Moroccan Migrants Research Articles

Social participation of low‐income older adults in deprived urban neighborhoods in Amsterdam: A study among native Dutch, and Surinamese, Moroccan and Turkish migrants in The Netherlands

AbstractThis paper explores differences in social participation among low‐income older migrants and socioeconomically similar native Dutch older adults living in deprived neighborhoods in Amsterdam. It also analyzes experiences of social participation in relation to perceived neighborhood conditions. Analysis of 85 in‐depth interviews reveals that the types of activities that low‐income older adults participate in center around less demanding (collective) rather than more demanding (political and productive) forms of social participation. Differences in social participation were associated with personal characteristics and with neighborhood experiences. The findings articulate the dynamic and complex interaction between the competencies of older adults belonging to different ethnic communities and their diverse preferences and environmental needs. Older migrants living in areas where their own group is dominant enjoyed better access to ethnic services and experienced greater opportunities for social interaction. However, when compared to their native Dutch counterparts, they were more likely to encounter language barriers and to experience specific environmental problems, such as inadequate housing conditions and paid parking.

Burning Witnesses in Limbo: Moroccan Diasporic Literature

This article proposes a comparative reading of two works by Moroccan writers that explore migration and expands upon Ato Quayson and Yoon Sun Lee’s research on diasporic cultural production. Ruth Knafo Setton’s The Road to Fez (2001) and Laila Lalami’s Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits (2005) raise questions of genre. Knafo Setton employs elements of the Gothic while Lalami utilizes travel writing to delve into Moroccan migrant and diasporic experiences. A contrapuntal examination of their texts from a genre-oriented perspective highlights the interplay between the author, text, and reader, shedding light on Moroccan literature in English and the distinct characteristics of diasporic writing and reading.

Does Moroccan Diaspora play a role in the location of Moroccan FDI? An empirical investigation on outward FDI into 46 host countries

The paper investigates the impact of the Moroccan diaspora in host countries on attracting foreign direct investment from Moroccan Multinational Enterprises. Utilizing cross-sectional data encompassing outward FDI to 46 countries hosting Moroccan migrants, the Robust Weighted Least Squares estimation method reveals a positive association between the size of the Moroccan diaspora and outward FDI. These results affirm the central hypothesis, highlighting the significant role of social networks, such as diaspora, in fostering connectivity between the MNE and its subsidiaries, mitigating foreignness liabilities and psychic distance. Moreover, the study unveils a nuanced perspective: technological capabilities and institutional quality act as negative moderators, shaping a multifaceted relationship. These findings enrich our comprehension of diaspora-driven FDI dynamics, providing fresh insights into the moderating influences of technological capabilities and institutional quality in the realm of outward FDI from Morocco.

Access to the Health Care System of Undocumented Moroccan Migrant Slum Dwellers in Southern Spain: A Qualitative Study.

to know the perception of undocumented Moroccan migrants living in marginal neighborhoods regarding access to the Public Health System. A qualitative method with a phenomenological approach was used to get closer to the experience of the participants in the study. In this work, 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted following a guide with a set of open questions to facilitate an in-depth discussion of the topics of interest. The participants were given an informed consent form, which guaranteed anonymity and confidentiality regarding the information obtained. For this, codes were used to identify them. The data were stored, managed, classified, and organized with the ATLAS-ti 9 software. access and use of health services by the immigrants in the study was difficult due to communication problems related to language and culture, the discriminatory attitude and lack of cultural competence of health personnel, and the location of the neighborhoods (which were marginal far from urban centers), as well as the lack of transportation to health centers. it is an ethical imperative of the Health System to offer greater attention to the population in situations of extreme vulnerability, implement intercultural mediators and train health professionals in cultural competence.

Diversity in Spanish Politics? Dynamics of Descriptive Representation of Immigrant‐Origin Minorities in Local Elections

Research has identified an alarming gap in migrants’ descriptive representation across Western European countries with long-standing immigration while showing that not all migrant groups are equally (un)successful in gaining elected office. However, little is known about migrants’ political presence in Southern European countries, which have experienced increased immigration in recent decades. We address this research gap for Spain by focusing on the municipal level where minorities’ inclusion remains of utmost importance. Conceptually, the article tackles the question of how the interplay between migrants’ demographic concentration and specific party features shapes the outcomes of minority descriptive representation. Empirically, we bring novel evidence from an original survey with local party organizations across municipalities returning high shares of Romanian, Moroccan, Latin American, and EU14 migrants. We first demonstrate that, despite being particularly sizeable, all groups remain under-represented in Spanish local politics, although with important differences. At comparable levels of demographic concentration, EU14 and Latin American migrants are almost three times more likely than Romanian migrants and up to seven times more likely than Moroccan migrants to be fielded as candidates. EU14 candidates are also more successful in securing office. Second, our findings confirm that party features shape the contours of minority inclusion: Spanish left-wing and new parties present more diverse local candidacies and place minority office-seekers in safer electoral list positions than right-wing and established parties.

The sex difference in self-rated health among older Turkish and Moroccan migrants in the Netherlands: an exploratory study of contributing determinants

BackgroundAlthough being a woman and having a migration background are strong predictors of poor self-rated health among (older) adults, research on the sex difference in self-rated health among (older) migrants remains limited. This study therefore aims to investigate this topic and explore the contributing role of determinants of self-rated health.MethodsCross-sectional data from 360 Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch adults aged 55–65 as part of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) were used. Self-rated health (good versus poor) was measured by a single item question. Univariate age-adjusted logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the sex difference in self-rated health and the contribution of sex differences in sensitivity (strength of the association) and/or exposure (prevalence) to socio-demographic, social, lifestyle or health-related determinants of self-rated health.ResultsWomen had a 0.53 times lower odds (95%CI:0.40–0.82, p = 0.004) on good self-rated health compared to men. Women more often having a lower education level, living alone and having a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, chronic diseases and especially functional limitations contributed to the lower self-rated health among women. In contrast, men were more sensitive to the impact of memory complaints, depressive symptoms, visual difficulties and functional limitations.ConclusionsOlder Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch women have a significant lower self-rated health compared to men. Women having a higher exposure to both socio-demographic and health-related determinants of self-rated health, which contributed to the sex difference. Future research should take these differences in self-rated health and determinants between women and men into account when investigating health among older migrants.

Gender Differences in Social Embeddedness Determinants of Loneliness Among Moroccan and Turkish Older Migrants.

Moroccan and Turkish migrants residing in Northwestern Europe have high loneliness levels. This study examines gender differences in loneliness within this migrant population. The migrants have gender-segregated social roles at home and in public, which might lead to gender differences in what aspects of social relationships can explain variation in loneliness. Respondents are from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam with 446 first-generation Moroccan and Turkish migrants in the Netherlands, aged between 55 and 66 years. We use interaction effects to test for gender differences in determinants of loneliness. Men and women have a similar, moderate level of loneliness. Having a spouse and receiving care from children are more strongly related with lower loneliness levels in men than in women. Coethnic ties play an equally important role for men and women. In men, frequent mosque attendance is related with greater loneliness, but not in women. Family ties are more protective against loneliness for older men than for older women, possibly indicating that migrant women's expectations regarding family go above and beyond having a spouse, receiving intergenerational care, or having frequent contact with children. In addition, migrant older men's higher expectations regarding a public social life could make their social life in the Netherlands less fulfilling, resulting in greater loneliness.

Migrants’ Everyday Life and Migration Regimes: A Study of Migrants’ Leisurely Use of Urban Parks

The article’s aim is to demonstrate how migration regimes tacitly operate at the level of everyday practices. We propose to see migrants’ leisure, recreational use of parks in particular, as a venue for the internalization and embodiment of migration regimes. We seek to explore if migrants negotiate and resist these regimes through their everyday practices. Our study is based on 70 interviews with Ukrainian and Vietnamese migrants in Poland, Moroccan migrants in the Netherlands, Turkish migrants in Germany, and Latino and Chinese migrants in the U.S. We present migrants’ perceptions of urban parks’ rules and their interactions with other park users. Particular attention is paid to migrants’ ability to negotiate the existing regulations and to adjust these environments to their needs. We discuss the mechanisms that limit migrants’ ability to negotiate the frameworks of migration regimes through their leisurely use of urban parks.

Narrating Cultural Displacement and (Dis)Locating Beur Identity in Fouad Laroui’s De Quel Amour Blessé

Abstract In this article, I analyse the prominent Moroccan-French author, Fouad Laroui’s novella De quel amour blessé (What Wounded Love, 1998) which narrates a story of an intercultural love affair in the diaspora, shaped in-between France and Morocco. This tragicomedy romance story, maps migrants’ cultural displacement and identity (re)construction. I look into how Maghrebian migrants’ French-born youths, known as the Beur generation, plot transcendent cultural and national routes of belonging. Through the protagonist’s case, the son of Moroccan migrants, the novella unfolds how postcolonial Maghrebian migration in France has engendered an intercultural and relational identity that belongs to different cultural subjectivities. It suggests a deconstruction of the idea that migrants’ identity are inextricably linked to a fixed culture, time and place, and instead, stresses identity as a process of becoming. Laroui’s narrative is a productive literary form of self-representation, of contesting homeland roots, (re)deconstructing identity and mapping intercultural attachments of belongings.

“You Can't Even Predict the Rain Anymore”

Abstract In the current study, we depart from migration biographies of first-generation Moroccan migrants living in Belgium to understand how environmental factors interfere in migration decision making and how its importance varies over life stages. Most Moroccan migrants came to Belgium as labor migrants or family “reunifers,” so little research has inquired whether and how environmental changes have played a role in making migration more appealing, at least during certain stages of people's lives. By applying a case study approach to three selected Moroccan migrants’ biographies, we aim to meticulously demonstrate how peoples’ migration aspirations have gradually developed over the life course and cannot be pinned down to either natural, cultural, or socio-economic factors. Rather, they should be understood within the wider changing socio-economic and natural environment while considering the interplay of factors within these environments.

Understanding Moroccan Return Migration and Intermarriage Dynamics : The Case of Moroccan Returnees from Japan

The aim of this study is twofold: Firstly, it investigates the role of intermarriage or ‘Kokusai kekkon’ with Japanese natives in facilitating Moroccan migration to Japan. Secondly, it aims to understand the factors which have pushed Moroccan migrants to return home. Over the last decade, a growing number of Moroccan migrants have relied on ‘Kokusai kekkon’ or ‘intermarriage’ with Japanese natives as a strategy to migrate to Japan. Nevertheless, many of these migrants return to Morocco after years of residence and work in Japan. The study takes the hypothesis of structural reasons in Japan and Morocco as the causes of this act. Drawing from in-depth interviews with six former Moroccan migrants who have returned to Morocco, quantitative and qualitative data was collected and analyzed to understand some of the reasons behind this return migration. The study showed that intermarriage was strategic to migration for the majority of the informants; however, it was not a sufficient factor to prevent their return to Morocco. It also revealed many structural factors in both Japan and Morocco that have encouraged this return; including the inability to generate savings, the incapability to remit as well as Japan’s restrictive citizenship requirements
 Keywords:Kokusai kekkon Intermarriage, n, Moroccan Returnees, Japan’s Migration
 Policies 

Study and work paving the way for Moroccan migrants: the entrepreneurial path to transnational and domestic business activities

Abstract In this article we look at the various paths taken by transnational and domestic entrepreneurs based on their education and work experience. These act as catalysts for skills that allow migrant entrepreneurs to better position themselves in different markets. Differences in migrant entrepreneurs allow us to better understand the strategies employed and the consequences for society and the economy at both domestic and transnational levels. Earlier research has extensively analysed individual characteristics of migrant entrepreneurs and, to a much lesser extent, the geographical nature of their business activities. This article addresses this gap by looking at the geographical orientation of migrant entrepreneurs’ businesses. The research question is as follows: In what ways are transnational or domestic activities of Moroccan migrant entrepreneurs in the Netherlands and Italy influenced by skills acquired in earlier experiences? We provide empirical evidence on the different paths leading to domestic and transnational activities using a micro-level perspective of the experiences collected in the narratives of first-generation Moroccan migrant entrepreneurs who have migrated to Milan or Amsterdam (N=70). Four different paths combining these two life experiences emerged from the interviews: #1 Job-based, #2 Education-driven, #3 Job-education merger, and #4 By chance (neither education nor work experience). The most relevant paths for migrant entrepreneurs seem to be the first (#1) and third (#3) paths. Furthermore, our findings show that transnationally oriented entrepreneurs have an extended business-oriented education and rely on skills learned, in contrast to domestically oriented entrepreneurs who become entrepreneurs ‘by chance’.

The role of environmental factors and other migration drivers from the perspective of Moroccan and Congolese migrants in Belgium

This manuscript describes findings from 53 interviews conducted with Moroccan and migrants from The Democratic Republique of the Congo living in Belgium, with an emphasis on discussing the extent to which environmental factors in the migrants’ home countries may or may not have influenced their migration decisions. A comparative approach clarifies and disentangles the relationship between natural environmental factors and other drivers of migration in two distinct contexts. Applying a comparative approach and having extensive biographical accounts of each interviewee’s migration trajectory and history enables us to understand how individual migration aspirations develop gradually and how the importance of environmental factors changes during different stages. Conceiving of migration as a multi-stage process, this study demonstrates how environmental factors are closely linked to other factors and play different roles during a migration trajectory.

Working “With” or “On” Moroccan Migrant Mothers

Abstract In the context of marriage migration, women are believed to be held back or constrained by their husbands, family and religion from integrating and partaking in (regular) citizenship and Dutch courses, which denies their agency as both wives and citizens. Additionally, their personal choice to become mothers is believed to exacerbate their position as passive citizens: becoming a mother supposedly leaves little time to invest in integration courses, especially since day-care services are an important threshold. As these representations and policies are often not based on rigorous research that consults these migrant women, this research aims to fill this gap by bringing together the gendered representations and policy views on marriage migration, and lived experiences and desires as articulated by migrant women themselves. Another aim is to find out how exactly Moroccan migrant women navigate these structures as affective migrant mothers, and the role of religion in this.

Insights into the Complexity of a Dormant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Cluster Once Transmission Is Resumed.

ABSTRACTGenotyping tools help identify the complexity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission clusters. We carried out a thorough analysis of the epidemiological and bacteriological complexity of a cluster in Almería, Spain. The cluster, initially associated with Moroccan migrants and with no secondary cases identified in 4 years, then reappeared in Spanish-born individuals. In one case, two Mycobacterium tuberculosis clonal variants were identified. We reanalyzed the cluster, supported by the characterization of multiple cultured isolates and respiratory specimens, whole-genome sequencing, and epidemiological case interviews. Our findings showed that the cluster, which was initially thought to have restarted activity with just a single case harboring a small degree of within-host diversity, was in fact currently growing due to coincidental reactivation of past exposures, with clonal diversity transmitted throughout the cluster. In one case, within-host diversity was amplified, probably due to prolonged diagnostic delay.IMPORTANCE The precise study of the dynamics of tuberculosis transmission in socio-epidemiologically complex scenarios may require more thorough analysis than the standard molecular epidemiology strategies. Our study illustrates the epidemiological and bacteriological complexity present in a transmission cluster in a challenging epidemiological setting with a high proportion of migrant cases. The combination of whole-genome sequencing, refined and refocused epidemiological interviews, and in-depth analysis of the bacterial composition of sputa and cultured isolates was crucial in order to correctly reinterpret the true nature of this cluster. Our global approach allowed us to reinterpret correctly the unnoticed epidemiological and bacteriological complexity involved in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission event under study, which had been overlooked by the usual molecular epidemiology approaches.

Family neighbours and neighbourhood integration: comparing contacts and networks of migrants and natives

ABSTRACT This paper tested the sometimes suggested but rarely tested idea that local ties are more important for migrants than for natives. Using nationally representative data from the Netherlands Longitudinal Lifecourse Study on first- and second-generation Turkish and Moroccan migrants aged 18–45 in the Netherlands in 2009 (N = 1607) and a comparison group of natives (N = 1979), this study described how important local ties were for people with and without a migrant background. The focus was on the amount of contacts with people in the neighbourhood, the presence or absence of parents in the neighbourhood and the geographic dispersion of the core discussion network. Models were estimated to explain differences between migrants and natives using information on socioeconomic status, life course variables, religiosity and neighbourhood characteristics. Findings showed that migrants were more strongly embedded in the neighbourhood than natives and that this difference could in part be explained by the lower socioeconomic status and higher levels of religiosity of migrants. Moreover, among migrants, parents were considerably more likely to live in the same neighbourhood and this played a major role in understanding the more local orientation of migrants. It is concluded that it is important to reconsider ‘family neighbours’ in empirical and theoretical studies of neighbourhood integration.

Ethnic differences in functional limitations: a comparison of older migrants and native Dutch older population.

BackgroundAlthough the older migrants population in Europe is expected to grow substantially in the coming years, there is little information about their health status and particularly functional limitations. This study examined the association of ethnicity and mobility, hearing and visual limitations in comparison to the general population in the Netherlands, and whether relevant characteristics explained the potential differences between older migrants and non-migrants.MethodsSecondary data analysis of 12 652 subjects 55 years and older who participated in the health survey in the four largest Dutch cities. To establish limitations in vision, hearing and mobility, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) questionnaire was used. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between limitations and ethnic background, subsequently adjusting for demographic and socio-economic characteristics and relevant health- and lifestyle-related factors.ResultsOlder migrants had higher prevalences of functional limitations. The age- and- gender adjusted ORs were 2 to 8-fold compared with older non-migrants. After adjusting for socioeconomic status and health-and lifestyle indicators, Moroccan, Turkish and Surinamese migrants still had increased ORs for visual limitations [ORs (95% CI), respectively: 2.48 (1.49–4.14), 3.08 (1.75–5.41) and 1.97 (1.33–2.91)] compared with the Dutch. For mobility limitations, only the Turkish migrants had an OR twice as high (2.19; 1.08–4.44) as the non-migrants. No significant differences were found between Antillean/Aruban migrants and non-migrants.ConclusionsImportant ethnic inequalities exist in various functional limitations, particularly in vision. These results underline the importance of tailored preventive interventions in older migrants to detect and prevent these limitations at an early stage.

A Qualitative Investigation on the Role of Social Media in Intercultural Communication Competence: The Moroccan Diaspora in Canada as a Case-Study

This paper aims to investigate how Moroccan migrants established in Canada utilize social media to improve their intercultural communication competence. It employs the exploratory sequential design based on the use of semi-structured interviews followed by a questionnaire. The results show that before migration, social media played an important role in providing the migrants with preliminary knowledge about the host culture via YouTube. Social media also facilitated communication with Canadians via Facebook. After migration, social and direct interaction was proven to be more effective in developing the participants’ ICC. As such, social media only played an informative role, whereas much of the participants’ intercultural knowledge, skills, attitudes, and awareness were developed from face-to-face communication. The study concludes that no matter how important social media can become, improving intercultural communication competencies cannot take place independently from face-to-face interaction.

Multi-scale methods for reconstructing collective shapes of digital diasporas

The ICT revolution has impacted the way diasporic groups and individuals communicate and interact with one another. Diasporas are now fueled by unlimited flows of digital contents generated by daily activities or sudden historical events. As a natural result, the science of migration has evolved just as much as its own subject of research. Thus, dedicated branches of research like digital diasporas emerge at the crossroad between fields of social and computational sciences. Thereupon, new types of multi-scale reconstruction methods are developed to investigate the collective shapes of digital diasporas. They allow the researchers to focus on individual interactions before visualizing their global structures and dynamics. In this paper, we present three different multi-scale reconstruction methods applied to reveal the scientific landscape of digital diasporas and to explore the history of an extinct online collective of Moroccan migrants.

Cancer risk among individuals of migrant origin in Belgium during the 2000s - Evidence of migration as a 'cancer risk transition'?

Recent research has shown a generally lower cancer risk and mortality among migrants from less-industrialised country origin. However, while rates are usually lower for 'lifestyle-related' cancers (e.g. breast, prostate, lung, colorectal), they are typically elevated for 'infection-related' ones such as liver and stomach cancer. Although these observations appear in line with the theory of 'migration as a rapid epidemiological transition', changes in cancer risk after migration have yet to be investigated, effectively testing if migration also entails a 'rapid cancer risk transition'. This study therefore examines cancer risk among migrants in Belgium, focusing on colorectal cancer as a typically lifestyle-related cancer on the one hand, and infection-related cancers on the other hand. We subdivide migrant groups of more and less industrialised country origin according to duration of stay, and calculate absolute and relative incidence rates between 2004 and 2013. Our findings corroborate the transition assumptions for men from Turkey and Morocco, but cannot support them for women. Italian male immigrants have an in-between position: their colorectal cancer risk does not differ from that of Belgian men, but infection-related and non-cardia stomach cancer risks are higher and remain so with longer duration of stay. The fact that rates for migrants from the Netherlands and France generally do not differ from those of Belgians further strengthens support for a cancer transition among male migrants. Further examinations should focus on changes in health-related behaviour that can explain persistently low colorectal cancer risks among Turkish and Moroccan migrants and can inform preventive strategies for other population subgroups. Knowledge about the higher non-cardia stomach cancer risk among Turkish, Moroccan, and Italian men can support early detection strategies by primary care providers when patients present with gastric symptoms, especially because this cancer tends to have unfavourable prognosis.