Migration History Research Articles

Tracing the genetic footprints: India’s role as a gateway for pig migration and domestication across continents

This study explored the maternal genetic diversity in the pig genetic resources of India by analyzing a mitochondrial D-loop fragment and comparing it with the corresponding sequences of previously published studies involving domestic pigs and wild boars. Sequencing of 103 samples representing different domestic pig populations revealed existence of 32 maternal haplotypes. The indices of haplotype and nucleotide diversity in Indian domestic pigs were 0.9421 and 0.015, respectively. Median-Joining network revealed that Indian pigs belong to Clade A and show conformity to 6 haplogroups reported worldwide (D1a, D1a1, D1a2, D1e, D1h and D3a). Among these, D1e and D1a2 were shared with Asian wild boars too. Interestingly, haplotype sharing was evident between Indian pigs and samples from other countries representing Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania. This study substantiates India’s contribution as a possible pig domestication center and highlights the importance of the Indian subcontinent in dispersal of the species to other continents. Additionally, genetic evidence suggested the influence of trading routes and historical interactions in shaping pig genetic exchange. Overall, this investigation provides valuable insights into the genetic diversity, historical migration, and domestication of Indian domestic pigs, contributing to the broader understanding of global pig genetic resources and their evolutionary history.

Gender Dimensions of Migration and Social Security in Uttar Pradesh

This paper explores the intricate relationship between gender, migration, and social security in the context of Uttar Pradesh, India. Uttar Pradesh (UP) is one of the most populous and economically diverse states in India, with a significant history of internal and external migration. This paper delves into the ways in which gender influences migration patterns, access to social security, and the overall well-being of migrants in UP. The analysis draws upon qualitative and quantitative data, shedding light on the challenges faced by migrant women and men and their vulnerabilities within the social security framework. It also suggests potential policy interventions to address the gender-specific concerns of migrants and enhance their social security outcomes.

Clumped and conventional isotopes of natural gas reveal basin burial, denudation, and biodegradation history

Formation and post-genetic alteration of hydrocarbons provide insights into the dynamic and complex geologic, hydrologic, and microbial history of shallow crustal environments. Clumped isotopologues of methane (e.g., Δ13CH3D) have emerged as a proxy for constraining methane formation temperatures in sedimentary basins. However, unrealistically high apparent temperatures and microbial cycling of methane necessitate further investigation into how the generation and biodegradation of hydrocarbons may modify methane clumped isotopologue signatures. This study analyzed and modeled the clumped isotopologues of methane, in addition to traditional gas isotopes, to provide new insights into the origin, thermal maturity, migration, and biodegradation histories of hydrocarbons in the Paradox Basin in the Colorado Plateau. The basin was deeply buried in the geologic past and has been recently incised, leading to rapid denudation, enhanced meteoric circulation, and microbial activity. δ13CCH4 and CH4/ΣC2+ ratios suggest that most natural gases in various reservoirs throughout the basin are thermogenic in origin with variable thermal maturities. However, signatures suggestive of anaerobic oxidation of ethane and propane, and secondary microbial methane generation, exist. In the northeastern part of the basin, Δ13CH3D values in reservoirs above and below the Paradox Formation source rocks are consistent with thermodynamic equilibrium, indicating that the thermally mature hydrocarbons equilibrated at ≥160 °C during maximum burial over 30–80 Ma. Disequilibrium Δ13CH3D values of natural gas in Paradox Formation reservoirs along the southwestern margin of the basin suggest the presence of low-maturity hydrocarbons consistent with the region’s shallower burial history. Models of Δ13CH3D values based on the exchange rate of hydrogen isotopes between methane and water and the basin thermal history support that meteoric recharge and microbial activity, following incision/denudation over the past few million years, promoted anaerobic oxidation of hydrocarbons (particularly ethane and propane), biodegradation of crude oil, and generation of secondary microbial methane in shallow reservoirs.

Moving subjects: Directions and methodological challenges in the historical study of migrant children and youth

AbstractOver the last decade and a half, scholars have demonstrated increased interest in studying the history of young people, as signalled by an expanding presence of relevant societies and journals. Though children and young people comprise a significant number of the world's current migrant population, young migrants in the past are not often the central focus of historical research. This article aims to encourage historians of migration and forced migration to increase their engagement with the histories of children, youth, and childhood. Young migrants are moving subjects: they traverse space and time, and their portrayal often encourages compassion. Since the 18th century, they have frequently inhabited social ‘categories of exception,’ and as such have lent meaning to the category of ‘adult’ and ‘citizen’ and to normative expectations of families, communities, and society at large. With this in mind, we suggest that integrating histories of child and youth migration and mobility offers opportunities to reassess historiographical, methodological, and conceptual questions in the field of migration studies, including the relationship of policy to research, the creation of typologies, and the temporality of labels.

Self-help measures as determinants of emergency department utilization among people with and without a migration history in Germany

We analyzed whether there were differences between people with and without migration history in their implementation of self-help measures before they accessed the services of an emergency department and if there was an association between self-help measures and an appropriate utilization of emergency departments. The data basis of this secondary analysis is the EUMaR study, which was conducted from July 2018 to July 2019 and aimed to identify causes contributing to inappropriate and frequent use of emergency departments by migrants. Our study aimed to analyze the differences in self-help measures carried out by the population groups using several multiple logistic regressions. The association between self-help measures implemented and appropriate emergency department utilization was quantified using a multiple logistic regression as well as interactions. The odds of first-generation migrants visiting an emergency department on their own initiative (OR=1.28; 95% CI, 1.01-1.61) was high compared to people without migrant history. Furthermore, the odds of their doing something by themselves against their complaints (OR=0.70; 95% CI, 0.56-0.86) were low. The odds of appropriate utilization of emergency services by respondents who self-initiated a visit to an emergency department were lower (OR=0.41; 95% CI, 0.34-0.50). The odds of appropriate utilization of emergency department services by respondents who had previously measured vital signs (e. g., blood pressure) were higher (OR=1.28; 95% CI, 1.02-1.59). Barriers to the health care system as well as to general practitioners, medicines or medical aids among first-generation migrants could explain the increased odds of their visiting an emergency department on their own and the lower odds of their doing something by themselves about their complaints. A hypothesis of our study is that measuring vital signs may help to better assess individual health status.

Afghan Migration and its Impacts on Community of Afghanistan

The history of migration is by far one of the very harshest and difficult topics in this new era of modernization. This article is going to define a particular part of the migration history and its aspects, which will be focusing mainly on a far-distant and barely remembered land called Afghanistan. Here we take you to the times of despair and hopelessness of a nation which has had war over war, conflict over conflict and which has seen empires come and go for over 3 centuries. This article talks about the poor condition of those people who had no other option but to leave their lands, harvests and sometimes even families because they were harmed by the war. What happens when one flees their country? Why would someone be this desperate? How does one deal with this inconvenience? What are the impacts of this immigration on a country? Do they ever return? The role of the neighboring countries has always been a very important issue in this topic like these. They have since been receiving our desperate and turmoil people who were in need of a shelter and asking for help for their survival’s sake. It will be unprofessional to just talk about their help and not their benefits from this vast immigration. They have also availed from our immigration. Pakistan and Iran have had very faithful and scared people working for them for a very less expensive wages which in other case would never have been the same.

Socio-psychological integration from the perspective of receiving communities: a cross-country comparison between Sweden, Germany, Croatia and Jordan

The socio-psychological dimension of integration is based on relations between the refugees and receiving community members revealed through intergroup thoughts, perceptions, emotions and behaviours. This study aimed to investigate and interpret the differences in the indicators of socio-psychological integration among the receiving communities of Sweden, Germany, Croatia and Jordan—countries with diverse socio-economic, socio-political and cultural contexts, histories of inward migration, as well as differently preferred destinations in the migration of refugees from Syria in the 2010s. The contextual differences are reflected in the attitudes of the members of receiving communities towards refugees from Syria, perceptions of realistic and symbolic threats posed by refugees, frequency and valence of intergroup contact, support for the rights of refugees and readiness to assist them, social proximity, perception of refugees’ exposure to discrimination, and the assessment of how much the refugees are a part of the respective local communities.

Keeping A Distance: Changing Everyday Lives of Married Migrant Gay Men in China’s State-owned Enterprises

ABSTRACT This study examines continuity and change in the lives of rural migrant gay men working in China’s state-owned enterprises (SOE) from an everyday life perspective. By examining their sexuality, migration histories, and heterosexual marriage experiences, this study contributes to sexuality and migration literature by exploring how rural-to-urban migrant gay men maintain their everyday homosexual intimacies in post-socialist China. It adds to the perspective that gay men’s perceptions, interpretations, and reactions to marriage and sexuality vary, due to their personal migration experiences. These findings also contribute to scholarly discussions of everyday life by providing a nuanced analysis of how spatial tactics are employed as forms of everyday resistance by gay men for maintaining their sexualities.

“Missing Masculinities”: Transnational Fathering Experiences in Migrant Families

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the effects of migration-induced male absence on the upbringing of children in selected communities of Zimbabwe. We argue that migration scholarship places more emphasis on the economic benefits of migration such as remittances and imported innovation, but is largely silent on the emotional hardships it causes for the family, especially the children who are left behind. We locate this work in the context of Zimbabwe where men from Matabeleland and the Midlands provinces have traditionally migrated to South Africa in search of employment in the gold mines and agricultural farms. We use the case of Tsholotsho district in Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe to explore the impact that the physical absence of fathers had in the socialization of children. Taking a historical narrative angle, the paper uses family histories gathered in Zimbabwe and South Africa over a 12-month period to explore the lived realities of families with migrant fathers. We use data from in-depth interviews with the affected children, the absentee fathers and the women who stayed behind to take care of the children. We observe that there are many children who grew up without their fathers and other male figures because of historical labour migration to South Africa. We conceive the migration-induced absence of fathers and other male relatives as the “missing masculinities”, although we are cognisant that masculinities and masculine roles are not entirely constituted by the presence of men.

Spectroscopic age estimates for APOGEE red-giant stars: Precise spatial and kinematic trends with age in the Galactic disc

Over the last few years, many studies have found an empirical relationship between the abundance of a star and its age. Here we estimate spectroscopic stellar ages for 178 825 red-giant stars observed by the APOGEE survey with a median statistical uncertainty of 17%. To this end, we use the supervised machine learning technique XGBoost, trained on a high-quality dataset of 3060 red-giant and red-clump stars with asteroseismic ages observed by both APOGEE and Kepler. After verifying the obtained age estimates with independent catalogues, we investigate some of the classical chemical, positional, and kinematic relationships of the stars as a function of their age. We find a very clear imprint of the outer-disc flare in the age maps and confirm the recently found split in the local age-metallicity relation. We present new and precise measurements of the Galactic radial metallicity gradient in small age bins between 0.5 and 12 Gyr, confirming a steeper metallicity gradient for ∼2 − 5 Gyr old populations and a subsequent flattening for older populations mostly produced by radial migration. In addition, we analyse the dispersion about the abundance gradient as a function of age. We find a clear power-law trend (with an exponent β ≈ 0.15) for this relation, indicating a relatively smooth radial migration history in the Galactic disc over the past 7 − 9 Gyr. Departures from this power law may possibly be related to the Gaia Enceladus merger and passages of the Sagittarius dSph galaxy. Finally, we confirm previous measurements showing a steepening in the age-velocity dispersion relation at around ∼9 Gyr, but now extending it over a large extent of the Galactic disc (5 kpc < RGal < 13 kpc). To establish whether this steepening is the imprint of a Galactic merger event, however, detailed forward modelling work of our data is necessary. Our catalogue of precise stellar ages and the source code to create it are publicly available.

What awaits US in the next bird migration in South America: Prospects for the detection and incidence of HPAIV H5N1 in commercial poultry and wild birds. Proceeding of The First International Avian Influenza Summit, University of Arkansas- October 16-17, 2023".

Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N1 poses a significant threat to both commercial poultry operations and wild bird populations worldwide. South America, with its rich avian biodiversity and extensive poultry industry, is susceptible to the introduction and spread of this devastating virus. This study explores the imminent challenges and potential outcomes associated with the upcoming bird migration season in South America, focusing on the detection and incidence of HPAIV H5N1. Employing a multidisciplinary approach is necessary to integrate spatial modeling, genomic surveillance, and epidemiological analyses to forecast the dynamics of HPAIV H5N1 in the region. By examining historical migration patterns, host susceptibility, and environmental factors, it will be possible to elucidate potential pathways for virus dissemination among wild bird populations and spillover into commercial poultry farms. Furthermore, this study evaluates the efficacy of current surveillance and monitoring strategies in detecting HPAIV H5N1, identifying potential gaps, and offering recommendations for enhanced surveillance protocols. Leveraging advanced molecular techniques is necessary to analyze viral genomes to track potential mutations associated with increased virulence or altered host range, thereby providing crucial insights for targeted intervention measures. The outcomes of this research will advance our understanding of the ecological and epidemiological factors influencing the spread of HPAIV H5N1 in South America and inform proactive strategies for early detection, containment, and mitigation of future outbreaks. This comprehensive assessment is a pivotal step towards safeguarding poultry industries and avian biodiversity in the face of emerging infectious diseases.

Experiences of migration from Turkey to Germany: the female guest worker in contemporary documentaries

ABSTRACT This article examines two documentaries that go beyond the audio-visual canon representing the guest worker from Turkey to Germany. Look, Listen Carefully (Özlem Sarıyıldız, 2021) and Gurbet is a Home Now (Pınar Öğrenci, 2021) provide a platform for migrant women to reveal their stories, expanding the sphere of representation of guest workers. Indeed, men’s labor is always at the forefront of the historical guest worker migration narrative, while women’s labor in the factory and domestic sphere has largely ignored. Moreover, the documentaries hold a mirror to the ongoing migration from Turkey to Germany. Both filmmakers are women and new wave migrants from Turkey to Germany, referencing a migration resulting from the growing authoritarian context in Turkey over the last ten years. The filmmakers examine the history of migration to understand their own position in Germany, engaging with the subjects of their documentaries to forge intergenerational links between migrant women. I argue that these documentaries are decolonial feminist works; they expand the sphere of representation of female guest workers, working against their historical invisibility, centralizing their voices, and contextualizing the power dynamics that have shaped their experiences.

Community as a category of empire: ‘The work of community’ among Burmese Indians in Myanmar

ABSTRACT In this article I argue that ‘community' is a category that is inextricably bound up with the historical development of the British empire. It was in this context that modern social theory took root, including, eventually, publications on community in anthropology and sociology that profoundly influenced nineteenth- and twentieth-century thought and that continue to shape everyday understandings of the category within and beyond academia. I first elaborate what type of work the category ‘community' was intended to do in the British empire. I then introduce two key figures who were responsible for designing, distributing and implementing two contrasting imperial theories of community. Subsequently, I sketch the migratory history of the category following the ancestors of today's so-called ‘Burmese Indians' across the Bay of Bengal from India to Burma. The final part of the article presents the repercussions ‘community' has in contemporary Myanmar, drawing on recent legislation around ‘race and religion’ as well as my own ethnographic data from religious processions of ethno-religious minorities who find themselves in a subaltern position vis-à-vis the Buddhist majority population and an ethnonationalist state.

Rural-urban migration in Rangpur city: A sociological study

The phenomenon of rural-to-urban migration has a long history. People’s attempts to move from rural areas to cities originated in ancient times. In this context, the migration history to Rangpur is brief. The history of urbanization in Rangpur began not too long ago, with people from various villages in the surrounding districts settling in the city. Through the lens of economic and socio-cultural perspectives, multiple factors have directly and indirectly influenced migration from rural areas to this city. Therefore, understanding its intricate meanings is only feasible by discussing rural-urban migration through a sociological research approach.

CHILDREN WITH A MIGRATION HISTORY IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OF ORENBURG REGION

Schools and kindergartens of Orenburg region, as well as many other regions of Russia, from the early 2000s began to accept children from migrant families of Central Asia and Transcaucasia for education. In the 2010s, this trend intensified, and classes began to be filled with already significant groups of children whose families had moved to the region over the past ten years. Orenburg Region is multinational in itself, so the influx of non-ethnic migrants only increased the multicultural nature of children’s and pedagogical collectives.
 
 The purpose of the study is to determine the level of linguistic and socio-cultural adaptation of children with a migration history in the region, the degree of readiness of Orenburg region educational organizations to receive foreign minors and to form ideas about the attitudes of migrant families and students themselves for full socio-cultural integration into the Russian society.
 
 Methods and materials. The source base of the study was made by statistical materials on migration processes, in-depth interviews and conversations with teachers and administration of educational organizations in Orenburg region, diagnostic examination of non-native speaking schoolchildren in three educational organizations of the region using a special technique.
 
 The scientific novelty of the research lies in combination of applied ethnographic tools with the study of the current situation in the educational system of the region. The authors answer the problematic question: how to organize the work on linguistic and socio-cultural adaptation of foreign-speaking students, depending on the proportion of children with a migration history at school, the level of teachers’ education and qualification on the example of specific educational institutions in the cities Orenburg and Orsk, a suburban district of Orenburg region.
 
 Study results. The data collected in a number of Russian cities in 2021–2022, including in the region under study, are analyzed, which give the opportunity to assert that the proportion of children from migrant families in school and the native language of foreign-speaking children are not the determining factors in the progress of linguistic and socio-cultural adaptation by means of education. The article gives a description of an approximate distribution of students with a migration history participating in the study in four groups, depending on the recommended model of language adaptation. The factor that significantly complicates the activities on linguistic and socio-cultural adaptation of migrant children in the conditions of the Orenburg region is emphasized: this is a “pendulum” migration, as well as long summer and winter holidays, when parents send their children to their homeland “to grandparents”, not really considering the need to support language practice. The data obtained during the study indicate that the majority of students with a migration history in Orenburg region associate their future with Russia: it is very important to support such children at the initial stage of adaptation and training in a Russian school, because, as a rule, they will be motivated to successfully study and move up the social ladder if the language barrier is overcome.
 
 Conclusions. In general, the experience of many years of positive interethnic interaction accumulated in Orenburg region and reasonably structured national and migration policies create the basis for successful adaptation and integration of migrant families arriving in the region. However, if we talk about the educational system of Orenburg region, then in order to successfully solve the tasks of linguistic and socio-cultural adaptation of children with a migration history, Orenburg region schools need additional staff and financial support.

Negotiating China's rise: The dynamics of Chinese business associations and the Belt and Road Initiative in Brunei Darussalam

With an increasingly assertive China and the intensifying influence of the Sinocentre, Chinese overseas who have access to Chineseness can exercise their agentic power in using their cultural capital for economic gains. Beijing has recognised the potential for diasporic Chinese entrepreneurs to contribute to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) given their influence in Southeast Asia's economy. Correspondingly, these entrepreneurs hail the BRI as a strategic opportunity for them to turn their cultural capital into fiscal capital. Considering the increased global connectivity and new Chinese migration geographies led by the BRI, this article examines the case of Chinese business associations in Brunei Darussalam. The heterogenous responses of these ethnic Chinese and their associations to China and the BRI attest to the multiplicity and contestations of Chineseness based on different migration histories and sentiments to their ancestral land. We focus on the dynamics between the old Chinese Bruneian business elites and the more recent Chinese business migrants from Malaysia and China. An investigation of the cultural and economic politics within the Chinese Bruneian business community will provide insights into the modality of Chineseness as an economic asset that can be tactically used by diasporic Chinese entrepreneurs to maintain their social position and to respond to China's economic rise.

Genetic analysis of 42 Y-STR loci in Han and Manchu populations from the three northeastern provinces in China

BackgroundY-STR polymorphisms are useful in tracing genealogy and understanding human origins and migration history. This study aimed to fill a knowledge gap in the genetic diversity, structure, and haplogroup distribution of the Han and Manchu populations from the three northeastern provinces in China (Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang).MethodsA total of 1,048 blood samples were collected from unrelated males residing in Dalian. Genotyping was performed using the AGCU Y37 + 5 Amplification Kit, and the genotype data were analyzed to determine allele and haplotype frequencies, genetic and haplotype diversity, discrimination capacity, and haplotype match probability. Population pairwise genetic distances (Fst) were calculated to compare the genetic relationships among Han and Manchu populations from Northeast China and other 23 populations using 27 Yfiler Plus loci set. Multi-dimensional scaling and phylogenetic analysis were employed to visualize the genetic relationships among the 27 populations. Moreover, haplogroups were predicted based on 27 Yfiler Plus loci set.ResultsThe Han populations from Northeast China exhibited genetic affinities with both Han populations from the Central Plain and the Sichuan Qiang population, despite considerable geographical distances. Conversely, the Manchu population displayed a relatively large genetic distance from other populations. The haplogroup analysis revealed the prevalence of haplogroups E1b1b, O1b, O2, and Q in the studied populations, with variations observed among different ethnic groups.ConclusionThe study contributes to our understanding of genetic diversity and history of the Han and Manchu populations in Northeast China, the genetic relationships between populations, and the intricate processes of migration, intermarriage, and cultural integration that have shaped the region’s genetic landscape.

Divergence in Elymus sibiricus is related to geography and climate oscillation: A new look from pan‐chloroplast genome data

AbstractQuaternary glacial climate oscillation and geographical isolation have significantly influenced the geographic distribution pattern and lineage evolution history of species. However, understanding how these factors specifically impact the genealogical structure of dominant Gramineous species in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) remains a subject of investigation. Elymus sibiricus L. (Gramineae), indigenous to the QTP and widely distributed in Eurasia, exhibits remarkable environmental adaptation and phenotypic diversity, making it an ideal candidate for phylogeographic studies. Based on the analysis of 175 complete chloroplast genome sequences, our results indicated that the ancestors of E. sibiricus originated from the QTP and underwent a complex migration history. After the speciation of E. sibiricus, several geo‐groups exhibited independent differentiation, showing minimal gene flow among them. The current phylogeographic patterns of E. sibiricus are a result of frequent climate alternations and the cold climate during the Quaternary glacial, as well as the presence of several geographical barriers that have restricted the gene flow among different geo‐groups. Our research has revealed for the first time that E. sibiricus has a multilineage origin, and its maternal donors are not limited to a single species. Furthermore, the high quality and mapping depth of the variant file provided reliable data for analyzing the patterns based on raw sequencing data. These findings enhance our understanding of the relationship between plant differentiation and climatic and geographical factors of Eurasia.

From Nordic to Hispanic - Shift in a Family’s Given Names

This article examines historical changes in naming practices through first names in a region of Argentina with a history of migration from Northern Europe. First names in a migrant family are used as a case study and different periods compared. The data show the use of Nordic names in the first generations, with a drastic change towards Hispanic first names from the third generation onwards. Also hybrid naming practices that combine both Nordic, Hispanic and other names are noted. The results show how first names in Misiones have shifted over time due to changes in the community and Argentinian policies, and how these practices reflect political and ideological stances.

Escaping Empire

Abstract: This article explores the flight of indigenous communities from Philippine lowlands into mountain spaces, a frequent and widespread response to Spanish colonization in the seventeenth century. During this period, indigenous zones of refuge were not exceptional but present in almost every part of Luzon and the Visayas. The shared history of flight and resistance frustrated the ambitions of Spanish missionaries and military commanders for much of the colonial period and beyond. In the uplands, indigenous communities made use of local geographies and ecologies to bolster their resistance and maintain their autonomy. In dialogue with recent scholarship on colonial frontiers and indigenous hinterlands, this article challenges the perception of a colonial dominance that spread inexorably across the archipelago in the seventeenth century. It offers a new perspective on the history of colonization and confronts the perceived upland-lowland divide that has typified Southeast Asian historiography, demonstrating that upland and lowland spaces had shared histories of resistance, migration, and trade throughout the colonial period.