“Social Remittances: Migration Driven Local-Level Forms of Cultural Diffusion” Reading

Who wrote: “Social Remittances: Migration Driven Local-Level Forms of Cultural Diffusion”

Peggy Levitt

What are social remittances?

Non-material transfers from migrants to their home communities, including ideas, behaviors, identities, and social capital. They go beyond monetary remittances and reflect cultural diffusion through migration

How do social remittances differ from monetary remittances?

Unlike monetary remittances, which involve sending money, social remittances involve the transfer of cultural and social knowledge, including values, practices, and new ways of engaging in society

What is the role of transnational migration in social remittances?

Transnational migration allows migrants to influence their home societies by transferring social remittances through their interactions and by bringing back new ideas and practices learned abroad

What are the main mechanisms of social remittance transfer?

1. Direct communication: Face to face interactions between migrants and non-migrants

2. Return migration: When migrants physically return to their home country, bringing new ideas

3. Institutional influence: Through organizations, media, and transnational networks that introduce norms and practices

What are normative structures in social remittances?

Normative structures refer to new values and expectations, such as gender roles, democracy, human rights, and social behaviors, that migrants bring back to their home communities

What types of practices are influenced by social remittances?

Practices include new ways of working, learning, participating in society, and engaging in civic activities, such as education, voting, and political activism, that migrants learn abroad and bring home to their communities

How do social remittances affect social capital in home communities?

They can increase community participation, political engagement, and social organizing, leading to increased and strengthened social capital and broader community development

What are the positive effects of social remittances on home communities?

Positive effects include encouraging civic engagement and democratic participation, labor organizing, introducing new gender norms, strengthening national ties, and fostering economic development

What are the negative effects of social remittances on home communities?

Negative effects include tensions between returnees and non-migrants, resistance to new norms that challenge traditional power structures, and social divides caused by unequal access to social remittances

How do social remittances influence family structure?

Social remittances can lead to changes in family dynamics, including shifts in parenting roles, gender dynamics, and expectation of family responsibilities, based on migrant experiences abroad

How do social remittances affect education in home countries?

Migrants often bring back new ideas about education, promoting greater emphasis on formal education, higher learning aspirations, and improved educational practices

How do social remittances influence civic and political engagement?

Migrants advocate for increased civic participation, such as better governance, more transparent elections, and improved political systems, which they have learned abroad and seek to apply in their home countries

What is the role of return migration in the transfer of social remittances?

Return migration allows migrants to physically bring back new ideas, practices, and norms they learned abroad, influencing their home communities directly upon their return

How does migration influence political structures in home countries?

Migrants may challenge or promote new political ideas that conflict with local political structures, leading to either resistance or selective adoption of new norms and practices

What is the significance of transnational networks in social remittances?

Transnational networks, including organizations like churches or political groups, help spread new ideas and norms from migrants to their home countries, influencing areas like governance, education, and civic engagement

How do social remittances contribute to democratic development?

Social remittances encourage the spread of democratic values, such as participation in voting, political activism, and the promotion of human rights, influencing political systems in migrants home countries

What case study does Levitt use to examine social remittances?

Levitt focuses on Dominican migrants in the US to examine how their migration influences family structures, education, and civc life in their home countries (all aligning with the rest of the article- also not all new norms were accepted universally and some norms were either rejected or modified)

What theoretical implications do social remittaces influence gender roles?

Social remittances can introduce new gender norms, influencing changes in family roles, parenting expectations, and societal views on gender equality