was consistently mixed: parents valued their children’s academic progress whilst judging the school system to pursue assimilation rather than genuine, two-way integration. The study concludes that German language support is evaluated as academically functional but culturally and linguistically assimilationist, and it offers recommendations grounded in the parents’ own call for schools to recognise their children’s home language and culture.
Keywords: German as a second language, plurilingualism, integration, heritage language, Bangladeshi migrants, Bremen, parental perspectives
Abstract in Bangla
সারসংক্ষেপ এই গবেষণায় পরীক্ষা করা হবয়বে যে জার্মানির যেবর্বি েসোসরত োাংলাবেনি অনিিােকরা তাবের সন্তািবের নেেযালবয় প্রেত্ত জার্মাি িাষা সহায়তাবক কীিাবে র্ূলযায়ি কবরি। জার্মানিবত োাংলাবেনি সম্প্রোয় ক্ষু দ্র, নেনক্ষপ্ত এোং নেেযর্াি নিক্ষার্ূলক গবেষণায় অিুপনিত। সর্ন্বয় ও েহুিাষাোে দ্বারা পনরচানলত একটি গুণগত ও েযাখ্যার্ূলক গবেষণা িকিা অিুসরণ কবর, এই গবেষণাটি পাাঁ চটি পনরোবরর সাবে োাংলায় পনরচানলত আধা-কাঠাবর্াগত সাক্ষাৎকাবরর উপর নিনত্ত কবর গব়ে উবঠবে, ো প্রনতফনলত নেষয়নিনত্তক নেবেষবণর র্াধযবর্ নেবেষণ করা হবয়বে। গবেষণায় যেখ্া োয় যে, িাষা সহায়তার সাংগঠি পূেমেতী নকন্ডারগাবটম ি পে দ্বারা নিণমায়কিাবে নিধমানরত হয়; অনিিােকরা যে চযাবলঞ্জগুনল নচনিত কবরি যসগুনল কেয জার্মাবির পনরেবতম একাবেনর্ক জার্মাবি যকন্দ্রীি ূ ত এোং অনিিােকবের নিজস্ব জার্মাি িাষার সীর্ােদ্ধতার কারবণ আরও জটিল হবয় ওবঠ; এোং োাংলা প্রানতষ্ঠানিকিাবে অদৃিয যেবক োয়, যেখ্াবি র্াত ৃ িাষা রক্ষণাবেক্ষবণর োনয়ত্ব পনরোবরর উপর অনপমত হয়। পাাঁ চটি পনরোর জুব়েই সার্নিক র্ূলযায়ি ধারাোনহকিাবে "নর্শ্র" নেল: অনিিােকরা তাবের সন্তািবের একাবেনর্ক অিগনতবক র্ূলয নেবয়বেি, নকন্তু একই সাবে নেেযালয় েযেিাবক প্রকৃ ত, নদ্বর্ুখ্ী সর্ন্ববয়র পনরেবতম আত্তীকরবণর পবে পনরচানলত েবল নেচার কবরবেি। গবেষণায় এই নসদ্ধাবন্ত উপিীত হওয়া হয় যে, জার্মাি িাষা সহায়তা একাবেনর্ক দৃনিবকাণ যেবক কােমকর নহবসবে র্ূলযানয়ত হবলও সাাংস্কৃ নতক ও িাষাগত দৃনিবকাণ যেবক আত্তীকরণকারী; এোং অনিিােকবের নিজস্ব আহ্বাবির নিনত্তবত সুপানরি প্রোি করা হয়, যেি নেেযালয়গুনল তাবের সন্তািবের র্াত ৃ িাষা ও সাংস্কৃ নতবক স্বীকৃ নত যেয়। মূল শব্দসমূহ: নদ্বতীয় িাষা নহবসবে জার্মাি, েহুিাষাোে, সর্ন্বয়, ঐনতহযোহী িাষা, োাংলাবেনি অনিোসী, যেবর্ি, অনিিােকবের দৃনিিনি
Migration Governance and the Reorganisation of Mobility Across the Americas: The Emergence of Southbound Trajectories
Gabriela Rubiano
This study examines the effects that restrictive measures in the United States have had on mobility throughout the Americas. Alongside the closure of any legal channel to request asylum, many migrants began travelling from the U.S.–Mexico border towards Colombia through Mexico, Central America, Costa Rica, and Panama. This thesis analyses the emergence of these southbound trajectories and explores the effects that contemporary migration governance has in reshaping routes, transit conditions, and experiences of transit in the region. It specifically answers the following question: How do contemporary border and migration governance regimes influence migratory trajectories across the Americas? The research is based on qualitative documentary analysis of humanitarian reports, government publications, official statistics, and journalistic investigations produced during 2025. It draws on scholarship on migration governance and border externalisation together with the concepts of the autonomy of migration and mobility infrastructures developed by authors including Mezzadra and Neilson (2013), De Genova (2002, 2017), Scheel (2013), and Stierl (2017). This thesis situates southbound mobility within a migration corridor where northbound transit had occurred alongside dangerous crossings through the Darién jungle, prolonged waiting in Mexico, and fragmented systems of humanitarian assistance. Examining migrants’ rerouting through many of these same territories shows how existing risks were reproduced and intensified as humanitarian infrastructures were dismantled and new maritime routes emerged between Panama and Colombia. Together, these changes illustrate how migration governance reorganised mobility across the region while also highlighting the centrality of migrant agency in shaping those trajectories and navigating the risks associated with them, further resisting portrayals of migrants as merely passive recipients of policy decisions.
Algorithmic Discrimination in the European Union: AI, Migration, and the Politics of Dehumanisation
Ana Caroline Sales e Souza
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a central instrument in European Union (EU) migration governance, where automated systems mediate identification, categorisation, and surveillance under the promise of efficiency and security. This thesis examines how AI may be reshaping border governance by transforming migrants into statistical risks and algorithmically managed populations. Using a two-phase mixed-methods design, it combines exploratory statistical analysis of Eurostat and Frontex series (2013–2024) with an in-depth documentary study of ETIAS, Eurodac, and interoperability frameworks. The quantitative phase constructs an AI Adoption Index and applies interrupted time-series modelling, indicating a negative association between phases of algorithmic expansion and average asylum recognition rates, whilst explicitly avoiding deterministic causal claims. The qualitative phase uses the concepts of biopower, necropolitics, and discrimination laundering to examine how automated decision-making can reinforce structural exclusion through seemingly neutral and technical processes. The study suggests that contemporary migration governance is increasingly concerned not only with controlling movement at territorial borders but also with determining who becomes visible, intelligible, and protectable within dense digital infrastructures. It concludes by outlining legal, institutional, and ethical pathways that may strengthen accountability, transparency, and human dignity in AI-mediated migration governance.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, migration governance, algorithmic discrimination, human rights, biopower, necropolitics, discrimination laundering
Resumo
A inteligência artificial (IA) tornou-se um instrumento central na governança migratória da União Europeia (UE), onde sistemas automatizados mediam processos de identificação, categorização e vigilância sob a promessa de maior eficiência e segurança. Esta tese examina como a IA pode estar remodelando a governança de fronteiras ao transformar migrantes em riscos estatísticos e em populações geridas algoritmicamente. Utilizando um desenho de métodos mistos em duas fases, a pesquisa combina uma análise estatística exploratória de séries de dados da Eurostat e da Frontex (2013–2024) com um estudo documental aprofundado dos sistemas ETIAS, Eurodac e dos mecanismos de interoperabilidade. A fase quantitativa constrói um Índice de Adoção de IA e aplica modelos de séries temporais interrompidas (Interrupted Time-Series Modelling), indicando uma associação negativa entre as fases de expansão algorítmica e as taxas médias de reconhecimento de pedidos de asilo, ao mesmo tempo em que evita explicitamente alegações deterministas de causalidade. A fase qualitativa utiliza os conceitos de biopoder, necropolítica e lavagem da discriminação (discrimination laundering) para examinar como a tomada de decisão automatizada pode reforçar formas estruturais de exclusão por meio de processos aparentemente neutros e técnicos. O estudo sugere que a governança migratória contemporânea está cada vez mais preocupada não apenas com o controle dos movimentos em fronteiras territoriais, mas também com a definição de quem se torna visível, inteligível e digno de proteção dentro de densas infraestruturas digitais. Por fim, a tese conclui delineando caminhos jurídicos, institucionais e éticos que podem fortalecer a responsabilização, a transparência e a dignidade humana na governança migratória mediada por inteligência artificial.
Palavras-chave: inteligência artificial, governança migratória, discriminação algorítmica, direitos humanos, biopoder, necropolítica, branqueamento discriminatório
Identity Formation Among Korean Youth in the Netherlands: The Sociocultural Role of a Korean Language School
Jiwon Shin
This study explored the process by which Korean adolescents residing in the Netherlands construct their identities amid shifting patterns of Korean migration, which have evolved from livelihood-centred migration to strategic migration focused on education and career prospects. The Korean community in the Netherlands is small, and Korean youth areregarded as having successfully integrated into mainstream society because of their high enrolment rate in the Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs (VWO, the highest level of secondary education) and their parents’ substantial socioeconomic capital. However, behind this façade lie the model minority stereotype and the integration paradox. The identity conflicts that adolescents experience amidst racial othering and pressures toward linguistic assimilation are easily overlooked. This study employed a qualitative ethnographic case study design to explore how Korean youth construct their identities and sense of belonging, focusing on a single Korean language school in the Netherlands. The research process involved classroom observations of two secondary school classes (second-year middle school and second-year high school), as well as in-depth interviews with eight students and three teachers. The findings indicate that, despite the Netherlands’ high level of social integration, adolescents still face racial othering and linguistic hierarchies. While the Korean language school does not offer direct solutions, it serves as an emotional safety net and a community of practice for these students. Moreover, alongside the academic advantages afforded by their parents’ high levels of education and socioeconomic capital, the rising global status of their home country positively transforms students’ cultural capital, thereby promoting the formation of a transnational identity. By analysing the identity negotiation processes of Korean diaspora adolescents in the Netherlands from multiple perspectives, this study contributes to migration research and provides practical implications for Korean language schools, the Overseas Koreans Agency, and the Dutch government.
Keywords: Korean language school, transnational identity, belonging, Korean diaspora youth, the Netherlands
네덜란드 한인 청소년들의 정체성 형성: 한글학교의 사회문화적 역할
본 연구는 생계형 이주에서 교육 및 경력 중심의 전략적 이주로 변화한 한인 이주 흐름 속에서 네덜란드에 거주하는 한인 청소년들이 정체성을형성해 가는 과정을 탐구하였다. 네덜란드 내 한인 공동체는 소규모이며, 한인 청소년들은 높은 VWO (최상위 중등교육 과정) 진학률과 부모의 사회경제적 자본으로 인해 주류 사회에 성공적으로 통합된 것으로 여겨진다. 그러나 그 이면에는 모범 소수자 고정관념과 통합의 역설이 존재한다.인종적 타자화와 언어적 동화 압박 속에서 청소년들이 겪는 정체성 갈등은 간과되기 쉽다. 본 연구는 네덜란드 내 한글학교 한 곳을 중심으로 한인 청소년들이 정체성과 소속감을 어떻게 형성하는지 탐구하기 위해 질적 민족지학적 사례연구 설계를 적용하였다. 연구 과정에는 중·고등학교 두 학급 (중학교 2학년 및 고등학교 2학년)에 대한 수업 관찰과 학생 8명 및 교사 3명을 대상으로 한 심층 인터뷰가 포함되었다. 연구 결과는 네덜란드의 높은 사회통합 수준에도 불구하고 청소년들이 여전히 인종적 타자화와 언어적 위계에 직면함을 나타낸다. 한글학교가 직접적인 해결책을제시하지는 않지만 학생들의 정서적 안전망이자 실천 공동체로 기능한다. 부모의 높은 교육 수준과 사회경제적 자본이 제공하는 학업적 이점과 더불어 모국의 높아진 국제적 위상은 학생들의 문화 자본을 긍정적으로 전환시켜 초국가적 정체성 형성을 촉진한다. 본 연구는 네덜란드 내 한인디아스포라 청소년들의 정체성 협상 과정을 다각도에서 분석함으로써 이주 연구에 기여하며, 한글학교, 재외동포청, 네덜란드 정부에 실천적 시사점을 제공한다.
키워드: 한글학교, 초국가적 정체성, 소속감, 한인 디아스포라 청소년, 네덜란드
Analysing Intersectional Vulnerabilities and Systemic Exploitation of Ethiopian Domestic Workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Muluneh Sisay
Domestic work is a part of the global care economy. It includes tasks such as caring for children, cleaning, and looking after elderly relatives. This work helps homes and families function properly and supports the community's well-being. However, domestic workers face challenges because they lack adequate legal protection, labour practices are often unfair, and migration rules are very strict. Reports indicate that Ethiopian women who go to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) as domestic workers are at risk of being exploited and abused. This study focuses on the intersectional vulnerabilities and systemic exploitation of Ethiopian domestic workers in KSA. The study employed a qualitative, interpretivist research approach and utilised eight semi-structured interviews with Ethiopian migrant and returnee domestic workers. The study also looked at existing research, legal documents, and human rights reports. The findings of the study confirmed that Ethiopian domestic employees face exploitation due to gendered labour norms, racialised national hierarchies, class marginalisation, and legal dependency controlled by employers within the Kafala system. Moreover, recruitment agencies and irregular migration routes worsen the situation through exploitative practices and a lack of regulation. Notwithstanding recent changes, labour rights remain weakly enforced and do not address systemic inequalities in KSA and Ethiopia. The research claims that exploitation is generated structurally by migration governance frameworks and global labour disparities. It calls for bilateral agreements, changes to the Kafala system, stricter recruitment regulations, better protection for workers, and rights-based governance of migration.
Keywords: intersectionality, Kafala system, Ethiopia, domestic work, labour exploitation, Saudi Arabia
አብስትራክት (Amharic)
የቤት ውስጥ ስራ የአለም አቀፍ የእንክብካቤ ኢኮኖሚ (care economy) አካል ነው። ይህ ስራ ህጻናትን መንከባከብን፣ ማጽዳትን እና የቤተሰብ አባላትን መመልከትን የመሳሰሉ ተግባራትን ያጠቃልላል። ይህ ተግባር መኖሪያ ቤቶችና ቤተሰቦች በአግባቡ እንዲንቀሳቀሱ የሚያግዝ ከመሆኑም በላይ ለህብረተሰቡ ደህንነት ትልቅ አስተዋጽኦ ያበረክታል። ሆኖም ግን፣ የቤት ውስጥ ሰራተኞች በቂ የህግ ከለላ ስሌላቸው፣ የጉልበት ብዝበዛ ስለሚፈጸምባቸው እና የስደት ህጎች በጣም ጥብቅ በመሆናቸው ምክንያት ለተለያዩ ፈተናዎች ይጋለጣሉ። ሪፖርቶች እንደሚያመለክቱት ወደ ሳውዲ አረቢያ ለቤት ውስጥ ስራ የሚሄዱ ኢትዮጵያውያን ሴቶች ለብዝበዛ እና ለደል የማንገላታት አደጋ የተጋለጡ ናቸው። ይህ ጥናት በሳውዲ አረቢያ የሚገኙ ኢትዮጵያውያን የቤት ውስጥ ሰራተኞች ላይ የሚደርሰውን ሁለገብ ተጋላጭነት እና ስርአታዊ ብዝበዛ ላይ ትኩረት ያደርጋል። በተጨማሪም፣ ጥናቱ አይነታዊ የምርምር ዘዴን የተጠቀመ ሲሆን፣ ከስደት ከተመለሱ እና አሁንም በስደት ላይ ካሉ ስምንት ኢትዮጵያውያን የቤት ውስጥ ሰራተኞች ጋር የተደረጉ በከፊል የተቀናጁ ቃለ-መጠይቆችን ስራ ላይ ውሏል። ጥናቱ ነባር ምርምሮችን፣ የህግ ሰነዶችን እና የሰብአዊ መብት ሪፖርቶችንም ተመልክቷል። የምርምሩ ግኝቶች እንደሚያረጋግጡት፣ ኢትዮጵያውያን የቤት ውስጥ ሰራተኞች በስርዓተ-ጾታ ላይ በተመሰረቱ የስራ ልማዶች፣ በዘር ላይ በተመሰረቱ ብሄራዊ ተዋረዶች፣ በመደብ መገለል እና በካፋላ (Kafala) ስርዓት ውስጥ በአሰሪዎች በሚመራ የህግ ጥገኝነት ምክንያት ለብዝበዛ ይጋለጣሉ። ከዚህም በላይ፣ የቅጥር ኤጀንሲዎች እና መደበኛ ያልሆኑ የስደት መስመሮች በተለያዩ አሰራሮች እና የቁጥጥር እጥረት ምክንያት ሁኔታውን ያባብሱታል። በቅርብ ጊዜ የተደረጉ ለውጦች ቢኖሩም፣ የሰራተኞች መብት አፈጻጸም አሁንም ደካማ ነው፤ እንዲሁም በሳውዲ አረቢያ እና በኢትዮጵያ ያለውን ስርአታዊ አለመመጣጠን አይፈታም። ምርምሩ እንደሚያሳየው ብዝበዛው መዋቅራዊ በሆነ መልኩ በስደት አስተዳደር ማዕቀፎች እና በአለም አቀፍ የጉልበት ልዩነቶች ምክንያት የሚፈጠር ነው። በጥናቱ ማጠቃለያ ላይ የሁለትዮሽ ስምምነቶች እንዲደረጉ፣ በካፋላ ስርዓት ላይ ለውጦች እንዲመጡ፣ ጥብቅ የቅጥር ደንቦች እንዲወጡ፣ ለሰራተኞች የተሻለ ጥበቃ እንዲደረግ እና በመብት ላይ የተመሰረተ የስደት አስተዳደር እንዲኖር ጥሪ ያቀርባል። ቁልፍ ቃላት፦ ሁለገብ ተጋላጭነት ፣ የካፋላ ስርዓት፣ ኢትዮጵያ፣ የቤት ውስጥ ስራ፣ የጉልበት ብዝበዛ፣ ሳውዲ አረቢያ።
“Veneca” Pride: Linguistic Reclamation and Resignification Among Women and Gender Non-Conforming Venezuelan Migrants
Shirley Andrea Tarazona Duarte
Veneca—the feminised form of veneco—is a slur used against Venezuelan migrant women across Latin America and beyond, condensing nationality, class, race, and sexuality into a single figure. Existing research has documented the word thoroughly as hate speech, but almost always from the outside, by analysing the discourse of the host societies that wield it. This thesis instead centres the women and gender non-conforming Venezuelans who are named by the word, asking how they experience, negotiate, reclaim, or reject veneca across online and offline life. Drawing on five in-depth, participant-led interviews that combine the scroll-back method and the media go-along and on the memes, tweets, and songs participants chose to interpret with me, I analyse the material through reflexive thematic analysis and multimodal critical discourse analysis. I read it through an intersectional lens with three theories addressing different questions: Bourdieu's symbolic power (who may name), Popa-Wyatt and Wyatt's account of slur reclamation (how the word is turned), and Butler's performativity (how a femininity is built from a slur). I argue that veneca is an act of classification whose force depends on the authority of the speaker and that in the diaspora it is not escaped but turned—reframed, reappropriated, and policed—largely through humour and digital culture, in a shift consecrated by Rawayana's 2024 anthem. That reclamation is genuine but partial: it re-values the word without neutralising it, is unevenly available along lines of race and class, and remains open to commercial and political capture. Written from the situated position of a veneca, the study offers a participatory model for researching a stigmatised word without reproducing the extractive gaze it set out to question.
Resumen
«Veneca» —la forma feminizada de «veneco»— es un término despectivo que se utiliza contra las mujeres migrantes venezolanas en toda América Latina y más allá, y que condensa la nacionalidad, la clase social, la raza y la sexualidad en una sola figura. Las investigaciones existentes han documentado exhaustivamente esta palabra como discurso de odio, pero casi siempre desde una perspectiva externa, al analizar el discurso de las sociedades de acogida que la emplean. Esta tesis, en cambio, se centra en las mujeres y las personas de género no conforme (GNC) venezolanas a las que se aplica este término, y se pregunta cómo experimentan, negocian, se apropian o rechazan el término «veneca» tanto en el ámbito digital como en el real. Basándome en cinco entrevistas en profundidad dirigidas por las propias participantes —que combinan el método de «scroll-back» y el «media go-along»— y en los memes, tuits y canciones que las participantes eligieron para interpretar conmigo, analizo el material mediante un análisis temático reflexivo y un análisis crítico multimodal del discurso, y lo interpreto a la luz de tres teorías que desempeñan funciones distintas: el poder simbólico de Bourdieu (quién puede nombrar), la explicación de Popa-Wyatt y Wyatt sobre la reapropiación de los insultos (cómo se le da la vuelta a la palabra) y la performatividad de Butler (cómo se construye una feminidad a partir de un insulto), todo ello desde una perspectiva interseccional. Sostengo que «veneca» es un acto de clasificación cuya fuerza depende de la autoridad de quien lo pronuncia, y que en la diáspora no se elude, sino que se le da la vuelta —se replantea, se reapropia y se controla— en gran medida a través del humor y la cultura digital, en un cambio consagrado por el himno de Rawayana de 2024. Esta recuperación es genuina, pero parcial: revaloriza la palabra sin neutralizarla, está disponible de manera desigual según criterios de raza y clase, y sigue expuesta a la apropiación comercial y política. Escrito desde la posición de una «veneca», el estudio ofrece un modelo participativo para investigar una palabra estigmatizada sin reproducir la mirada extractiva que se proponía cuestionar.
Conflict and Forced Migration: Analysing the Intersectional Vulnerabilities of Youth Irregular Migrants From the Conflict-Affected Tigrai Region to Saudi Arabia
Gebregwergs Teklay Kidanemariam
Following the 2020–2022 Tigrai war, conflict-induced massive out-migration is continuing in Ethiopia's conflict-affected Tigrai region. Mainly, the youth are exposed to intersectional vulnerabilities in the conflict-affected areas, compelling them into irregular migration. However, researchers have overlooked this new phenomenon of forced migration, focusing instead on economically driven migration. Thus, drawing on intersectionality, securitisation-human security dimension, and migration network theories, this thesis analyses the intersectional vulnerabilities of youth irregular migrants from the conflict-affected Tigrai region to Saudi Arabia. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, the study employed in-depth interviews, migration narratives, limited digital ethnography, and a literature review to investigate the intersectional factors that drive youth to embark on irregular migration, the social networks that facilitate movement, and the human security challenges they face during the journey. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were employed to recruit 11 informants, with the sample size determined by data saturation criteria. Employing thematic data analysis, the study finds that the recent surge in youth out-migration from the conflict-affected Tigrai region is in response to intersecting vulnerabilities produced by war, post-war instability, ethnic profiling, gendered violence, displacement, family fragmentation, and livelihood collapse. Ethnic identity remains a strong push factor, especially where youth fear profiling, incarceration, and targeted violence amid renewed war. Gender also shapes migration patterns, as Tigrian women face conflict-related sexual violence, stigma, and restricted access to legal travel documents. Local contexts, such as persistent displacement, occupied borderlands, and the absence of safe return and reintegration options, further intensify pressure on youth to leave. Social networks, including family members, peers, social media contacts, and migration brokers, facilitate movement by providing information, smuggling fees, and connections to routes. But unreliable social networks and migration brokers often expose migrants to deception, exploitation, instrumentalisation, and death while crossing the sea and the Yemeni–Saudi border. Saudi border securitisation, including lethal enforcement practices, does not reduce migration flows but instead deepens migrants’ vulnerability and human security risks. Finally, the study concludes that the current pattern of massive youth irregular migration from the Tigrai region is best understood as a forced migration in response to a broader continuum of violence and insecurity rather than a simple livelihood strategy.
Keywords: migration, conflict, irregular migration, youth, Tigrai, Saudi Arabia
ፅማረ (Tigrigna)
ብሰንኪ እቲ ካብ 2020 ክሳብ 2022 ኣብ ትግራይ ዝተኻየደ ኲናትን ነቲ ኲናት ስዒቦም ዝተኽተሉ ሕብረተሰባዊ ሃሰያንሓያሎ ዋሕዚ ዘይሕጋዊ ስደት ይቕፅል ኣሎ። ብፍላይ ድማ መናእሰይ ተጋሩ ብጅምላን ብውልቀን ብምዃን ካብዝተፈላለዩ ከባብታት ትግራይ ተላዒሎም በቲ ናይ የመን ወይድማ ምብራቓዊ ናይ ስደት መስመር ኣቢሎም ናብ ስዑድዓረብያ ኣብ ዝገብርዎ ጉዕዞ ንዝተሓላለኹ ፀገማት ይቃልዑ ኣለው። ይኹን እምበር፡ ተመራመርቲ ነዚ ሓድሽ ተርእዮ ዋሕዚ መናእሰይ ናብ ዘይሕጋዊ ስደት ብቁጠባዊ ምኽንያታት ጥራይ ከም ዝተፈጥረ ብምሕሳብ ፡ ነዚ ሓዱሽ ናይተገዲድካ ምስዳድ ተርእዮ ዕሽሽ ኢሎምዎ ፀኒሖም እዮም። ስለዚ፡ እዚ ናይ መፅናዕታዊ ፅሑፍ ነቶም ካብቲ ብኩናትንቅልውላዋት ድሕረ-ኩናትን ዝተሃሰየ ክልል ትግራይ ናብ ስዑድ ዓረብ ዝግበር ዘይሕጋዊ ስደት መንእሰያት ዘጋጥሞምናይ ድሕንነት ተቓላዕነታት ንምድህሳስ፡ ንሰነ ሓሳባት ተሓላለኽነት፡ መዓቀኒ ድሕነት ሰብኣዊ ውሕስነትን ከምኡ እውንሰንሰለታዊ መርበብ ስደትን መሰረት ብምግባር ዝተሰርሐ ፅንዓት እዩ። እዚ መፅናዕቲ፡ ንፅልታዊ ፍኖተ ኣእምሮኣዊ ቅዲብምጥቃም፡ ነቶም ንመንእሰያት ናብ ዘይሕጋዊ ስደት ዝደፋፍኡ ዝተሓላለኹ ምኽንያታት፡ ነቲ ምንቅስቓስ ዘሳልጡማሕበራዊ መርበባት፡ ከምኡ እውን ኣብ እዋን እቲ ጉዕዞ ዘጋጥምዎም ናይ ሰብኣዊ ውሕስነት ብድሆታት ንምትንታን፡ዓሚቕ ቃለ-መጠይቓት፡ ናይ ስደት ዛንታታት፡ ውሱን ዲጂታላዊ ኤትኖግራፊን ናይ ፅሑፋት ክለሳን ተጠቒሙ እዩ። 11 ተሳተፍቲ ናይቲ ፅንዓት ንምምልማል ድማ ፍሉይ ዕላማን ሰንሰለታዊ ናይ መርኣያ ኣገባባት ዝተጠቐመ ኮይኑ፡ መጠንእቶም ተሳተፍቲ ድማ ኣብ መዐቀኒ ዕግበት መረዳእታ ዝተሞርኮሰ እዩ። ነቲ መረዳእታ ብናይ ጭብጢ ትንተናብምጥቃም ከም ዘርኣዮ፡ እቲ ኣብዚ ቀረባ እዋን ካብቲ ብኲናት ዝተሃሰየ ክልል ትግራይ ዝረአ ዘሎ በዝሒ ናይመንእሰያት ስደት ምውሳኽ፡ ብሰንኪ ኲናትን፡ ድሕሪ ኲናትን ዘሎ ዘይምርግጋዕ፡ ብሄር መሰረት ዝገበረ መጥቃዕቲ ፡ፆታዊ ዓመፅ ደቂ ኣነስትዮ፡ ምምዝባል፡ ምብትታን ስድራቤት፡ ከምኡ እውን ናይ መነባብሮ ምፍራስ ዝተፈጠሮምዝተሓላለኹ ተቓላዕነታት እዮም። ኣብቲ እዋን ኲናት ብሄር መሰረት ዝገበረ መጥቃዕቲ ከም ቀንዲ ደፋኢ ረቛሒ ኮይኑ፡ኣብ ድሕረ ኲናት ትጋራይ ድማ መንእሰያት ዳግማይ ኲናትት ክውላዕ ይኽእል እዩ ካብ ዝብል ስግኣት፡ ብብሂራዊ መንነቶመሰረት መጥቃዕቲ ከይበፅሖምን ከይእሰሩን ብምፍራሕ ናብ ስደት የምርሑ ኣለው። ኣብዚ ከይዲ እዚ ፆታ እውንባህርን ትሕዝቶን ናይቲ ስደት ቅርፂ የትሕዞ እዩ። ደቂ ኣንስትዮ ተጋሩ ምስቲ ኲናት ዝተኣሳሰረ ፆታዊ ዓመፅ፡ በሰላንማሕበራዊ ምግላልን ሰለዝበፅሐን ብበዝሒ ናብ ዘይሕጋዊ ስደት የምርሓ ኣለዋ። ቀፃሊ ምምዝባል፡ ብጎብጥቲዝተታሕዙ ግዝኣታዊ መሬታት ትግራይ፡ ከምኡ እውን ውሑስ ናይ ምምላስን ዳግማይ ምውሃድን ኣማራፃታትዘይምህላዎም ኣብቲ በዝሒ ዝተማዛበለ ሕብረተሰብ ዘለዎም ከባቢታት መንእሰያት ንክስደዱ ፅዕንቶ የሕድር እዩ።ኣብ ልዕሊ እዚ ማሕበራዊ ርክባት ማለት ´ውን ከም ስድራቤት፡ መሓዛ፡ ናይ ማሕበራዊ መራኸቢታትን ደላሎ ስደትንሓዊሱ ሓበሬታ ብምውዛዕ፡ ናይ መሕለፊ መንገድታት ብምንፃር፡ ናይ ጉዕዞ መስገርቲ ክፍሊት ብምሕጋዝን ስራሕዕድላትን ብምምችቻውን ነቲ ናይ ዋሕዚ ስደት ምንቅስቓስ የሳልጥዎ። ይኹን እምበር፡ ዘየተኣማምኑ ማሕበራዊርክባትን ደላሎ ስደትን፡ መብዛሕትኡ ግዜ ንስደተኛታት ባሕርን ዶብ የመን-ስዑድን ኣብ ዝሰግሩሉ እዋን ብምትላል፡ገንዘቦም ብምምዝማዝን ንመጋበርያነት ኮንትሮባንድ ብምጥቃምን ንስደተኛታት ንሞትን ማእሰርትን የቃልዕዎም።ብተወሳኺ ቀታሊ ዝኾነ ድምበር ናይ ምኽባር ስጉምትታት ዘጠቓልል ናይ ስዑዲ ዶብ ሓለዋ መስርሕ ድማ ዋላ´ኳ ነቲናይ ስደት ዋሕዚ እንተዘይቀነሶ፡ ናይቶም ስደተኛታት ተቓላዕነትን ናይ ሰብኣዊ ውሕስነት ሓደጋታትን መሊሱ የጋድዶኣሎ። ኣብ መወዳእታ፡ እዚ መፅናዕቲ ከም ዝድምድሞ፡ እዚ ኣብዚ ሀዚ እዋን ኣብ ክልል ትግራይ ዝረአ ዘሎ ዋሕዚመንእሰያት ናብ ዘይሕጋዊ ስደት ቀሊል ናይ መነባብሮ ስትራቴጂ ዘይኮነስ፡ ኲናት ዝወለዶም ብሰፊሑን ተጋዲዱንዝቕፅል ዘሎ ናይ ዝተሓላለኹ ማሕበራዊ ድሕንነታዊ ፀገማት ጌርካ ምርዳእ የድሊ።
ቁልፊ ቃላት. ስደት፡ ኲናት፡ ዘይሕጋዊ ስደት ፡ መንእሰይ ፡ ትግራይ ፡ ስዑድ ዓረብ
Landless, Hopeless, Godless: The Forced Displacement of the Guarani-Kaiowá People and Its New Legal Methods in Brazil
Guilherme Vaz
The 1988 Brazilian Federal Constitution recognised Indigenous peoples as collective subjects of original territorial rights, formally breaking with the assimilationist grammar that had historically subordinated their existence to tutelage, integration, and dissolution into the national body. The approval of Law No. 14.701/2023, by incorporating the Marco Temporal into ordinary legislation, brought back to the centre of Brazilian constitutionalism the possibility of conditioning the demarcation of Indigenous lands on proof of physical occupation on 5 October 1988, the very date of the Constitution’s promulgation. This thesis analyses how the Marco Temporal operates as a mechanism of legal erasure that reproduces the forced displacement of the Guarani-Kaiowá people, converting histories of expulsion, confinement, territorial fragmentation, and agrarian violence into legally relevant absence. The research adopts a qualitative, documentary, and critical-legal methodology, mobilising constitutional norms, ordinary legislation, Supreme Court jurisprudence, institutional documents, materials produced by Indigenous organisations, and interdisciplinary literature in constitutional law, legal anthropology, Indigenous studies, political theory, and the political economy of land. The central argument maintains that the Marco Temporal constitutes a normative architecture of erasure, organised through mechanisms that temporalise original rights, displace deterritorialisation into the field of evidentiary burden, preserve non-Indigenous possession, paralyse demarcation procedures, and keep proprietary logic active even after formal recognition. Drawing on the Guarani-Kaiowá concept of tekoha, the thesis demonstrates that the loss of land cannot be reduced to the deprivation of a material resource, since it affects the social, spiritual, ecological, and political conditions through which collective life is reproduced. By articulating Indigenous territoriality, juridical form, ruralist power, agribusiness, and the limits of Brazilian constitutional pluralism, the work concludes that the formal recognition of Indigenous rights remains structurally insufficient when it does not transform the material, institutional, and patrimonial regimes that continue to produce dispossession. The Guarani-Kaiowá case thus reveals that the constitutional question of original rights is inseparable from the concrete dispute over the territorial conditions of collective existence.
Keywords: Guarani-Kaiowá, Marco Temporal, tekoha, Indigenous rights, constitutional pluralism, legal erasure
Resumo
A Constituição Federal Brasileira de 1988 reconheceu os povos indígenas como sujeitos coletivos de direitos territoriais originários, rompendo formalmente com a gramática assimilacionista que historicamente submeteu sua existência à tutela, à integração e à dissolução no corpo nacional. A aprovação da Lei nº 14.701/2023, ao incorporar o Marco Temporal à legislação ordinária, recolocou no centro do constitucionalismo brasileiro a possibilidade de condicionar a demarcação de terras indígenas à comprovação de ocupação física em 5 de outubro de 1988, data da própria promulgação constitucional. Esta dissertação analisa como o Marco Temporal opera como mecanismo de apagamento jurídico que reproduz o deslocamento forçado do povo Guarani-Kaiowá, convertendo histórias de expulsão, confinamento, fragmentação territorial e violência agrária em ausência juridicamente relevante. A pesquisa adota metodologia qualitativa, documental e crítico-jurídica, mobilizando normas constitucionais, legislação ordinária, jurisprudência do Supremo Tribunal Federal, documentos institucionais, materiais produzidos por organizações indígenas e literatura interdisciplinar em direito constitucional, antropologia jurídica, estudos indígenas, teoria política e economia política da terra. O argumento central sustenta que o Marco Temporal constitui uma arquitetura normativa de apagamento, organizada por mecanismos que temporalizam direitos originários, deslocam a desterritorialização para o campo do ônus probatório, preservam a posse não indígena, paralisam procedimentos demarcatórios e mantêm ativa a lógica proprietária mesmo diante do reconhecimento formal. A partir do conceito Guarani-Kaiowá de tekoha, a dissertação demonstra que a perda da terra não pode ser reduzida à privação de um recurso material, pois atinge as condições sociais, espirituais, ecológicas e políticas de reprodução da vida coletiva. Ao articular territorialidade indígena, forma jurídica, poder ruralista, agronegócio e limites do pluralismo constitucional brasileiro, o trabalho conclui que o reconhecimento formal dos direitos indígenas permanece estruturalmente insuficiente quando não transforma os regimes materiais, institucionais e patrimoniais que continuam a produzir despossessão. O caso Guarani- Kaiowá revela, assim, que a questão constitucional dos direitos originários é inseparável da disputa concreta pelas condições territoriais de existência coletiva.
Palavras-chave: Guarani-Kaiowá; Marco Temporal; tekoha; direitos indígenas; pluralismo constitucional; apagamento jurídico.
The Perpetuation of Forced Migration Through Shadow Economies
Isabela Velasco Pons
It is estimated that 120,000 individuals are detained against their will in so-called scam centres along the Myanmar–Thailand borderlands (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2023). These centres are known to be sites where individuals are subjected to trafficking, coercion, and torture for the purpose of committing cybercrimes and scams against others. These cybercrime compounds began to emerge before the February 2021 coup d'état, when the Myanmar military overthrew the democratically elected government. This has brought displacement, humanitarian aid, and precarious conditions for the Myanmar population. It is estimated that between January 2023 and February 2024, approximately 1.5 million citizens of Myanmar entered Thailand. Of these, 60% arrived without the necessary documentation (SPP, 2025). Additionally, since the 2021 coup d'état, there have been more than 3.5 million displaced Myanmar nationals (UNHCR, 2024). This thesis analyses how shadow economies reproduce and perpetuate forced migration along the Myanmar–Thailand borderlands through the intersection of fragmented sovereignty, migration governance, and labour exploitation. This process involves the production, management, and insertion into cyclical, exploitative, and coercive labour. It is through the analysis of scam centres that fragmented sovereignty, precarious migration governance, and labour exploitation intersect. This constitutes a broad economic system that profits from vulnerability and extractive labour: the shadow economies. Therefore, forced migration becomes a continuous structural process. This research is analysed through a necropolitical lens, grounded in the literature of Dr. Ariadna Estévez and Nicholas De Genova. This study employed an ethnographic research approach, encompassing two field trips to Mae Sot and a total of five in-depth conversations with individuals directly affected and involved in the subject under discussion. Furthermore, a qualitative approach was adopted, underpinned by the analysis of the insights derived from conversations and observations of the borderlands. The thesis contributes to scholarship on forced migration, border governance, fragmented sovereignty, and shadow economies by demonstrating that forced migration should be understood as a continuous structural process rather than a singular event of displacement.
Experiences of Migration and Care: Brazilian Nurses Navigating Mental Health and Integration in Germany
Lara Vieira da Silveira
Germany's intensifying recruitment of internationally trained nurses has made Brazil a growing sending country, yet the psychosocial experience of these migrant women remains largely undocumented. Research on migrant nurses in Germany has been predominantly quantitative, and the wider literature on migrant mental health has tended to centre on refugees and asylum seekers rather than skilled labour migrants. This study addresses this gap by asking how migration trajectories, working conditions, and support networks shape the mental health and integration of Brazilian nurses in Germany. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with eight participants and a reflexive thematic analysis of their accounts, the study foregrounds the women's own perspectives on their work, distress, and efforts to build a life abroad. The study reads these accounts against a framework that integrates global care chains, the coloniality of gender, acculturation theory, and social capital. The analysis develops five themes, organised around the overarching construct of migration negotiated between structure and agency. It finds that trajectory, work, and support act not as separate influences but as a single, structured process: a recruitment regime positions these women within the lower tiers of the German care hierarchy before arrival, in which deskilling and a racialised, gendered devaluation take hold. Within this structure, whether distress is buffered or left to accumulate depends less on individual resilience than on the uneven distribution of access to psychosocial support, with language threading through every domain as both barrier and resource. The study argues that the well-being of migrant nurses is not a private matter of individual adjustment but a social, institutional, and political condition—one that integration policy must address structurally rather than through individual-level intervention.
Keywords: Brazilian nurses, working conditions, mental health, psychosocial support, language, nurse migration in Germany
Resumo
O recrutamento crescente de enfermeiros formados no exterior pela Alemanha tem tornado o Brasil um país emissor cada vez mais relevante, mas a experiência psicossocial dessas mulheres migrantes permanece, em grande parte, pouco documentada a partir de suas próprias vivências. A pesquisa sobre enfermeiras migrantes na Alemanha tem sido predominantemente quantitativa, e a literatura mais ampla sobre saúde mental de migrantes tende a centrar-se em refugiados e requerentes de asilo, e não em migrantes laborais qualificados. Este estudo aborda essa lacuna ao investigar como as trajetórias migratórias, as condições de trabalho e as redes de apoio moldam a saúde mental e a integração de enfermeiras brasileiras na Alemanha. A partir de entrevistas semiestruturadas com oito participantes e de uma análise temática reflexiva de seus relatos, lidos à luz de um referencial que integra as cadeias globais de cuidado, a colonialidade de gênero, a teoria da aculturação e o capital social, o estudo privilegia as perspectivas das próprias mulheres sobre seu trabalho, seu sofrimento e seus esforços para construir uma vida no exterior. A análise desenvolve cinco temas, organizados em torno do conceito central de uma migração negociada entre estrutura e agência. Conclui-se que trajetória, trabalho e apoio não atuam como influências separadas, mas como um único processo estruturado: um regime de recrutamento que posiciona essas mulheres nos estratos inferiores da hierarquia do cuidado alemã antes mesmo de sua chegada, onde se instalam a desqualificação profissional e uma desvalorização racializada e generificada. Dentro dessa estrutura, o fato de o sofrimento ser amortecido ou acumulado depende menos da resiliência individual do que da distribuição desigual do acesso ao apoio psicossocial, com a língua atravessando todos os domínios como barreira e recurso. O estudo argumenta que o bem-estar de enfermeiras migrantes não é uma questão privada de ajustamento individual, mas uma condição social, institucional e política – que a política de integração deve enfrentar estruturalmente, e não por meio de intervenções de nível individual.
Palavras-chave: enfermeiras brasileiras; condições de trabalho; saúde mental; apoio psicossocial; língua; migração de enfermagem na Alemanha
Quest for a Homeland: Afghan Population’s Displacement Under Colonial Laws and Pakistani State’s Changing Position on Afghans
Husnain Waris
This thesis studies how the Pakistani state has governed and regulated the Afghan population inside Pakistan and how its geopolitical stances have affected its policy towards them and their deportation in 2025, under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan of 2025. The Afghan population, the majority of whom are Pakistani born, has been in Pakistan for more than four decades, and their positions in society have changed from brothers and guests to unwanted foreigners. For the first half of this period, they remained ungoverned in an ambiguous legal status, while for the second half, they have been strangers who must be documented, regularised, and removed. This approach has been influenced by the geopolitical position of the Pakistani state, and the codes applied to this governance have both been pre-Pakistan: the earlier Pashtunwali code for reception and the later British-era 1946 Foreigners Act for repatriation. The thesis aims to study this phenomenon under Quijano’s coloniality as the overarching lens and draws on critical legal studies to examine the laws governing them, judicial interpretations, and judgements utilised to restrict their membership in the Pakistani citizenry. The study also employs Foucault’s governmentality to examine the governing and bureaucratic procedures and De Genova’s concepts of deportability and detainability to study the employment of documentation (Proof of Registration and Afghan Citizenship Cards) processes for identification. These two frameworks in combination explain the construction of deportability and the bureaucratic production of precarity of the Afghan population. The study employed qualitative document analysis to study the policy statements and administrative memos while using the exploratory lens for analysis of bureaucratic documentation validities and extensions and critical legal studies for examining the 1926 Naturalization Act, 1946 Foreigners Act, 1951 Citizenship Act, amendments, judicial verdicts, and commentary. The findings show how governance of the Afghan population is shaped by relations of coloniality among modern nation-states and the instrumentalisation of law for the state’s political choices. The study also adds a perspective on how foreign populations can be instrumentalised as a tool of political pressure.
Voluntary Return or Indirect Coercion? A Critical Analysis of Return Policies for Syrians in Türkiye
Özge Şahin
This thesis examines the extent to which the return process can be considered voluntary, focusing on the structural and discursive factors that shape Syrian refugees' voluntary return decisions in Türkiye. Within the international refugee regime, voluntary return is generally defined as a durable solution based on a decision made freely and independently by refugees. However, this understanding has been criticised for overlooking the economic, legal, social, and political contexts in which such decisions are made. The study investigates the effects of Türkiye’s temporary protection regime, integration policies, access to the labour market, experiences of social exclusion, and political discourses on Syrian refugees' return decisions. To achieve this, a qualitative research design was adopted, and relevant academic literature, reports, and media content were examined through document analysis. In addition, the discourses of the leaders of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the Good Party (İYİ Party), and the Victory Party (Zafer Party) concerning Syrian refugees were analysed. This analysis was conducted using van Dijk’s ideological discourse analysis approach and Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis framework. The findings were interpreted through the perspective of securitisation theory. The findings of the study demonstrate that the return decisions of Syrian refugees cannot be explained solely by the current conditions in Syria or by individual preferences. Rather, legal precarity, economic vulnerability, limited opportunities for integration, experiences of social exclusion, and political discourses that normalise return emerge as significant factors shaping these decisions in Türkiye. Furthermore, the thesis finds that the discourse of return is not merely a product of securitisation processes but also functions as a mechanism that reproduces them by framing Syrians as a temporary population ultimately expected to return. The thesis argues that the voluntary return of Syrian refugees in Türkiye cannot be understood as either a completely voluntary or a purely coercive process. The supposedly voluntary return decisions of Syrian refugees should be reconsidered in light of the interaction between individual agency, structural conditions in Türkiye, and political discourse.
Keywords: Syrian refugees, voluntary return, temporary protection, securitisation, discourse analysis, structurally constrained voluntariness
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