migration and social class

examples of migration categories

• expat vs immigrant

• asylum seekers

• ‘east europeans’

why are migration categories harmful?

• they are morally loaded and used to justify exclusion and control

• the term ‘migration’ is harmful in itself, often excluding whiteness and privilege

(Anderson, 2013)

links between migration and race?

racialised citizens (non-white) are frequently considered ‘migrants’ (Tudor, 2018)

non-white migrants more likely to experience institutional racism

what does intersectionality tell us about racism?

it fuels stereotypes, hence leads to the stigma ‘undesirable migrants’

also leads to discrimination

• eastern european migrants are more likely to experience ‘de-skilling’ despite being graduates (Vasey, 2017)

how is migration presented as a ‘cultural’ problem?

• UK tabloids often present migration as a problem, and specifically blame migrants themselves

• nationals and ‘immigrants’ both imagined as homogenous

• the ‘immigrant’ as a social problem

how is migration presented as an ‘economic’ problem

two most common assumptions presented are that migrants use services reserved to nationals, and they ‘steal’ jobs that would be taken by nationals

problems with these assumptions

state services are dependent on state choices and local political choices

migration does not have a negative effect on the employment outcome of UK natives (Dustmann et al., 2013)

how do class inequalities shape migrants’ experiences and identities?

cultural capital:

• educational qualifications can help to secure social recognition and economic advantages

• it also facilitates access to elite professions

• these bring economic capital

the british in costa del sol (case study) - migrant stratification

case study highlights how migrant groups contain internal inequalities rather than being unified - not a homogenous group (Varriale, 2019)

embodied cultural capital - British

british migrants’ class identities don’t disappear upon migration

credibility given to those studying spanish culture and history, due to the perceived prestige (Oliver, 2007)

Oliver & Reilly, 2010 - habitus and migration

• migrants’ habitus influences their migration decisions and adaption in the host country

• pre-migration class positions affect how individuals perceive opportunities and risks

class reproduction

class inequalities often persist due to the transferability (lack of) of cultural, economic and social capital

migrants from higher-class backgrounds may leverage their existing capital to integrate more smoothly

limitations of traditional migration theories

choices are bound by factors beyond the individual’s control (Giddens, 1991)

links to habitus

those with a working-class habitus often retain the ‘taste of necessity’; in other words they won’t readily pay for certain ‘luxuries’ they aren’t used to spending money on (Bourdieu, 1984)

key researchers

Oliver and Reilly (2010), Andersen (2013), Tudor (2018), Vasey (2017), Dustmann et al (2013), Varriale (2019), Oliver (2007), Giddens (1991), Bourdieu (1984)