European Migration Research Articles

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.

Refugee transport and the Cold War: the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) and the Hungarian refugees of 1956

ABSTRACT The Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) played a key role in handling the Hungarian refugee crisis of 1956. It was this body, established in 1951, that organised the registration and transport of some 200,000 Hungarian refugees in Austria and Yugoslavia. This paper examines this international migration organisation in the 1950s based on the archives of the ICEM and the UN Secretariat, as well as on US, British and French foreign policy documents. It focuses on the workings of the ICEM concerning the Hungarian refugee crisis and its influence upon the subsequent history of the organisation.

Differences in the Implementation of Labor Rights of Refugees and Migrants in Europe

The purpose of this article is to explore the differences that exist between the exercise of the right to work by refugees and migrant workers under EU law, and to examine the existing differences between these categories under international law. The leading method of research used in the article is the method of comparison. It was used to analyze the differences in the legal regulation and implementation of the right to work by refugees and migrant workers in the EU. The article analyzes the peculiarities of the definition and legal regulation of the terms refugee and migrant worker. The author defines the classification of types of migration and proves the conclusion that economic motives are the most frequent reason for migration. At the same time, the author argues that refugees and labor migrants are different concepts in terms of labor legislation. Therefore, they have different legal status and, accordingly, different frameworks for exercising their rights. Besides, the author as an example considered Polish legislation, which regulates both the issues of labor migration and realization of labor rights of refugees, especially in the context of war in Ukraine, which is also reflected in the results of work and conclusions to the article.

Deterring Migration in Times of Crises: The Ethics of Behavioral Change in Migration Information Campaigns

The European migration “crisis” has led to new policy and funding mechanisms, such as the European Trust Fund for Africa and funding from the UK Home Office that have in common a dual, and often contradictory, objective: to support migrant protection, while reinforcing a migration management or migration control agenda. They have given flexibility, in a context of “crisis response,” to a range of actors with different levels of responsibilities and of transparency when reaching out to migrants, at times to the detriment of one aspect (the respect for human rights) for the benefit of another (irregular migration control), and with questionable results. This article provides an analysis of one program implemented in Ethiopia and Afghanistan: an information campaign implemented between 2016 and 2019, with a focus on behavioral change among potential migrants. This case study reveals practices in migration information campaigns that go against existing standards in social and behavioral communications campaigns. Building on such standards, the article provides a critical lens through which to assess migration information campaigns, through the prism of three criteria outlined in the paper and used to evaluate the results of the program, and provides a way forward for setting standards in planning and implementating migration information campaigns.

Differences in Heterogeneous Returns to Foreign Language Use at Work Among Natives and Migrants in Europe

The cultural-demographic profile of Europe has been heavily influenced by migration dynamics over the past decades. The question is whether language diversity in a host country – in particular, language proficiency and foreign language use at work – has implications for the workers’ wages. Our study examines the heterogeneous impacts of foreign language use at work on earnings of both native-born workers and foreign-born workers. To that end, a Mincer earnings equation is specified. The model is tested by means of an extensive data set that captures all relevant variables. Despite the dated nature of the data used, several interesting outcomes on wage differentials in Europe – as a result of foreign language use at work – are found. First, for native-born workers with a tertiary diploma, using a foreign language at work is found to have an unambiguously positive impact on their earnings (2%). Second, for foreign-born workers, returns to foreign language use at work is highly complementary to education. Foreign language users below the upper secondary educational level earn significantly less (−8%) than those who use the local language at work. Third, a linguistically distant foreign language gives native-born workers the highest wage premium, while the use of EU official languages pays off the most for foreign-born workers. Fourth, our results do not show evidence that the lack of local language knowledge of low-educated migrants causes these results, as immigrants for whom the mother tongue is similar to the local language show similar outcome.

Border control and accident rate of irregular immigration in the route to the Canary Islands (Spain) during the COVID-19 pandemic

Throughout the first decades of the 21st century, the maritime borders of the European Union have witnessed a growing and increasingly complex mobility of an irregular nature. Moreover, the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on many African countries revealed the weakness of the maritime border and its permeability, as well as its increased danger. This research aims to study these irregular migration flows by sea during 2020 and 2021, through the Atlantic border between the Canary Islands and Africa. The so-called “Canary route” is one of the most dangerous maritime routes in the world due to the ocean conditions, the distances that must be covered and the way in which migrants move. Our analysis will therefore focus on one of the central aspects of this crossing, its danger and associated accident rate, which can be measured in terms of the number of shipwrecks, deaths, and missing persons. The objectives of this paper are: i) to show the spatial location of those wrecks; ii) to give an estimate of data on missing persons and deaths; iii) to focus on the study of those persons affected; iv) to delve into the underlying causes; and v) to analyse the border control actions developed during the pandemic. With this aim, information has been compiled from different national and international sources: official records, contrasted data provided by some NGOs and the IOM, and testimonies of the agents involved. This material is used to reflect on the normalization of border control as a factor that inevitably leads to deaths and disappearances. It suggests that this event should be a central element in European migration policy, contributing to designing border control actions that go beyond containment, thereby preventing the loss of human lives.

The Colonised Self: The Politics of UK Asylum Practices, and the Embodiment of Colonial Power in Lived Experience

This paper draws on empirical data generated in the ‘Everyday Bordering in the UK’ project, with a focus on the experiences of people seeking asylum and hoping to establish a safe life in the UK. Specifically, we show that during the process of claiming asylum, people’s experiences of waiting and displacement—practices inherent in UK immigration policies—work as time- and space-based dimensions of power that are imbued with colonial logic. Existing studies apply the lens of Foucault’s governmentality approach to politics regulating people seeking asylum. In particular, the international literature describes the policy of dispersal, and associated periods of waiting, as a dynamic of power used by governments to control and regulate behaviours. However, these time- and space-related experiences are often considered separately, focusing on the rationalities underpinning these politics. This paper, by contrast, develops Foucault’s theories by examining how these two characteristics interconnect in the lived realities of people waiting for an asylum decision in the UK to create racialised politics of power and privilege that reproduce the colonial origins of European migration governance. In doing so, we contribute by illustrating how practices within the UK asylum system can be embodied by people seeking asylum to create a subject that modifies behaviours in response to being positioned as ‘less deserving’ than UK citizens—the ‘colonised self’.

European Refugee Crisis or European Migration Crisis? How Words Matter in the News Framing (2015–2020) of Asylum Seekers, Refugees, and Migrants

Asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants are central concepts in news coverage of immigration. However, these three terms refer to distinct groups with different meanings and potentially different frames, which could be negative, victim-based, or positive. Additionally, it is uncertain to what extent these groups are given a voice and how this is linked to the news frames used. To address this, a content analysis of 503 articles about asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants in a Belgian elite newspaper and a popular newspaper was conducted for the period from 2015 until 2020. We focus specifically on differences between the crisis years and the non-crisis period thereafter. Our results indicate that if asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants are given a voice, they are more likely to be framed positively or as victims. However, if they are only mentioned, a negative frame is more common. Asylum seekers are also more likely to be negatively framed than migrants and refugees. Moreover, we find no differences between the elite and popular newspapers in how they frame and give a voice to these three actors.

Inclusione dei migranti neoarrivati in Scienze e Matematica: l’approccio della valutazione aumentata

This paper focuses on the inclusion of newly arrived migrants in Europe, reporting on the project “Augmented Assessment” (ERASMUS+/KA3). The project aims to narrow the assessment gap that results from barriers between those students and their teachers. The project’s theoretical orientations and the pedagogical approach guided the creation of an Augmented Assessment Training Course and Library. This paper explores primary and secondary teachers’ initial reflections and perceptions on piloting the proposed Augmented Assessment approach with newly arrived migrant students and how this approach could help them to perform a more inclusive assessment in Science and Mathematics. Results from the analysis of reflective diaries are presented and discussed in relation to existing international literature, and some initial conclusions are drawn.

An Exploration of the Reasons Why Right-Wing Populist Parties in Europe are Anti-Immigration: The Case of Italy

Populism has become a prevailing political phenomenon in Europe, as evidenced by the repeated electoral victories of right-wing populist parties, which have transitioned from the political periphery to the centre stage. These parties frequently espouse anti-immigration rhetoric, which poses significant obstacles to European integration and globalization while simultaneously fueling racism and xenophobia. Such sentiments may foster political polarization within Europe and destabilize the global political economy. Despite Italy's former status as a leading destination for migrants in Europe, it has recently implemented increasingly restrictive immigration policies and experienced notable electoral gains for right-wing populist parties. The xenophobic tenets of right-wing populism account for these developments, making it crucial to investigate the reasons for their anti-immigrant stance. Accordingly, this study will examine the interplay between the tightening of Italy's immigration policy and the rise of right-wing populist parties, specifically investigating the underlying reasons for the anti-immigration stance of such parties by analyzing the cultural dilemma and economic crisis. By scrutinizing the origins of right-wing populist anti-immigration claims, this study seeks to uncover the driving factors behind the heightened stringency of immigration policies in countries like Italy in the wake of the rightward shift in European politics.

Importance of Asylum Status, Support Programmes, and Family Unit Functioning on the Mental Health of Syrian Forced Migrants in Switzerland: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract Due to the Syrian civil war, millions of Syrians have fled the country since 2011. Several issues have inhibited their successful resettlement, but few studies have examined the development of the healthcare needs of Syrian forced migrants in Europe. This study examined Syrian forced migrants’ healthcare needs in Switzerland, and whether migration type and family functioning affect their mental health. Our sample included 108 individuals from 14 families from the usual asylum process and 19 from the Swiss Resettlement Program (SRP). Each family member was surveyed thrice in 1 year. Several participants reported symptoms of major depressive and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, their general mental health was similar to that of the Western populations. Swiss Resettlement Program participants reported higher overall mental health scores than non-SRP participants, while the two groups showed different progression over time. Children and fathers reported similar levels of mental health, whereas mothers’ mental health scores worsened over time. Family functioning was important for mental health in both groups. Overall, considering the structural and family contexts is important when studying forced migrants’ mental health.

Northwest African Neolithic initiated by migrants from Iberia and Levant

In northwestern Africa, lifestyle transitioned from foraging to food production around 7,400 years ago but what sparked that change remains unclear. Archaeological data support conflicting views: (1) that migrant European Neolithic farmers brought the new way of life to North Africa1–3 or (2) that local hunter-gatherers adopted technological innovations4,5. The latter view is also supported by archaeogenetic data6. Here we fill key chronological and archaeogenetic gaps for the Maghreb, from Epipalaeolithic to Middle Neolithic, by sequencing the genomes of nine individuals (to between 45.8- and 0.2-fold genome coverage). Notably, we trace 8,000 years of population continuity and isolation from the Upper Palaeolithic, via the Epipaleolithic, to some Maghrebi Neolithic farming groups. However, remains from the earliest Neolithic contexts showed mostly European Neolithic ancestry. We suggest that farming was introduced by European migrants and was then rapidly adopted by local groups. During the Middle Neolithic a new ancestry from the Levant appears in the Maghreb, coinciding with the arrival of pastoralism in the region, and all three ancestries blend together during the Late Neolithic. Our results show ancestry shifts in the Neolithization of northwestern Africa that probably mirrored a heterogeneous economic and cultural landscape, in a more multifaceted process than observed in other regions.

Host-Centric Social Connectedness of Migrants in Europe on Facebook

Extant literature has explored the social integration process of migrants settling in host communities. However, this literature typically takes a migrant-centric view, implicitly putting the burden of a successful integration on the migrant, and trying to identify the factors that lead to integration along various dimensions. In this paper, we flip this point of view by studying the attributes of natives that govern their propensity to form social ties with migrants.We do so by using anonymous and aggregate social network data provided by Facebook’s advertising platform. More specifically, we look at factors that influence the propensity for a likely-to-be non-Muslim Facebook user to have at least one social connection to a Facebook user who celebrates Ramadan. Given that, in the European context, following Islam is predominantly tied to a migration background, this gives us a lens into cross-cultural native-migrant connectivity. Our study considers demographic attributes of the host population, such as age, gender, and education level, as well as spatial variation across 30 European cities. Our findings suggest that young, educated, and male Facebook users are relatively more likely to build cross-cultural ties, compared to older, less educated, and female Facebook users. We also observe heterogeneity across the analyzed cities.

HYPERTENSION SUSCEPTIBILITY IN AFRICAN MIGRANTS: SOLVING THE PUZZLE THROUGH TRANSCONTINENTAL PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY DESIGN. THE RODAM-PROS STUDY

Objective: Sub-Saharan African (SSA) migrants are disproportionately affected by hypertension, compared to the European-host population. Underlying reasons for the increased hypertension prevalence are still unclear, but suggest that rapid changes in lifestyle and environment after migration, in combination with genetic factors, might be responsible. The aim of the Research on Obesity and Diabetes among African Migrant prospective (RODAM-Pros) cohort study is to identify key changes in environmental exposures and epigenetic modifications driving the high prevalence of hypertension among African migrants. Design and method: The multicentre RODAM-Pros study included non-migrant Ghanaians residing in rural and urban Ghana, Ghanaians who migrated and are residing in Amsterdam (the Netherlands), and European-Dutch population who participated in baseline (2011-2015) and follow-up data collection (2019-2021). Data were collected on anthropometrics, blood pressure, biological samples, sociodemographic, health, lifestyle and environmental factors. Moreover, ∼1300 participants were included for DNA methylation analysis (Infinium® 850K DNA Methylation BeadChip) to assess methylation loci associated with incident hypertension in a nested case-control study. Results: In the follow-up data collection, 2165 Ghanaian participants (n = 638 from rural Ghana, n = 608 from urban Ghana, and n = 919 Ghanaian migrants in Amsterdam) and 2098 European-Dutch participants were included. The participation rates were 90.8 % in rural Ghana, 95.3% in urban Ghana, 52.7% among Amsterdam-Ghanaian and 67.2% among European-Dutch. Preliminary results show unstandardised prevalence rates of hypertension at follow-up of 43.3% in rural Ghana, 48.7% in urban Ghana, 60.1% in Amsterdam-Ghanaians, and 25.8% in European-Dutch. Unstandardised 5-year hypertension incidence rates were 18.5% in rural Ghana, 17.7% in urban Ghana, 14.1% in Amsterdam-Ghanaians, and 8.5% in European-Dutch. Conclusions: The preliminary findings show significant differences in hypertension prevalence and incidence rates among Ghanaians living in Ghana and in Europe. Future analysis are aimed to identify epigenetic and environmental determinants responsible for the increased prevalence of hypertension in SSA migrants. The findings from the RODAM-Pros study will be valuable for designing effective prevention and clinical management strategies to prevent the burden of hypertension and related complications, both in SSA and SSA migrants in Europe.

A comparison of neighbourhood level variation and risk factors for affective versus non-affective psychosis.

Studies typically highlight area level variation in the incidence of non-affective but not affective psychoses. We compared neighbourhood-level variation for both types of disorder, and the specific effects of neighbourhood urbanicity and ethnic density, using Danish national registry data. Population based cohort (2,224,464 people) followed from 1980 to 2013 with neighbourhood exposure measured at age 15 and incidence modelled using multilevel Poisson regression. Neighbourhood variation was similar for both disorders with an adjusted median risk ratio of 1.37 (95% CI 1.34-1.39) for non-affective psychosis and 1.43 (1.38-1.49) for affective psychosis. Associations with neighbourhood urbanicity differed: living in the most compared to the least urban quintile at age 15 was associated with a minimal increase in subsequent affective psychosis, IRR 1.13 (1.01-1.27) but a substantial increase in rates of non-affective psychosis, IRR 1.66 (1.57-1.75). Mixed results were found for neighbourhood ethnic density: for Middle Eastern migrants there was an increased average incidence of both affective, IRR 1.54 (1.19-1.99), and non-affective psychoses, 1.13 (1.04-1.23) associated with each decrease in ethnic density quintile, with a similar pattern for African migrants, but for European migrants ethnic density appeared to be associated with non-affective psychosis only. While overall variation and the effect of neighbourhood ethnic density were similar for both types of disorder, associations with urbanicity were largely confined to non-affective psychosis. This may reflect differences in aetiological pathways although the mechanism behind these differences remains unknown.

Mind the gap! Organized hypocrisy in EU cooperation with Southern neighbor countries on international protection

Abstract The European Union (EU) has reacted to the migration crises of the last decade with growing externalization of migration management to neighbor countries often accused of not respecting human rights and individual liberties. Focusing on EU cooperation with the Southern neighborhood, as defined within the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) framework, this paper investigates the recent developments in the EU's external migration policies, demonstrating that there is a gap between EU discourses and policy instruments identified by the EU as strategic tools of the European migration and asylum policy (MAP). Five Southern neighbor countries (SNCs) have been selected, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon, to assess the extent to which the EU, when cooperating on migration and asylum issues, places international protection at risk instead of playing the role of humanitarian actor in accordance with the ideals and principles it defends. The research critically analyzes the EU's cooperation with SNCs concerning migration, as developed via international agreements, action plans, and mobility partnerships under the umbrella of the ENP. In particular, it explores the incompatibility between the European MAP instruments and international protection. MAP, the qualitative analysis shows, represents a clear mismatch between EU talk and action, outlining another case of organized hypocrisy.