Sociology - Paper 4 - 2.2 - Globalisation and migration

What is Steven Vertovec's concept of "Super-diversity"?

It describes the current "diversification of migration," where migrants now come from a much wider range of countries, ethnic groups, and social classes, rather than just a few traditional sources.

How do elite migrants differ from low-skilled migrants in a globalized world?

Elite migrants are highly skilled professionals (doctors, IT) who move easily across borders with high status; low-skilled migrants often fill "3D jobs" (Dirty, Dangerous, Demanding) and face more border restrictions.

What is a "Transnational Identity"?

An identity formed when migrants live "in two places at once," maintaining deep social, economic, and political ties to their home country through digital communication and cheap travel.

Explain the "Global Care Chain" theorized by Ehrenreich and Hochschild.

It is the process where women from the Global South migrate to the North to work as nannies/cleaners, caring for Western families while their own children are cared for by others in their home country.

What are "Remittances" and why are they significant?

They are the billions of dollars migrants send back home. In many developing nations, remittances are a larger source of income than foreign aid, directly reducing local poverty.

How does "Brain Drain" impact developing nations?

It occurs when a country's most educated professionals (doctors, engineers) migrate to the West for better pay, stunting the home country's healthcare and education systems.

What does the "Securitization of Migration" refer to?

The political trend of treating migration as a security threat, leading to increased border surveillance, walls, and the "Fortress Europe" concept.

Distinguish between "Step Migration" and "Chain Migration."

Step Migration is moving in stages (village

\rightarrow

local city

\rightarrow

global hub); Chain Migration is moving to a specific location to join family or friends who have already settled there.

What are "Push Factors" and "Pull Factors" in migration?

Push factors (war, poverty, climate change) drive people away from home; pull factors (high wages, safety, social networks) attract people to a new destination.

How does Zygmunt Bauman distinguish between "Tourists" and "Vagabonds"?

Tourists are the elite who move freely for pleasure; Vagabonds are the poor/refugees forced to move but who are stigmatized as "flawed consumers" or security threats.

According to Marxist sociologists like Stephen Castles, who is the "Big Winner" of migration?

The Transnational Capitalist Class (TCC), because migration provides a "reserve army of labor" that keeps wages low and labor unions weak.

What is "Hyper-precarity" for migrants?

A state where migrants have no legal rights, work in dangerous conditions, and are highly vulnerable to exploitation and deportation in the host country.

What are "Social Remittances"?

The new skills, democratic ideals, and technological knowledge that returning migrants bring back to modernize their home communities.

What is the "Dependency Ratio" argument for migration in the Global North?

As Western populations age, young migrants are needed to fill the workforce and pay the taxes required to fund the pensions and healthcare of the elderly.