Migrant Groups Research Articles

Migration, Embeddedness, and Vulnerability During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and concomitant policy measures have disproportionally affected the lives of migrants worldwide. Focusing on inequalities between social groups, studies have tended to neglect the role of local embeddedness as a factor influencing the extent to which individuals are affected by COVID-19. In this paper, we study the vulnerabilities of people with different migration experiences in an urban setting in the early stages of the pandemic, focusing on three key livelihood assets: economic, social, and human capital (health). Our analyses are based on online survey data (n = 1381) collected among international migrants, second-generation residents (those with at least one parent born abroad), and non-migrants residing in Amsterdam in July 2020. We find that international migrants, and particularly those who arrived in the city more recently, reported larger shocks to their economic and social capital than other city residents. This finding illustrates the vulnerabilities of “newcomers” to the city and their limited resilience to shocks. Second-generation residents were particularly vulnerable in terms of health, but this relationship was strongly mediated by education and neighborhood effects. In all three groups, those with poor relative wealth and those who were self-employed were more vulnerable to economic shocks. Our findings illustrate how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequalities in vulnerabilities across migrant and non-migrant groups, and how those who were locally embedded, including migrants and non-migrants, were less likely to be negatively affected by the pandemic.

COVID-19 Vaccination Preferences Among Non-Chinese Migrants in Hong Kong: Discrete Choice Experiment.

Studies have shown increasing COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among migrant populations in certain settings compared to the general population. Hong Kong has a growing migrant population with diverse ethnic backgrounds. Apart from individual-level factors, little is known about the migrants' preference related to COVID-19 vaccines. This study aims to investigate which COVID-19 vaccine-related attributes combined with individual factors may lead to vaccine acceptance or refusal among the migrant population in Hong Kong. An online discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted among adults, including Chinese people, non-Chinese Asian migrants (South, Southeast and Northeast Asians), and non-Asian migrants (Europeans, Americans, and Africans) in Hong Kong from February 26 to April 26, 2021. The participants were recruited using quota sampling and sent a link to a web survey. The vaccination attributes included in 8 choice sets in each of the 4 blocks were vaccine brand, safety and efficacy, vaccine uptake by people around, professionals' recommendation, vaccination venue, and quarantine exemption for vaccinated travelers. A nested logistic model (NLM) and a latent-class logit (LCL) model were used for statistical analysis. A total of 208 (response rate 62.1%) migrant participants were included. Among the migrants, those with longer local residential years (n=31, 27.7%, for ≥10 years, n=7, 20.6%, for 7-9 years, n=2, 6.7%, for 4-6 years, and n=3, 9.7%, for ≤3 years; P=.03), lower education level (n=28, 28.3%, vs n=15, 13.9%, P=.01), and lower income (n=33, 25.2%, vs n=10, 13.2%, P=.04) were more likely to refuse COVID-19 vaccination irrespective of vaccination attributes. The BioNTech vaccine compared with Sinovac (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=1.75, 95% CI 1.14-2.68), vaccine with 90% (AOR=1.44, 95% CI 1.09-1.91) and 70% efficacy (AOR=1.21, 95% CI 1.03-1.44) compared with 50% efficacy, vaccine with fewer serious adverse events (1/100,000 compared with 1/10,000; AOR=1.12, 95% CI 1.00-1.24), and quarantine exemption for cross-border travelers (AOR=1.14, 95% CI 1.01-1.30) were the vaccine attributes that could increase the likelihood of vaccination among migrants. For individual-level factors, full-time homemakers (AOR=0.44, 95% CI 0.29-0.66), those with chronic conditions (AOR=0.61, 95% CI 0.41-0.91) and more children, and those who frequently received vaccine-related information from the workplace (AOR=0.42, 95% CI 0.31-0.57) were found to be reluctant to accept the vaccine. Those with a higher income (AOR=1.79, 95% CI 1.26-2.52), those knowing anyone infected with COVID-19 (AOR=1.73, 95% CI 1.25-2.38), those having greater perceived susceptibility of COVID-19 infection (AOR=3.42, 95% CI 2.52-4.64), those who received the influenza vaccine (AOR=2.15, 95% CI 1.45-3.19), and those who frequently received information from social media (AOR=1.52, 95% CI 1.12-2.05) were more likely to accept the vaccine. This study implies that migrants have COVID-19 vaccination preference heterogeneity and that more targeted and tailored approaches are needed to promote vaccine acceptance for different subgroups of the migrant population in Hong Kong. Vaccination promotion strategies are needed for low-education and low-income migrant groups, migrants with chronic diseases, the working migrant population, homemakers, and parents.

The multilingual Twitter-discourse on vaccination in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic

There is evidence that specific segments of the population were hit particularly hard by the Covid-19 pandemic (e.g., people with a migration background). In this context, the impact and role played by online platforms in facilitating the integration or fragmentation of public debates and social groups is a recurring topic of discussion. This is where our study ties in, we ask: How is the topic of vaccination discussed and evaluated in different language communities in Germany on Twitter during the Covid-19 pandemic? We collected all tweets in German, Russian, Turkish, and Polish (i.e., the largest migrant groups in Germany) in March 2021 that included the most important keywords related to Covid-19 vaccination. All users were automatically geocoded. The data was limited to tweets from Germany. Our results show that the multilingual debate on Covid-19 vaccination in Germany does not have many structural connections. However, in terms of actors, arguments, and positions towards Covid-19 vaccination, the discussion in the different language communities is similar. This indicates that there is a parallelism of the debates but no social-discursive integration.

From culturalisation to individuation: the role of urban spaces in shaping intergroup contacts and symbolic boundary perceptions

ABSTRACT This article investigates ethnic boundary perceptions among people without a migration background living in majority-minority neighbourhoods in six western European cities. The main research question is whether people without migration background who have contact with migrant groups in their everyday life surroundings perceive ethnic boundaries as blurred (i.e. individuation) or as bright (i.e. culturalisation). The main argument of this article is that boundary perceptions are importantly shaped by the specific urban micro-setting in which people come into contact with migrant groups. Drawing on data from a large-scale survey conducted in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Malmo and Vienna, the study examines how urban micro-setting affects ethnic boundary perceptions (i.e. individuation or culturalisation). The results show that contact with migrant groups in parochial spaces is significantly and strongly related to the blurring of group boundaries (i.e. individuation), while exposure in public spaces has no significant effect on boundary perceptions.

Differences in clinical presentation at first hospitalization and the impact on involuntary admissions among first-generation migrant groups with non-affective psychotic disorders.

Some migrant and ethnic minority groups have a higher risk of coercive pathways to care; however, it is unclear whether differences in clinical presentation contribute to this risk. We sought to assess: (i) whether there were differences in clinician-rated symptoms and behaviours across first-generation immigrant and refugee groups at the first psychiatric hospitalization after psychosis diagnosis, and (ii) whether these differences accounted for disparities in involuntary admission. Using population-based health administrative data from Ontario, Canada, we constructed a sample (2009-2013) of incident cases of non-affective psychotic disorder followed for two years to identify first psychiatric hospitalization. We compared clinician-rated symptoms and behaviours at admission between first-generation immigrants and refugees and the general population, and adjusted for these variables to ascertain whether the elevated prevalence of involuntary admission persisted. Immigrants and refugee groups tended to have lower ratings for affective symptoms, self-harm behaviours, and substance use, as well as higher levels of medication nonadherence and poor insight. Immigrant groups were more likely to be perceived as aggressive and a risk of harm to others, and both groups were perceived as having self-care issues. Adjustment for perceived differences in clinical presentation at admission did not attenuate the higher prevalence of involuntary admission for immigrant and refugee groups. First-generation migrant groups may differ in clinical presentation during the early course of psychotic illness, although these perceived differences did not explain the elevated rates of involuntary admission. Further research using outpatient samples and tools with established cross-cultural validity are warranted.

Anxiety among Central American Migrants in Mexico: A Cumulative Vulnerability

Migration exposes Central American migrants, particularly those who migrate without documents, to a range of incidents, dangers, and risks that increase their vulnerability to anxiety symptoms. In most cases, the poverty, conflict, and violence they experience in their countries of origin are compounded by the unpredictable conditions of their journey through Mexico. The objective of this study was to explore the association between the presence of emotional discomfort and the experience of various vulnerabilities from the perspective of a group of Central American migrants in transit through Mexico. This is a descriptive, mixed-methods study (QUALI-QUAN). During the qualitative phase, thirty-five migrants were interviewed (twenty in Mexico City and six in Tijuana). During the quantitative phase, a questionnaire was administered to 217 migrants in shelters in Tijuana. An analysis of the subjects' accounts yielded various factors associated with stress and anxiety, which were divided into five main groups: (1) precarious conditions during the journey through Mexico, (2) rejection and abuse due to their identity, (3) abuse by Mexican authorities, (4) violence by criminal organizations, and (5) waiting time before being able to continue their journey. The interaction of various vulnerabilities predisposes individuals to present emotional discomfort, such as anxiety. Migrants who reported experiencing three or more vulnerabilities presented the highest percentages of anxiety symptoms.

The Impact of Service Learning on Academic, Professional and Physical Wellbeing Competences of EFL Teacher Education Students.

In response to the challenges of the 21st century, the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has been committed to the development of a training model that focuses on the acquisition of cognitive, physical, and social competences, among others, rather than the mere acquisition of knowledge. This approach has gained momentum in recent years, where the learners are the protagonists of their own learning process. This change of approach requires a change in methodology and involves a renewal of the methodological approach in Spanish universities. Service learning (S-L) is an active methodology that is gaining ground across universities due to its experiential, community-based and reflective characteristics. The present study aimed to provide an overview of the impact of S-L by active programs (physical activities, movement games, active tasks, etc.) on the acquisition of professional, linguistic, pedagogical or intercultural competencies, as well as physical wellbeing skills, on English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher education students. Fourteen Spanish EFL university students carried out an S-L active intervention with a migrant group from the Migrant Temporary Stay Centre in the autonomous city of Melilla (Spain). A qualitative study was designed to evaluate the achievement of these competencies. The results show that even though S-L is a challenging methodology, it favours the development of academic, professional, and physical wellbeing competences to succeed in a competitive and changing world, as well as the improvement of the participant students.

Economy of marginality and familiarity: Making sense of South Asian migrant breakout business in Hong Kong

This article examines an emerging phenomenon within the South Asian economy in Hong Kong: Disadvantaged entrepreneurs, mainly from Pakistan, Nepal and India, have adopted breakout strategies to target other disadvantaged migrants, particularly Indonesian and Filipino foreign domestic workers. This challenges the widely shared assumption that breakout strategies of migrant entrepreneurs address primarily the mainstream population. By applying Erving Goffman’s notion of frame, we focus on how these entrepreneurs understand and interpret their (change of) market orientation in the context of a specific entrepreneurial environment, where power asymmetries exist in the economic and political constellation between the ethnic majority and various groups of migrants. Regarding methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted, and analyses were done based on 15 business units with 19 migrant entrepreneurs targeting other marginalised migrant groups with whom they share stigmatisation by the ethnic majority. The findings reveal that four frames around “marginality” and “familiarity” play a crucial role in shaping South Asian migrant entrepreneurs’ market orientation and strategies: a) shared experiences of discrimination, b) unwanted locality as resources, c) common culture, and d) race-based affinity and sympathy. These results contribute to the debates by adding a rather neglected form of market orientation to the diversification of migrant entrepreneurial strategies in existing literature, supplementing the economic and social explanations by applying a cultural sociological perspective of social inequality, and critically reviewing the assumption that breakout automatically generates economic success and social mobility.

Migrant transnationalism and time: divergent trajectories of diasporic political engagement in early 20th century São Paulo

ABSTRACT Why and how do some migrant groups demonstrate greater engagement with homeland politics than others at particular historical moments? Research has examined both individual-level factors such as migrants’ resources and institutional factors such as contexts of incorporation. Less theorised, however, are the ways in which factors are mediated by temporal contexts such as timing and sequence. Drawing on the notion of path dependence, this study analyses how the temporal orders of four institutional factors – 1) the socioeconomic context of reception, 2) incorporative policies of the receiving state, 3) diaspora policies of the sending state, and 4) migrant networks – resulted in divergent levels of diasporic engagement between Italian and Japanese migrants in early twentieth century Brazil. My findings show that the socioeconomic context of reception provides the initial condition on which migrants develop their networks. Second, the timing of when diasporic policies – relative to incorporative policies – reach out to migrant networks affects the breadths of social class involvement in diasporic engagement. This study contends that timing plays a critical role in producing divergent levels of diasporic engagement at the group-level.

Heritage education and active learning: Developing community and promoting diversity in Turkey

ABSTRACT Heritage education is part of the global response to destruction of archaeological sites in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries and will be important in achieving the secondary integration priorities of the Turkish state and NGOs working with Syrian migrants in Turkey. However, the effectiveness and pedagogy of heritage education interventions in diverse MENA communities is under-researched. We present here quantitative and qualitative evaluation data from a pilot project involving 169 teachers and c.2,800 children in Fethiye, SW Turkey. Educational games based on the pedagogic principle of Active Learning were well-received and raised participants' awareness of heritage but teacher confidence in delivering them remained low, even after training. Active Learning effectively engages both local and migrant groups with the shared space that they inhabit, even where its heritage has contested meanings, and heritage education and may have long-term social benefits for communities experiencing disruption and migration caused by conflict.

Suicide among psychiatric patients who migrated to the UK: a national clinical survey.

Within the UK, limited research has examined migration and suicide risk. To assist with tailoring mental health care to the needs of different migrant groups, it is important to identify the clinical profile and antecedents to suicide. We focussed on two groups of migrants: those resident in the UK for less than 5 years (recent migrants) and those seeking permission to stay in the UK. Data on mental health patients who died by suicide in the UK between 2011 and 2019 were obtained as part of the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health. 13,948 patients died by suicide between 2011 and 2019: 593 were recent migrants with 48 seeking permission to stay in the UK. The overall suicide rate between 2011 and 2017 for patients seeking to stay was 23.8/100,000 (95% CI 17.3-32.1). There was some uncertainty around this estimate but it appeared higher than the general population suicide rate of 10.6/100,000 population (95% CI 10.5-10.7; p=.0001) for the same period. A higher proportion of migrants were from an ethnic minority group (15% recent migrants vs. 70% seeking to remain vs. 7% non-migrants) and more were viewed as at low long-term risk of suicide (63% recent migrants vs. 76% seeking to remain vs. 57% non-migrants). A higher proportion of recent migrants died within three months of discharge from psychiatric in-patient care (19% vs. 14%) compared to non-migrants. Proportionally more patients seeking to remain had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and other delusional disorders (31% vs. 15%) and more had experienced recent life events compared to non-migrants (71% vs. 51%). A higher proportion of migrants had severe or acute illness at the time of their suicide. This may be linked to a range of serious stressors and/or lack of connection with services that could have identified signs of illness early. However, clinicians often viewed these patients as low risk. Mental health services should consider the breadth of stressors migrants may face and adopt a multi-agency approach to suicide prevention. The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership.

Historicising Australian Deportation of 'Suspect' and 'Undesirable' Migrant Communities

The overall aim of the paper is to present evidence on the factors underpinning historical deportation cases, by exploring the reasons, explanations and patterns related to deportation in Australia. The purpose is to consider whether these historical factors are antecedent to current forms of deportation occurring in Australia, and to bring to the fore potential recurring patterns. Deportation is currently conceptualised by border criminologists as a punitive tool of discipline and control, within the realm of penal powers. Some of this work on the ‘deportation regime’ asserts that certain migrants, or groups of migrants, are undesirable: their identity, (not)belonging and punishment have become inherently intertwined, and their mobility has become politicised and criminalised. This article theorises that deportation has been used in Australia, now and in the past, to expel individuals who are viewed as detrimental to the ‘health’ of the host society. The ‘deportation categories’ demonstrate that migrants’ desirability has historically been a temporary condition, shifting over time in line with the state’s requirements. They also demonstrate the historical regime of criminalisation of undesirable others enacted through Australia’s border control regime.

Transnational Cultural Belonging of Bangladeshi Migrants in South Korea

Belonging to one’s homeland is common and universal for human beings. Transnational culture belonging is the practices and actions of some elements such as language, food, clothes, song, etc. that refers to a person's sense of belonging to a particular culture or place. This study aims to examine transnational cultural belonging among Bangladeshi migrants in South Korea. A quantitative study was conducted based on 310 surveys on Bangladeshi migrants in South Korea during six months from March 2016 to August 2016. The results show that Bangladeshi migrants in South Korea have strong transnational cultural belonging to their homeland. The highest degrees of transnational cultural belonging were found “talking in their native language” and “eating traditional food” in cultural originality belonging and “watching Bangladeshi television” in cultural entertainment belonging. The results support the studies of Bangladeshi migrants in western countries as strong transnational belonging at homeland. This study suggests subsequent studies to compare transnational cultural belonging of various migrant groups through sampling based on socio-demographic factors. Key words: Bangladeshi migrant, international migration, Bangladesh, South Korea, transnational cultural belonging

Post-migration trajectories and psychopathological vulnerability

Abstract: BackgroundPsychosis rates are higher among some migrant groups. We hypothesized that psychosis in migrants is associated with cumulative social disadvantage during different phases of migration.MethodsWe used data from the EUropean Network of National Schizophrenia Networks studying Gene-Environment Interactions (EU-GEI) case-control study. We defined a set of 3 indicators of social disadvantage for each phase: pre-migration, migration, and post-migration.Results249 cases and 219 controls were assessed. Pre-migration (OR 1.61, 95%CI 1.06-2.44, p=0.027) and postmigration social disadvantages (OR 1.89, 95%CI 1.02-3.51, p=0.044), along with expectations/achievements mismatch (OR 1.14, 95%CI 1.03-1.26, p=0.014) were all significantly associated with psychosis. We found a dose-response effect between number of adversities across all phases and odds of psychosis (≥6: OR 14.09, 95%CI 2.06-96-47, p=0.007).ConclusionsThe cumulative effect of social disadvantages before, during and after migration was associated with increased odds of psychosis in migrants, independently of ethnicity or length of stay in the country of arrival. Public health initiatives that address the social disadvantages that many migrants face during the whole migration process and post-migration psychological support may be reduce the excess of psychosis in migrants.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

The impact of NHS charging regulations on healthcare access and utilisation among migrants in England: a systematic review

BackgroundThe NHS Charges to Overseas Visitors Regulations 2015 outline when healthcare costs should be recuperated from overseas visitors in England. National and global stakeholders have expressed concerns that charging may exacerbate health inequalities and undermine public health efforts especially among vulnerable migrant groups. This review aims to systematically describe the evidence regarding the impact of NHS charging regulations on healthcare access and utilisation and health outcomes for migrants in England.MethodsA systematic search of scientific databases and grey literature sources was performed. Quantitative and qualitative studies, case studies and grey literature published between 1 January 2014 and 1 April 2021 were included. Screening, data extraction and quality appraisal were carried out in accordance with PRISMA guidelines.ResultsFrom the 1,459 identified studies, 10 were selected for inclusion. 6 were qualitative, 3 were mixed methods and 1 was quantitative. The evidence is lacking but suggests that fears of charging and data sharing can deter some migrants from accessing healthcare. There is also evidence to suggest a lack of knowledge of the charging regulations among patients and healthcare professionals is contributing to this deterrence.ConclusionsFurther independent research supported by strengthening of data collection is required to better understand the effects of charging on healthcare and health outcomes among vulnerable migrants. Our findings support improved training and communication about NHS Charging Regulations for patients and professionals.

Successful due to STEM? Labour market returns to STEM qualifications among skilled immigrants in Germany

ABSTRACT Against the growing demand for the STEM labour force, the study examines labour market returns to STEM qualifications among immigrants who arrived in Germany since the 1980s. Analysing the German microcensus data for years 2015 and 2016, we demonstrate that skilled immigrants with STEM qualifications largely attain better labour market outcomes in Germany compared to immigrants without STEM qualifications, thus narrowing the gap to their native-born counterparts. Male immigrants succeed in utilizing their STEM capital better than female immigrants, but all immigrants face difficulties in translating their STEM qualifications into STEM employment. Our analyses further focus on returns to various STEM qualifications, attesting that medical qualifications are especially beneficial for Germany’s female immigrants. The analysis of heterogeneous effects of STEM qualifications across major migrant groups reveals that Eastern European male immigrants make the best of their STEM qualifications, whereas among women, STEM qualified from Turkey or MENA countries are the most successful. These and other findings are discussed both from the supply and demand sides of the labour market.

Migration and the Making of Global Christianity, by Jehu J. Hanciles. Foreword by Philip Jenkins

The notion that the spread of Christianity should be primarily credited to intentional, organized missionary efforts has long been predominant in the study of the religion. Migration often finds a more prominent role in historical treatments of Christianity’s expansion after the mid-nineteenth century—given technological advances and other factors that encouraged widespread dislocations of people groups. The changes brought by modern European colonialism and the Reformation have also captured, for good reason, the imagination of scholars who have paid attention to how cross-cultural encounters and migration have helped shape Christianity after the sixteenth century. Coherent and concise assessments of the role of migration in the expansion and diversification of Christianity around the world during the centuries that preceded the Reformation, however, are less common. Although a few scholarly volumes have addressed the development of Christianity beyond the West since its beginnings, Jehu J. Hanciles’s Migration and the Making of Global Christianity fills an important gap in the scholarly literature by addressing the importance of migration in this broader dynamic.Hanciles provides an ambitious sociohistorical study of the first fifteen hundred years of Christianity in which migrants take center stage as agents of Christianity’s expansion and diversification. Hanciles’s choices for showing the continuing significance of migration in global Christianity are broad in scope and geography. From the Roman Empire to Persia and from medieval Europe to Asia and the Mongol Empire, Hanciles narrates, analyzes, and interprets critical moments in the history of Christianity in which migration took center stage not only in Christianity’s spread but also in its theological development. Throughout the history of Christianity, migration was, Hanciles claims correctly, “often a theologizing experience” (118). This migration-informed theologizing was widespread as different people tried to make sense of new social, cultural, and linguistic contexts at different times. Examples abound; they include the discourse of exile in the Hebrew Bible, the incorporation of non-Jewish Christians in the New Testament, numerous Christian leaders who incorporated in their theologies aspects of the transnational lives they lived, and migrant experiences on the ground that influenced people to appropriate and translate top-down Christian messages in different ways.Despite this book’s many historical contributions, Migration and the Making of Global Christianity is not an encyclopedic account of one fact after another. As a matter of fact, the primary contributions of Hanciles’s work may reside in his methodological decisions and outlook. At the heart of Hanciles’s project lies the goal of decentering missionaries as singular, primary agents of Christian expansion and introducing migrant experiences as key to the development of Christian history and theology. He does that without romanticizing migrant encounters and experiences—intra-Christian and otherwise—as necessarily benign. Migration and the Making of Global Christianity reminds us that migration is intertwined with the development of Christianity, often despite or because of uncomfortable phenomena created by particular historical contexts. Diverse contextual challenges encountered by migrant groups and individuals—such as violence, economic struggle, underdeveloped cultural repertoires, linguistic limitations, misunderstandings, power differentials, and narrow theological convictions—were crucial for Christianity’s expansion, diversification, and theological development. By decentering missionaries as primary agents of expansion, Hanciles also questions the sufficiency of what he calls “the empire argument” that traces a strong relationship between political and religious development. For him, “the empire argument distorts historical understanding not only because it places disproportionate emphasis on formal structures, official agency, and state resources that played a minimal role in Christian expansion but also because it minimizes the importance of the recipient societies and the agency of potential converts” (415). Although Hanciles’s take on empire might be read as potentially lacking a robust account of empire in all its forms, Migration and the Making of Global Christianity does engage the issue of conversion and religious appropriation in ways that help qualify arguments that reduce Christian expansion to a function of imperialism.To address sufficiently the different dynamics involved, Migration and the Making of Global Christianity is conversant with several disciplines such as theology, migration studies, and sociology. Hanciles’s approach is, therefore, explicitly historical in general and sociohistorical in particular, but it has strong interdisciplinary elements. Historians judging by the standards of traditional historical practice will notice that Hanciles relies overwhelmingly on secondary accounts. His historical interpretation is often layered on top of other interpretations rather than resulting from vigorous engagement with primary sources. This is understandable considering the ambitious conceptual, historical, chronological, and geographical scope of the book. Yet, Hanciles’s command of sources in different fields is impressive. Migration and the Making of Global Christianity should be read by historians, theologians, and sociologists for its contributions in showing that migration is a core element in the expansion, diversification, and theological development of Christianity. Hanciles’s work is indispensable reading for scholars and practitioners interested in migration studies and world Christianity, and may soon be considered necessary reading in mission studies.

“Yo no sé caminar Comodoro”. Pluralismo jurídico y garantía de derechos para personas migrantes en contextos de desigualdades sociales (Patagonia, Argentina)

“I DON’T KNOW HOW TO WALK COMODORO”: LEGAL PLURALISM AND GUARANTEE OF RIGHTS FOR MIGRANTS IN THE CONTEXTS OF SOCIAL INEQUALITIES (PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA) In this paper, we analyze the difficulties in access to social rights in Argentina by migrant groups from neighboring countries, particularly women from the Andean world (Bolivia), in the justice field. In an ethnographic approach and with contributions from the decolonial perspective, we present various situations that Quechua‑speaking women experience in the Cuenca del Golfo San Jorge (Argentina) which exemplify a set of restrictions and violence that operate in the context of social inequalities. Thus, some social practices linked to differential ways of understanding life in society and justice stand out, resignified in the migratory context that accounts for the agency of migrant groups. State institutions must initiate a process of transformation focused on legal pluralism, the intercultural approach, and the intersectionality of gender perspectives.

Revisiting the integration hypothesis again: High heterogeneity complicates the interpretation of cross-sectional evidence

A recent meta-analytical paper (Bierwiaczonek & Kunst, 2021) sparked a controversy by demonstrating that cross-sectional associations between acculturation preferences and adaptation are weak and heterogenous, and approach zero when assessed over time. Some responses criticized the paper by arguing that small but robust effects can make a real-life difference if applied to millions of migrants. In this paper, we present additional analyses to illustrate how the heterogeneity of correlational integration effects complicates and potentially undermines this notion. We estimate that true effects of integration and heritage culture orientation are negative almost 30 % of the time, and only true effects of mainstream culture orientation seem to be relatively homogenous. We conclude that the combination of a weak effect with high heterogeneity makes integration effects largely unpredictable, meaning that for some migrant groups, adopting the integration strategy will be associated with positive outcomes, and for others with negative outcomes, with no evidence that any of those outcomes are caused by integration.

The Vulnerability of Young Refugees Living in Reception Centres in Luxembourg: An Overview of Conditions and Experiences across Subjective Temporal Imaginaries

Vulnerability has become a key concept in discourses and policies on international protection and reception of refugees. In this context, the notion has been described as a tool to provide special provisions to groups at higher risk or one to perpetuate political agendas within increasingly hostile reception systems. However, vulnerability as an analytical concept has received less attention, with both policymakers and scholars often employing different conceptualisations of vulnerability or treating it as a self-explanatory condition. Building on a previous conceptual elaboration, this paper sets out to apply an understanding of vulnerability as multi-layered, dynamic and embedded in a study of the lived experiences of a group of potentially ‘vulnerable’ migrants, based on ‘fixed’ contextual criteria. Drawing from in-depth interviews with young adults who obtained refugee status in Luxembourg but still live in ‘temporary’ reception centres, this paper provides a wide analytical overview of the conditions of vulnerability encountered by this specific group of migrants, in the process of building their lives in a new country. Following the participants’ subjective temporal imaginaries of past, present and future, the analysis highlights and problematises conditions of structural, situational and experiential vulnerability emerging from their accounts and experiences, and discusses their possible implications.