European Migration Research Articles

Radio geopolitics: Imaginative geographies of Europe's migration ‘crisis’ on BBC Radio 4

Geographers have examined the history, materiality, and geopolitics of radio but there has been relatively little interest in contemporary radio broadcasting and its capacity to shape geographical imaginations. This is surprising given the ubiquity and popularity of radio, and its enduring role in communicating global news and current affairs to mass audiences. This article reflects on the power of media to represent people and places, and regulate imagined communities of identity and belonging by exploring how BBC Radio 4 constructs imaginative geographies of forced migration to, and refugee settlement in, Europe between January 2014 and March 2019. It joins recent efforts in geography to engage in methodologies of listening through a thematic analysis of 172 radio broadcasts that reveals two contrasting imaginative geographies of migration: first, a geopolitical imaginary of ‘crisis’, exemplified in news broadcasts, that reports from a top-down, state-centric perspective and is articulated by ‘expert’ voices, principally politicians; and second, a place-based, immersive, multi-sensory imaginary, exemplified in ‘feature’ programmes, that explores personal stories and experiences ‘on the ground’, and is articulated by multiple voices, most notably refugees. Radio 4 emerges as a diverse and contradictory space of journalistic storytelling which invites multiple ways of listening to, understanding, and imagining people on the move. By focusing on Radio 4 and the audible story of Europe's migration ‘crisis’, the article demonstrates how imaginative geographies are constructed through sounds and the spoken word, and evidences radio's imaginative, discursive, and sonic power.

Intellectual migration, industrialization, and educational reform in Colombia: Juan Luis Consuegra de la Cruz’s case

This paper remarks the noteworthy role of the European intellectual migration of the first decades of the 20th century in the configuration of higher education linked to industry in Antioquia, Colombia. We use as a case study the Spanish chemical and industrial engineer Juan Luis Consuegra de la Cruz, who was the first dean of the Faculty of Chemical Engineering at the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, and one of the personalities who contributed to the advancement of governmental entities focused on economic and social development in Colombia. The primary sources used to reconstruct the case derive from historical archives, mainly university archives, and the press of the time. Studies on the impact and consequences of migratory phenomenon on the Colombia industrialization, and particularly in Antioquia, are scarce. The obtained results are consistent with the hypothesis about the close relationship between intellectual migration, educational reforms, and industrialization in Latin America during the period under review.

Figurative Conceptualizations of Nations, Countries, and Institutions in Newspaper Articles on Migration

The paper discusses figurative conceptualizations of nations, countries, and institutions as either a container, a person, a sinking ship, a fabric, or hell in media discourse on the European migrant crisis. Applying Steen et al.’s (2010) three-dimensional model of metaphor analysis, we analyze a specific set of metaphorical linguistic expressions, which are inextricably related in the segments of the real discourse on migration, to discuss their rhetorical power and communicative function. The aim of this paper is to describe and identify cases when these are used as perspective-changing devices to influence readers’ opinion on an important issue such as migration.

Mental health among people with a migration background in Belgium over the past 20 years: how has the situation evolved?

BackgroundPoor mental health is highly stigmatized and stereotyped, even more when it comes to migrant and ethnic minority groups (MEM). Belgium, which has a long history of immigration, is a good case study for analysing how the prevalence of mental illness (MI) has evolved over time and how such evolution had differed between MEM. This paper seeks to explore the prevalence of MI and potential inequalities among MEM compared to native Belgians between 1997 and 2018, shedding light on this important issue.MethodsThe data set is composed of the six cross-sectional waves of the Belgian Health Interview Survey from 1997 to 2018. The 12-item General Health Questionnaire was used to assess the average level of mental health and the prevalence of MI (score ≥ 4) among five major MEM groups in Belgium (Belgian, Moroccan, Turkish, European migrants, and non-European migrants). Multivariate logistic and linear regression models were used to assess the likelihood of having a MI in the different MEM groups and survey years. The minimal clinically important difference (MID) was also calculated for the severity of MI.ResultsAfter controlling for socioeconomic status, the average marginal effect indicated a decrease in mental health among Moroccans and Turks in Belgium between 1997 and 2018, compared to Belgians. This result was confirmed by the Chi²-test, which showed that Turkish (χ²=17.75, p < 0.001) and Moroccans respondents (χ²=4.19, p < 0.04) had a higher overall level of mental distress than Belgians. Furthermore, in 2018, even after adjusting for age, sex and education level, having a mother born in a non-EU country increased the risk of mental illness.ConclusionsMental health inequalities between migrant and ethnic groups are on the rise in Belgium. To address this issue, particular attention should be given to the Moroccan and Turkish background populations. Specific interventions and policies must be implemented to prevent the increase of psychological distress among migrants and ethnic minorities, on the one hand, and ensure that high-quality mental health care is accessible to all, regardless of ethnicity, on the other hand. Additionally, we recommend that future research on ethnic mental healthcare includes better data collection on the country of birth of respondents and their parents.

Language policies and practices in early childhood education: perspectives across European migration societies. Introduction to the special issue

ABSTRACT This paper will introduce the subject of language policies and practices in early childhood education across European migration societies and formulate theoretical and methodological questions. It links perspectives from applied linguistics, most explicitly sociolinguistics, and educational research on language (education) policies and practices, thus contributing to the growing body of research on language in early childhood education. Building on this broad literature review as well as on recent socio-political developments, this introduction will identify key avenues for research in this field, and argue for three essential principles: the need of a nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between language policies and language practices within early childhood education; the adoption of a perspective that considers interrelations and interactions between all actors involved (i.e. children, teachers/educators, parents, policymakers, etc.); and the commitment to a critical perspective that asks questions of power, social difference and inequality. Finally, the introduction will present the contributions to the special issue and point out how they approach the identified avenues and principles for research on language policies and practices in early childhood education.

Woodland loss differently affects seed dispersal by resident and migratory avian frugivores in olive grove-dominated landscapes

Seed dispersal by frugivores is a key ecological process underpinning the functionality of woodland patches and their capacity to maintain biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Resident and migratory avian frugivores differ in temporal span of their local occurrence, as well as in mobility and territoriality. However, whether landscape homogenization by agriculture affects seed dispersal by avian frugivores differing in migratory strategy remains largely unexplored. We hypothesized a positive role of woodland patches on avian frugivore abundance and seed-dispersal frequency, and a differential impact of woodland loss and landscape simplification on resident and migratory frugivorous birds. We tested these hypotheses in 20 farms distributed along a gradient of woodland loss and olive cropland expansion in south Spain, considering woodland patches and olive fields as two habitats to survey avian frugivore abundance and frequency of seed dispersal. We confirmed that both the abundance and seed-dispersal frequency of avian frugivores were higher in woodland patches than in olive fields, and also that both decayed with decreasing woodland cover. This was largely mediated by a few European (winter) migrants and secondarily by some resident species. However, the woodland patches were unable to intercept sub-Saharan (summer) migrants in sufficient numbers as to make their contribution to dispersal of summer fruits meaningful. Woodland patches with higher seed-dispersal function were located predominantly in landscapes with high woodland cover and/or fruit availability. Moreover, a relatively high woodland cover in the landscape enhanced the seed dispersal function in woodland patches through a balance between high overall frugivore abundance and dispersal frequency, and some increased activity of resident and summer migrants. Our results also inform that the presence of particularly fruit-rich woodland patches can compensate the woodland cover required to maintain the function by enhancing the frequency of seed dispersal of all migratory groups. In contrast, to maintain the function of fruit-poor woodlands their cover at landscape scale should increase. Preserving and restoring woodland patches at landscape scale and enhancing their abundance and diversity of fruits could boost the activity of different disperser groups and their functional complementarity across agricultural landscapes.

Revisiting language teacher education in an ELF aware perspective: responses to innovations

Abstract Teachers’ and teacher educators’ individual theories, attitudes and beliefs underlying their daily practice, are often challenged by sociolinguistic changes, curricular innovations, or new language policies that may often trigger teachers’ resistance to change, particularly when they are required to adapt and revisit their teaching practices. In many European countries recent migration flows have modified the countries language landscapes; their school population is now growingly plurilingual and with different learning and language needs. In their out-of-school experiences, learners are more and more exposed to English through social media and to non-native speakers’ English (ELF), aspects not integrated yet in local language policies, nor in teacher education programs. It is thus important to design pre- and in-service teacher education programs aimed at sensitizing language and subject teachers to these new scenarios, using reflective practice approaches in multilingual contexts. These contexts require English language teachers, and teachers who use English in different fields such as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) or English Medium of Instruction (EMI), to reconsider their personal assumptions and beliefs, and to develop new competences that would incorporate the powerful reflective framework provided by ELF-awareness. The ELF-aware perspective had been adopted in recent courses for English teachers carried out in Italy, as the ENRICH CPD course, and in the CLIL courses for content teachers. The aim of this contribution is to present and discuss findings of two research studies carried out within the above-mentioned courses that were meant to make teachers aware of new instantiations of English through a reflective practice approach such as the ELF-aware approach, and to sustain their professional development as well as their agency. This paper is mostly related to the lessons learnt from the findings from teachers’ responses to course innovations and their agency development during these courses.

Entitlement Racism on YouTube: White injury—the licence to Humiliate Roma migrants in the UK

Hate speech monitoring has become a challenging task for social media platforms. While efforts have been made to combat racism and other forms of hate speech, marginalised communities, such as the Roma are frequent targets of intense discrimination and online racist abuse. This article examines manifestations of Romaphobia, also known as anti-Roma racism, on YouTube in the context of 2016 UK Referendum on EU membership, when Roma along with other Eastern European migrants became demonized in the right-wing narratives of Brexit supporters. Drawing on Thematic Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis, the article provides an in-depth account of how Romaphobia is discursively constructed in the commentaries of those watching YouTube documentaries about Eastern European migrants. In addition to drawing attention to various forms of overt and covert racism that fly under the radar in the content moderation process, the analysis shows that ‘entitlement racism’ is gradually becoming normalised in social media, with anti-Roma racism acquiring alarming levels of verbal violence which needs immediate attention.

Parochialism and Non‐co‐operation: The Case of Poland's Opposition to EU Migration Policy

AbstractEU policy responses to the migration crisis caused by the Russian war against Ukraine challenge existing explanations of EU migration policy, which have typically leaned on economic rationales. This study leans on public attitudes to shed light on Poland's opposition to migration co‐operation across three recent European migration crises: Syria (2015), Belarus (2021) and Ukraine (2022). Throughout these crises, Poland has become a significant migration border country and one of the top refugee‐receiving countries. We build an analytical framework for exploring how the Polish government instrumentalised ‘parochial attitudes’ that prioritise sovereignty, locality and the in‐group and exclude out‐groups, and we analyse Poland's (op)position to EU co‐operation on migration through this lens. Using survey data, policy documents, 83 media articles and 10 interviews with policy‐makers and experts, we demonstrate that Poland's position on EU solidarity measures has remained static despite the dynamic, evolving circumstances and aligned with parochial attitudes amongst the public.

From Low-Cost Flights to the Ballot Box: How Eastern European Migration Shaped Far-Right Voting in London

Previous articleNext article No AccessFrom Low-Cost Flights to the Ballot Box: How Eastern European Migration Shaped Far-Right Voting in LondonElena Codruta Pupaza and Joachim WehnerElena Codruta Pupaza Search for more articles by this author and Joachim Wehner Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of Politics Just Accepted Sponsored by the Southern Political Science Association Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/724968 HistoryAccepted March 01, 2023 © 2023 Southern Political Science Association. All Rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Immigration bias among medical students: a randomized controlled trial.

Racial bias is found in both physicians and medical students. Immigrants in many parts of the world face challenges similar to racial minorities. Identification of immigrants might however be more subtle than identification by race, and currently, no data are available on a possible bias against the large minority group of migrants in Europe. Randomized control trial. Second-year medical students were randomized into four groups to watch a video of either a male or female patient with pain, with or without immigrant status. Students were asked whether they would administer pain medication (primary outcome). Immigrant status, patient's gender, student's gender, age, and language skills were covariates in a logistic regression model. Secondary outcomes included pain medication potency and the student's rating of the patient's pain intensity. We recruited 607 students [337 females (56%), 387 (64%) between 18 and 22 years old]. Analgesia was administered in 95% (n = 576). Immigrant status was not associated with the probability of receiving pain medication [95 vs. 95%, odds ratio (OR) 0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39-1.70, P = 0.58]. Immigrants received high-potency analgesia less often (26 vs. 33%, OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.50-0.96, P = 0.03). Female students administered pain medication more frequently (96 vs. 93%, OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.05-5.02, P = 0.04), and rated the patients' pain higher (mean numeric rating scale 7.7, SD 0.9 vs. 7.4, SD 1.0, OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.16-1.60, P < 0.001). Medical students showed no immigration bias with regard to administering pain medication but were less likely to choose high-potency analgesia in immigrants. We also found a gender difference in pain management. These results demonstrate the importance of including knowledge about immigration bias in medical training.

The coexistence of nationalism, Westernization, Russification, and Russophobia: facets of parallelization in the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Parallelization theory complements earlier concepts in cultural and political history by focusing on the coexistence of seemingly contradictory patterns in various localities, such as segregation/integration of migrants in Europe and the USA, polarization/hybridization in Korea and Ukraine, and secularization/the resurgence of religions in countries like Malaysia and Sweden. The current article examines the parallel presence of Ukrainian nationalism/Westernization and Russification/Russophobia before and in the aftermath of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The argument is bolstered by both Russian, Ukrainian, and Western media sources, showing how and why these seemingly conflicting tendencies coexist.

Those scary migrants: feanxiety and Brexit in Agnieszka Dale’s Fox Season and Other Short Stories

ABSTRACT This article explores affective narratives of migrants in a recent Brexit fiction in the context of feanxiety – a critical concept that brings together literary representations of fear and anxiety. The essay focuses on Agnieszka Dale’s short stories collection Fox Season and Other Short Stories (2017), which represents the social and affective experiences of Eastern European migrants living in post-Brexit Britain. Written after the 2016 referendum, the collection engages with issues of belonging and (un)belonging, national attachments, and postcolonial relations in the United Kingdom. Reading three short stories from the collection, ‘A Polish Joke’, ‘Fox Season’, and ‘A Happy Nation’, this article investigates how through comedy, humour, and distanced attitude Dale’s fiction fights detrimental prejudices about ‘fearsome foreigners’, reclaiming the lost agency of the migrants. This article argues that in Fox Season feanxiety operates as an aesthetic and an ethical mode but also as a political measure that operates within the modern power structures. Examining the experiences of migration through the lens of fear and anxiety not only enables a nuanced reading of the collection’s outlook on negative emotions surging in the UK but also facilitates a furthering of feanxiety as a productive critical framework within the merit of affect studies.

THE MIGRATION OF THE POPULATION OF UKRAINE DUE TO A FOREIGN INVASION

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to the mass displacement of the Ukrainian population. It is estimated that more than 14 million people were forced to leave their homes, including nearly 8 million people, primarily women and children, who went abroad. The analysis of the dynamics, directions, and composition of forced migration flows from Ukraine abroad is the focus of this article. Based on the available statistical and sociological data, the author identifies the patterns of the current migration process and its principal characteristics. Traditional migration channels, in particular the inclusion of Ukraine in the European migration system as one of the elements of the country’s European integration, are taken into account when examining the decision-making process, the choice of destination, and the plans of displaced persons for the future.&#x0D; The current situation does not enable predictions regarding whether displaced persons will remain in their destinations, return home, or migrate further within the country or abroad. Despite this lack of clarity, it can be assumed that the number of international migrants from Ukraine will increase for security and economic reasons. The intensification of migration will occur due to the non-repatriation of portions of refugee populations and the growth of temporary labor migration abroad, which may become a vital strategy among Ukrainians to overcome the consequences of war, accumulate funds to rebuild destroyed housing, and compensate for lost property.&#x0D; As migrants from Ukraine are typically working age, active, and educated people, the outflow of them can significantly complicate and decelerate the post-war reconstruction of the country. Therefore, creating conditions for the return of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) should be the central task of the state as well as the crucial subject of cooperation between Ukraine and the host countries.

Do They Get Close? Party Shifts and Changes in Parliamentary Congruence on Multiple Issue Dimensions in the Wake of the Crises

ABSTRACT This article explores congruence in the wake of the crises. It analyses (1) shifts in parties’ positions on multiple issue dimensions and (2) examines congruence between citizens and parliament in times of crisis. The article refers to three issue dimensions: left-right, migration and European integration. First, I hypothesise that shifts in party positions are more pronounced on newly contested issue dimensions, such as migration or European integration, than on the left-right dimension. Second, I argue that systemic congruence will increase over the course of time. Third, I posit that systemic congruence will increase particularly on newly contested issue dimensions, like migration and European integration. The study brings together a set of Western European countries: France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain and Sweden. The analysis is based on CHES- and ESS-data (2006–2018/2019) and explores congruence as a many-to-many relationship. In large part, the results confirm the hypotheses. First, party positions changed, and shifted particularly on the issue dimensions of European integration and migration. Second, systemic congruence increased in several cases. Third, the most profound changes are to be found on the issue dimension of European integration.

Migration flows between Europe and China in the 21st century: main Aspects and Problems in the Materials of Russian and Chinese Historiography

The study of the political identity of Chinese and European immigrants in the XXI century is relevant and significant. Firstly, migration flows affect the political and socio-economic landscape of States. Secondly, they exacerbate cultural identification problems in host communities. Thirdly, diasporas can be used as an instrument of political influence, both by the host State and the State of exodus. Fourthly, it is Chinese immigrants who raise the largest number of questions from the host European community, since they do not fully integrate, actively maintain ties with their homeland, and their total number is constantly growing. Based on the analysis of materials of Russian and Chinese historiography on migration flows between Europe and China in the XXI century.The article examines the processes associated with the migration of Europeans to China and Chinese to Europe, their impact on the political and cultural landscape of European states and China; analyzes issues related to the legal regulation of migration policy in China; examines the specifics of migration from China to Europe and from Europe to China. On the basis of the conducted research using the comparative method and the induction method, the features and specificity of the Chinese diaspora in Europe in comparison with European migration to China are revealed.

Insights into the Y chromosome human diversity in Uruguay.

With regard to the origin of its population and microevolutionary processes, Uruguay exhibits distinctive features that distinguish it from other countries in Latin America, while at the same time sharing several similarities. In this article, we will focus on the variability of paternal genetic lineages in two geographical regions with different histories that can be considered as examples of distinct populations for the continent. In general terms, the genetic diversity is a result of different demographic processes related to the American conquest and colonisation. These resulted in distinct ancestral components which vary geographical and depend on the distribution by sex within these components. In Uruguay, native maternal haplogroups are significantly more frequent in the North. Although there are several studies about the geneticvariability of Uruguay, little is known about male genetic lineages. The aim of this work is to present an updated study of the male genetic variability of the Uruguayan population. We analyzed 13 biallelic markers and 27 STRs located in the male-specific region of the Y chromosome for 157 males: 98 from the capital, Montevideo, and 59 from Tacuarembó. Almost all haplogroups found in both locations are European (99% and 93.2% respectively). One Sub-Saharan African haplogroup was found in Montevideo (1%) and 2 in Tacuarembó (3%), while Native haplogroups were found only in Tacuarembó, evidencing a strong sex-biased admixture. By crossing genetic and genealogical information we could relate European haplogroups with different waves and times of migrations. Network analysis indicated a very diverse male population, suggesting that European migrants came from heterogeneous geographic locations and in different waves. Tacuarembó has closer population affinities with Iberian populations while Montevideo is more diverse. Male population expansion expansion, can be explained by the large number of migrants that arrived during the XIX century and the first half of the XX century. The Uruguayan male gene pool is the result of several migration waves with diverse origins, with strong sex-biased admixture that can be explained by the European migration, the violence against the indigenous males, and the segregation of the Africansadmixture that can be explained due to European migration, violence against Natives, and segregation against African males.admixture that can be explained due to European migration, violence against Natives, and segregation against African males.admixture that can be explained due to European migration, violence against Natives, and segregation against African males.admixture that can be explained due to European migration, violence against Natives, and segregation of hte Africans.

Intersecting hostilities around the European migration crisis: the case of Carola Rackete and the Sea-Watch 3

ABSTRACT On June 29, 2019, Carola Rackete docked the rescue ship Sea-Watch 3 on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, in defiance of a ban imposed by Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini. The migrants rescued by the Sea-Watch 3 had been blocked at sea for the previous two weeks, making it to international headlines and sparking a heated debate around sovereignty and humanitarianism in the face of the European migration crisis. On her arrival, Rackete was arrested for refusing to obey a military vessel and aiding illegal immigration. This paper investigates social media and international news discourses around the Sea-Watch 3 docking, to be regarded as a critical incident capable of catalysing attention and generating a significant media resonance. Results show how both social and traditional media contributed to the proliferation of misogynous attacks against Captain Rackete, at the intersection between right-wing populist discourses of Italian ‘sovranism’ and European anti-immigrationism. By triangulating the role of the media, intersectional hostility and populist ideology, this paper sheds light on how these three factors feed into each other in the discursive construction of the ‘Fortress Europe’ of present times.

The Effect of Social Contacts on the Uptake of Health Innovations among Older Ethnic Minorities in the UK: A Mixed Methods Study

Several studies have highlighted specific views on ageing among older migrants in Europe that tend to be outdated or more pessimistic than the general population. However, the current literature does not provide explanations for such observations. This mixed methods study considers the diffusion of innovation among older migrants as a possible explanatory factor. A critical component of the diffusion of innovation theory is how information is accessed, exchanged, and communicated through social contacts. This study employs the fundamental mathematical model of diffusion to examine the differential effects of diffusion of innovation based on the social contact rates among migrant groups compared to the overall UK population. As there is no direct information on social contact rates among migrants in the UK, the analysis uses the equivalence from the migrants’ home countries as proxies. This study utilises social matrices of contact data for the UK based on publicly available information from a European survey and other publications for the contact rate for three sending countries where there are large migrant groups in the UK and Europe (India, Pakistan and Turkey). The analysis shows that, when controlling for other factors, migrants are likely to suffer considerable delays in the diffusion of innovations compared to the majority UK population. The findings have several policy implications concerning promoting inclusive public health and disease prevention interventions, which are essential components of a sustainable healthcare system for an increasingly diverse UK older population.

Migration Deals Seen through the Lens of the ICESCR

Abstract Human rights violations in the context of migration deals have received considerable attention, especially when it comes to more frequently explored human rights such as the principle of non-refoulement, the right to life, and the prohibition on torture. However, such deals also have a negative impact on the socio-economic rights of people on the move, who often live in dire conditions and lack access to education, health care, and work. This article therefore seeks to answer the following question: to what extent do European Union Member States have obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights towards people on the move contained in third countries as a result of migration deals? The analysis shows that EU Member States may have two types of obligations and examines their nature and scope. First, EU Member States have direct obligations when exercising extraterritorial jurisdiction. This is the case when they can take reasonable measures to avoid reasonably foreseeable human rights violations that result from migration deals. Secondly, they may also have global obligations within the framework of international assistance and cooperation. While the nature and scope of these obligations remain unclear, this article explores whether EU Member States have an obligation to provide international assistance and cooperation to third countries that host people on the move as a result of migration deals. It also examines whether EU Member States can comply with their obligations of international assistance and cooperation by cooperating with third countries on migration control. The article uses the examples of European migration deals with Turkey and Libya to illustrate the analysis.