Deliverable 3.4 March 2011

Migrants and Borders - Synthesis  

Catherine Quiminal, Jean-Yves Blum-le-Coat (URMIS - Paris-Diderot University) 

Researches have followed three major migratory 'routes' to the European Union: the Southern route that crosses the Mediterranean Sea (Mali, Senegal, Morocco, and Malta), the Eastern route through the former Soviet countries (Romania) and Central Asia (India), and finally Latin America (Argentina). Focusing on the evolution of the representations from candidates for migration prior to their departure, to migrants in transit and then to immigrants already settled in Europe, this text shows the ambivalence of these visions of Europe, between an image of the European Union as a pole of attraction and the European Union as a proving ground. In relation with this first issue is also studied the way the migrants develop some strategies to enter and settle in Europe linked with these visions (how migrants represent the constraints and opportunities offered by migration). Three specific issues concerning these visions are discussed: the articulation between memory and history, and especially the vision of Europe as a continent of democracy, freedom and rule of law, and the notion of debt; the vision of Europe as a space of welfare and opportunity but also of discriminations and racism; the representations and knowledge the migrants have of the European migratory policies, through their individual experience and social relations, and the strategies they use to get round these constraints of Europe.

Deliverable 3.4 March 2011

Migrants and Borders - Mali
Les représentations des candidats maliens au départ   (FR)

Catherine Quiminal (URMIS - Paris Diderot University)

Representations of Europe referred to by the people of the future Malian migrants feed on several levels around which are directories of subjectivism, imaginaries as ideational and as an engine for action.
Three broad categories referential structure this text:
♦ The continent of Europe as prestigious but accountable to its colonies: material culture, art, sport, History and Memory;
♦ Europe, another way of life: wealth, opportunity, democracy, social rights, racism and discrimination;
♦ Europe and abroad: migration policies.
Through each of these registers, our aim is to identify the institutions and social groups that contribute to the construction of shared imagination. These imaginary build directories from which each player builds his strategy, organizes mental representations, often contradictory, always ambivalent, of Europe. [TEXT IN FRENCH]

Interviews'guidelines (15 p.). Methodological paper for surveys of future migrants, 'transit' migrants and migrants already living in Europe.   

Deliverable 3.4 March 2011

Migrants and Borders - Somali women in Malta
Visions of Europe among Somali in Malta  

Camille Shmoll (Géographie-cités, Paris 7 University), Maurice Saïd and Anna Spiteri (IRMCo, Malta) 

Traditionally a country of emigration, the island has experienced a new immigration flow in the last decade. The research was based on semistructured interviews and observations undertaken with Somali women in May and October 2010. Somali women vision of Europe is ambivalent: Europe is both seen as a space of opportunity where one can get protection and legal capital for the whole family and a space where one experiences racism, detention as well as several institutional obstacles. This vision is highly connected to institutional factors that determine whether they should go into detention or not, their possibility to get protection, to circulate within the EU space as well as to reunify with their family. Moreover, the knowledge, the experience and the image of Europe is constructed alongside the trajectories. This construction of Europe is connected to a process of redefinition of one’s own identity and projects as well as a negotiation of social boundaries.

Deliverable 3.4 March 2011

Migrants and Borders - Argentina 
Representations of Europe among Argentine migrants in Europe

Pilar GONZÁLEZ BERNALDO (ICT - Paris-Diderot University),  Fanny JEDLICKI (URMIS, Paris Diderot University and CIRTAI - Le Havre University) 

A qualitative survey was conducted with candidates for a European nationality, people standing for emigrate, and Argentinian migrants settled in Spain and France from 2000s. Indeed, the crisis of corralito (2001) has led to a strong wave of migration, especially to Spain. This migration is part of the particular history of Argentina: Argentina was a Spanish colony and a land of an important European emigration in the 19th and early 20th century. Now, Argentina holds a special place in the North-South international relations.
Argentinian national history meets singular family histories of descendants of European migrants. Thus, we analyse the administrative trajectories of Argentinians who want to get a European nationality. Italian and Spanish legislation offer this option to the descendants of their former national who has emigrated to Argentina.
Holding a European passport allows free circulation through the world. Migrant experiences are an opportunity to reconstruct family ties with Europe. It also revive the images and sentiments about Europe, forged in school and through the media. If Europe, particularly Spain, is seen as relatively close and attractive, it also draws a positive opposite of the Argentinian crisis. But Europe is seen in a more ambivalent way: a negative vision can be explained by various obstacles (during the administrative phase and during the migration). Indeed, the stories change progressively during the stages of migration : personal projects are redefined downward. Furthermore, the European vision is awakened by restrictive rights for undocumented migrants and racism and xenophobia. To concluded, Spanish crisis (2007-) is reconfiguring, once again, family memories, identifications, projects and performances.

Deliverable 3.4 March 2011

A view of Europe: Perspectives from Indian Immigrants   

Meenakshi Thapan, Maitrayee Deka (Delhi University - Dept. of Sociology)  

 This EuroBroadMap working paper explores perspectives from Indian immigrants on Europe. Based on surveys realised in 2010 in India, Italy and France, this paper highlights migrants representations before and after their migratory moves. Relations with history (former colonial links), cultural representations (movies, literature) and migration policies are also explored.

Deliverable 3.4 March 2011

Visions of Europe at the European Union eastern border.
Focus on Moldavian migration to Romania 

Oana Mihaela Stoleriu, Octavian Groza, Radu Ionut Dimitriu,
George Turcanasu (CUGUAT-TIGRIS, A. Ioan Cuza University)

This paper, issued from the final report of the work package 3
(migrants and borders), presents Europe's representations among
different types of Moldovian migrants.
While some plan to migrate, some are asylum claimers, and other
ones already live in Romania.

Based on qualitative interviews realised in the framework
of the EuroBroadMap project, this paper demonstrates that Romania became an important access point to European Union for migrants but that, most of the time, it is also considered as a first step rather than as a final destination.