Moroccan Migrants Research Articles

Return migration and entrepreneurship in Morocco

This paper contributes to the rapidly growing literature concerned with the potentially substantial implications of international migration for economic development in developing countries. We use a survey of return Moroccan migrants in 2003–2004 to explore the pattern of return migration and entrepreneurial activities of return migrants. We examine the determinants of entrepreneurial behavior among return migrants in Morocco, controlling for the potential endogeneity of the migration duration. Our findings suggest that individual characteristics and conditions before migration matter for entrepreneurship. We also consider the potential endogenous impact of having invested overseas on the entrepreneurial behavior upon return. We find that overseas migration experience plays a significant role beyond the role played by savings and captured by migration duration.

Unemployed Migrants Coping with the Economic Crisis. Romanians and Moroccans in Italy

The current economic crisis is worsening migrants’ living conditions and thus their social and economic integration into EU countries. However, recent literature has not sufficiently considered the strategies that unemployed migrants adopt to cope with this transformation. This article explores the economic and social impact of the recession on migrant workers. In particular, it analyses the coping strategies of unemployed Moroccan and Romanian migrants in Italy, who are the biggest national groups of foreigners. Drawing on 170 in-depth interviews carried out in one of the most dynamic areas of northeast Italy, we find that Moroccan and Romanian migrants adopt different strategies in order to cope with unemployment: the first suffer more from discrimination than the latter in the labour market but can enjoy the economic and social support of extended family and religious community, while for Romanians, it is easier to find a new job, because they can rely on a more diversified social network. Furthermore, migrants of both national groups rarely return to their country of origin, but Moroccans (non-EU nationals) seem to be geographically more mobile than Romanians (EU nationals), who show a resolve to remain in Italy. Finally, unemployed migrants are minimizing their living costs in a very similar way. This paper also studies other differences among interviewees that arise from their gender, age and family model.

Codeswitching und Crossing zum Gastarbeiterdeutsch als ethnolektale Merkmale der deutschmarokkanischen Chat-Kommunikation

AbstractThis paper is a study of code-switching and crossing into “guest worker's” German in chat communication between female bilinguals of Moroccan background, who are the descendants of so-called “Gastarbeiter” (‘guest workers’). Code-switching and crossing can both be seen as manifestations of ethnolectal speech. Linguists pay little attention to the language use of the Moroccan community in Germany, whereas the language use of migrants with Turkish background is well-researched. The results of studies concerning the language use (especially about language alternation) of bilinguals with ethnic Turkish background are compared with the results of the present study. The most important results are the following: The chat communication of the bilingual Moroccan migrants is characterized by code-switching, which is restricted to pragmatically delimitable constituents (such as in the case of religious routine formulas, which are the focus of this analysis) and by crossing into “guest worker's” German, which manifests itself when the pronunciation of specific words are imitated. Whereas bilinguals with Moroccan background apparently prefer code-switching as type of language alternation, bilinguals with Turkish background display a preference for code-mixing in addition to code-switching. This result stands in accord with the study of Dorleijn and Nortier (2008), which investigated the language alternation of Turkish and Moroccan migrant groups in the Netherlands. It is supposed that bilinguals with Moroccan background show no code-mixing, because they are, with regard to their language of origin, a heterogeneous group (Berber and Arabs) and because Moroccan Arabic has lost, in diasporic context, its function as

The influence of acculturation on mental health and specialized mental healthcare for non-western migrants.

The level of acculturation of migrants varies and is associated with variations in mental health. However, this association is complex and may differ among migrant groups. The aim of this study is to explore the association between acculturation, mental health and treatment effect. In a longitudinal cohort study of patients treated in specialized mental health facilities, different dimensions of acculturation (skills, social integration, traditions, norms/values and feelings of loss) were explored for Moroccan, Turkish and Surinamese migrants in the Netherlands. Furthermore, the associations between acculturation status and symptom levels, quality of life, care needs and effects of mental health treatment were examined. Data were analyzed with analysis of covariance, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. Acculturation status differed among migrant groups. Turkish migrants showed most original culture maintenance (traditions, norms/values), Surinamese migrants showed most participation in Dutch society (skills, social integration), while Moroccan migrants were situated in between. Higher cultural adaptation was associated with less need for care, lower symptom levels and a higher quality of life. Participation significantly predicted lower symptom levels (p < .001) and higher quality of life (p < .001) 6 months after the start of treatment. This study confirms that acculturation status is associated with symptom levels, quality of life and perceived need for care of migrants. Moreover, participation in Dutch society appears to be a favorable factor for treatment effect. It is of importance for professionals in clinical practice to be attentive to this.

Using the MMSE as a cognitive screener among Turkish and Moroccan migrants

The Dutch population of first generation Turkish and Moroccan migrants is ageing. Among them hypertension and diabetes mellitus are frequent findings, which will probably cause an increased incidence of dementia. The language barrier, low education and cultural differences make the diagnosis more difficult. To what extent the MMSE can be used as a cognitive screener in this population will be investigated in this retrospective study.Patients received standard diagnostics, a professional translator addressed the language barrier. Correspondence was scored on characteristics of dementia, a procedure was used to diagnose without including the MMSE score. The optimal cut-off was calculated with the Youden Index and Area under the ROC (AUROC).106 patients were included, 61% had no education. Average MMSE-score was 16, with dementia 12, without 19. The AUROC was 0.85, optimal cut-off was 18 with a Youden index of 0.61.By using a professional translator the MMSE can possibly be used as a cognitive screener in this population. However, the cognitive skills addressed by the MMSE require an education and language skills. Developing a test that is independent of education and language barrier will probably be better.

Integration policies and mortality differences among Turkish and Moroccan migrants in three European countries: a test-of-concept study

Background European countries have adopted different types of integration policies to integrate migrants into their societies. As these macro-level policies shape the social determinants of health, different integration policies could pattern migrant health differently. However, this association has not been studied so far. This study examines mortality differences of migrants from the same country of origin living in countries with distinct integration policies contexts. Methods From the mortality dataset collected in the …

Migrants’ Multi-Sited Social Lives

This paper challenges the assimilationist assumption that suggests migrants cannot be simultaneously embedded in multiple societies. Based on survey data collected among Afghan, Burundian, Ethiopian and Moroccan migrants in the Netherlands, the paper shows that overall sociocultural integration in the Netherlands and sociocultural homeland engagement are significantly positively correlated. Moreover, it demonstrates that migrants with more contact with their co-ethnics in the Netherlands tend to engage more in sociocultural activities oriented towards their home country. Besides, the influence of favourable political and security situations and economic prospects in the home countries is brought to the fore in relation to migrant groups’ sociocultural homeland engagement. The paper consequently highlights the prevalence of transnational ways of living and calls for theoretical adjustments in line with migrants’ multi-sited social lives and more inclusive policy approaches that recognize the relevance of dual-citizenship in this contemporary context.

Infertility Care in the Netherlands for Turkish and Moroccan Migrants: The Role of Religion in Focus

Infertility treatments are difficult to understand, and doubly so for migrants because of religious and language factors. Previous studies showed that religion plays an important role in infertility care for Muslim couples that doctors do not always understand. The data presented here come from two exploratory studies that aimed to identify the main problems with infertility care for Turkish and Moroccan couples living in the Netherlands. In the first study, 105 Turkish, Moroccan and Dutch men and women were interviewed. In the second study, twenty general practitioners, gynaecologists and andrologists were interviewed by telephone. Additionally, three gynaecologists were interviewed in Morocco. A thematic analysis was conducted of the qualitative data. Almost all migrants had experienced problems with infertility treatments because they felt insecure about what was allowed by their religion. Moroccan men in particular doubt whether Dutch doctors are sufficiently acquainted with Islam and so they turn to Morocco for information and advice. Men stick to the rules and their agency is to follow the dictates of their religion. Women seem willing to be more flexible about the rules and navigate their agency. Doctors assumed that they took the religion of their patients into account, but they were not always fully aware of the importance of religious prohibitions. Others failed to take into account the agency of their patients. Conclusion: The situation in a new country challenges couples to shape their own agency in respect of reproductive treatment. Doctors are not always aware of the importance of religious doctrine about infertility treatment.

Do Moroccan migrants to Spain fare better or worse than other migrants?

Poor language skills at arrival and low educational attainment raise concerns about how well Moroccans do after arrival in Spain. Using the 2007 Encuesta Nacional de Immigración, this paper compares Moroccans' legal and labor market integration over time relative to the two other largest groups of migrants in Spain: Ecuadorians and Romanians. Modeling jointly legal and labor market integration and exploiting the richness of our data set, which includes migrants' employment history before and at arrival in the host country, we find that Moroccan male migrants assimilate themselves at least as well as the other two nationalities. Among women, Moroccans and Ecuadorians follow a similar pattern that contrasts with the one observed among Romanian women. While the former mainly arrive to Spain to work with legal status and, with time in Spain, (some of them) move out of employment; the latter are considerably (and persistently) more attached to the labor force, although they tend to lack legal status at arrival, and only gain such status over time. Controlling for observable characteristics and using Heckman-corrected estimates, our wage analysis finds that with the exception of Moroccan and Romanian males for which no wage differences are observed, Moroccans outperform the other two nationalities in terms of higher wages at arrival. Moreover, this wage differential does not decrease over time.

Well-being and social justice among Moroccan migrants in southern Spain.

The decision to migrate is normally based on expectations of improving one's actual living conditions and therefore, one's well-being. However, these expectations are not usually met in receiving contexts that relegate newcomers to lower power positions. From a liberating community psychology approach, this study aims to develop a predictive model of the well-being of Moroccan migrants living in southern Spain. Data were collected from a survey sample of 633 migrants (the average age was 31.9years and 51.8% were women) from 20 territorial units of Andalusia. Through a process of multilevel regression analysis, this study reveals that the well-being of the Moroccan community is closely determined by the following: (a) the level of social justice in the receiving context (openness to diversity of receiving communities, cultural sensitivity of community services, and residential integration); and (b) the individual strengths of the population (use of active coping strategies, satisfaction with the receiving context, and temporal stability in the new environment). These results empirically support the impact that different ecological levels of analysis have on well-being. Major theoretical contributions of the model and useful suggestions for improving migrant well-being are discussed.

Prognosis after a first hospitalisation for acute myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure by country of birth

ObjectiveTo investigate differences in 28-day and 5-year mortality and 5-year readmission after a first hospitalisation for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and congestive heart failure (CHF) between first generation ethnic minority...

Return Migration as Failure or Success?: The Determinants of Return Migration Intentions Among Moroccan Migrants in Europe.

Different migration theories generate competing hypotheses with regard to determinants of return migration. While neoclassical migration theory associates migration to the failure to integrate at the destination, the new economics of labour migration sees return migration as the logical stage after migrants have earned sufficient assets and knowledge and to invest in their origin countries. The projected return is then likely to be postponed for sustained or indefinite periods if integration is unsuccessful. So, from an indication or result of integration failure return is rather seen as a measure of success. Drawing on recent survey data (N = 2,832), this article tests these hypotheses by examining the main determinants of return intention among Moroccan migrants across Europe. The results indicate that structural integration through labour market participation, education and the maintenance of economic and social ties with receiving countries do not significantly affect return intentions. At the same time, investments and social ties to Morocco are positively related, and socio-cultural integration in receiving countries is negatively related to return migration intentions. The mixed results corroborate the idea that there is no uniform process of (return) migration and that competing theories might therefore be partly complementary.

Redefining Empowerment Interventions of Migrants Experiencing Poverty: The Case of Antwerp, Belgium

This qualitative research examines the strategies migrants experiencing poverty develop to access social rights and services. We conducted thirty-five in-depth interviews with Moroccan and Turkish migrants experiencing poverty in the city of Antwerp, Belgium. These interviews resulted in a typology of migrants in poverty based on the methods they use to empower themselves and influence their environment. The determining factors that influence these different strategies are directly linked to the accessibility of social work practices. Therefore, we evaluated local public and social work policies based on what motivates the different typologies of migrants experiencing poverty. Our findings confirm the importance of collaboration between organisations involved in empowerment interventions for migrants experiencing poverty on the local level and the need for reshaping local coalitions in social work practice. We consider the long-term success of integration courses for newcomers, especially the impact they have on the accessibility of social work practices. We also note serious weaknesses concerning language policies in social services, as well as the shame and denial of poverty by clients due to their migration background or the social pressure of their community. Finally, the role of civil society organisations in poverty eradication is questioned.

Ethnicity, Citizenship, and the Migration–Development Nexus: The Case of Moroccan Migrants in Spain’s North African Exclaves

In this paper, I conduct a paired comparative analysis of the Moroccan migrant communities in two Spanish cities, Ceuta and Melilla, to examine how migrants’ sub-national ethnic heritage influences their relationships with their host country and country of origin. Conducting an ecological inferential analysis of citizenship rates, I find evidence that ethnic heritage, Arab in Ceuta and Amazigh in Melilla, affects whether Moroccan migrants become Spanish citizens. As a result, I posit that ethnic heritage has the potential to affect migrants’ relationships with their host and origin countries, as well as their transnational behaviour and participation in the migration–development nexus.

Migration Status, Familial Risk for Mental Disorder, and Schizotypal Personality Traits

Markedly raised incidence rates of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders have been observed in several migrant and ethnic minority groups. To contribute to a better understanding of the elevated risk for psychotic disorders that is conferred by migration status, the present study examined effects associated with migration risk status on schizotypal personality traits, which are thought to reflect an underlying vulnerability to psychotic disorder. Effects of migration status were also compared to effects associated with a family history of psychopathology, which represents a robust nonspecific risk factor. We assessed schizotypal traits, using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), in a community-based sample of 62 Moroccan migrants and 41 Dutch nonmigrants, who were classified by the presence or absence of a family history of psychopathology. Overall, Moroccan migrants obtained higher SPQ scores than Dutch nonmigrants. However, migrants who had been classified as having a familial load of psychopathology displayed higher SPQ scores than migrants without such a family history, who in turn did not differ from Dutch nonmigrants. Furthermore, migrants with a familial load, relative to migrants without such a family history, reported higher levels of substance use and feelings of anxiety or depression, and perceived more often ethnic discrimination, which closely paralleled their SPQ scores. These findings indicate that primarily those migrants who are both intrinsically vulnerable and chronically exposed to social adversity, particularly ethnic discrimination, are at elevated risk for psychotic and other disorders. The results add to the evidence that migration status and perceived discrimination are associated with mental health.

Towards the elsewhere: discourses on migration and mobility practices between Morocco and Italy

The objective of this article is to analyse the preparation process of young Moroccan migrants intended to migrate to Italy. My focus is on the personal and collective formulation of their desire to leave and on concomitant action taken to bring about these aspirations; highlighting the complexity of the imagination, which migration – and expected return – entails. A second point of interest is the agency exerted by such youth, as they prepare for departure; even when they have not yet physically left the country. In addition, my observation is focussed on networks emerging as a result of having to deal with state-imposed, migration restrictions, as well as with the politics of humanitarian agencies and NGOs. I argue that these aspiring migrants project themselves into the future and act in accordance with what they long to become. They shape themselves as mobile subjects through a process of self-making to overcome the above-mentioned constraints.

Migration and Development on the South–North Frontier: A Comparison of the Mexico–US and Morocco–EU cases

This paper aims to improve our understanding of migration–development links by comparing the Mexico–US and Morocco–EU cases. Despite significant differences, Mexico and Morocco share a common geopolitical location on the global South–North migration frontier and a common position as prime reserves of low-cost, low-skilled migrant labour for the US and the EU. The analysis highlights the large extent to which Mexican and Moroccan migration is determined by business cycles and political-economic and labour-market transformations in the US and the EU. Mexican and Moroccan migration patterns and trends show striking similarities. Persistent economic gaps and migrant networks partly explain why, despite recruitment freezes in Mexico (1964) and Morocco (1973) and increasing border controls, migration has endured through family and irregular migration and a diversification of migration origins and destinations. Simultaneously, economic liberalisation and labour-market transformations in origin and destination countries have increased supply and demand for casual and informal labour in the service sector, agriculture and construction. In spite of surging remittances and the considerable contributions of Mexican and Moroccan migrants to improved living standards in origin areas, migration cannot overcome structural development obstacles and deeply ingrained political and economic inequalities in Morocco and Mexico. In fact, migration may deepen such inequalities and deflect the attention away from states' failure to create favourable conditions for equitable development.

Shifting perspectives on transnationalism: analysing Dutch political discourse on Moroccan migrants' transnational ties, 1960–2010

This article examines the Dutch state's shifting perspectives on migrants' ties with their country of origin. In the academic literature transnationalism was introduced as a neutral term. In political debates the term transnationalism is hardly used, but the ties of migrants with their country of origin (to which the term transnationalism relates) are given a strong negative connotation. They are seen as the main course of failed integration policy. In the past fifty years a dramatic shift has occurred in how these ties are perceived. First, they were regarded positively and were believed to facilitate an easy return of the guest workers. Later they continued to be portrayed positively, but were also considered to be a springboard for integration into Dutch society. Recently they have been portrayed negatively and as the main obstacle to integration. This article explores why this dramatic shift in connotation has occurred.

Housing Market Integration of Migrants: Moroccans in Spain

AbstractMoroccans are the largest group of immigrants in Spain. Once they arrive at the new place, one of their first necessities is to access shelter. Focusing on the south‐eastern region of Murcia in Spain and combining quantitative and qualitative data, I explore the process of housing market integration of Moroccan migrants. Special attention is paid to the dynamics of this process and the role that the interaction between the supply side and the foreign demand of accommodation plays. Thereby, I will emphasise how an unfavourable structure of the housing market, along with behaviour of local private landlords on the supply side leads to considerable problems concerning the housing market integration of migrants in Spain. Thus, this paper aims to give a more accurate interpretation of the dynamics influencing the housing outcomes of migrants in the studied area.

Integratie en depressie - De relatie tussen sociaal-culturele integratie en depressieklachten bij Turkse en Marokkaanse Nederlander

Integration and depression. The relationship between social-cultural integration and symptoms of depression among Turkish and Moroccan migrants in the Netherlands.In this study we described differences in the prevalence of depressive symptoms among first and second generation Turkish and Moroccan migrants and Native Dutch. Furthermore, we scrutinized to what extent differences in socio-cultural integration are related to differences in the prevalence of depressive symptoms. Hypotheses are tested using the NEtherlands Longitudinal Lifecourse Study (NELLS). Results show that first and second generation Turkish migrants and first generation Moroccan migrants experience more depressive symptoms than Native Dutch. For migrants, maintaining weak and strong ties with native Dutch is related to less symptoms of depression. Ethnic and national identification protect against depressive symptoms. Living according to Islamic rules is not related to depressive symptoms. We did not observe that bicultural migrants – migrants who have strong ethnic and national identifications and migrants who maintain social relationships with ethnic ingroup members and with native Dutch – experience more depressive symptoms. Differences in socio-cultural integration hardly explain differences in depressive symptoms among first and second generation Turkish and Moroccan migrants.