Markov, I. (2017) Between Macedonia and Switzerland: Albanian Migrants’ Translocal Trajectories and Practices. – Montenegrin Journal for Social Sciences, 1 (2), 177-200 (original) (raw)
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Global networks, 2005
Recent studies have questioned the concept of transnationalism, showing that transnational ties do not always have the weight attributed to them in the first studies conducted on the topic. Using a case study of social networks of Albanian migrants from former Yugoslavia, in this article I discuss the significance of transnational ties in the context of: the decision to migrate; social support networks of Albanians in Switzerland; and reintegration on return.
For more than four decades (since the end of the 1960s), the Albanian population in the Republic of Macedonia has been intensively migrating to West-European countries in search of better livelihoods and living conditions. Due to certain historical circumstances and social dynamics, the nature and characteristic of their migration patterns have shifted. Initially, migrants were men and migration followed the temporary -gurbet model, which had been present in the Balkans for centuries. Under the gurbet system, the men sent all the money they saved back to their families in Macedonia. Thus, they established and maintained strong economical and social transnational practices oriented towards their villages of origin. During the 1980s and especially the 1990s, many Albanian migrants began taking their families to the host countries. Gradually, women and children became involved in the migratory processes. Living abroad with the family changed the migrants’ priorities: the focus of transnational practices turned towards integration into the new surroundings and earning enough to provide for the nuclear family abroad, while remitting money to villages of origin receded into the background. It is significant that during the last three decades “family migration” exists simultaneously with migration of single men. On the basis of ethnographic fieldwork materials collected by the author, two main categories of migratory experience and narratives can be distinguished. The first one refers to the temporary migrants and/or the migrants who have been abroad without their wives and children, but have returned or plan to return to their places of origin. The second category refers to those who have settled abroad with their wives and have raised their children and grandchildren there. The main aim of the paper is to critically examine these two different narratives and stories about migratory experience, migrants’ attitudes towards the place of origin, and the perceptions of the location of “home”.
ISR-Forcshungsbericht Heft 50. Herausgegeben vom Institut für Stadt- und Regionalforschung.ERLAG DER ÖSTERREICHISCHEN AKADEMIE DER WISSENSCHAFTEN WIEN 2019, 2019
With the issue of integration reflecting the persistence of the connection between migrant integration and the nation state, conversely, the notion of transnationalism seems to transcend the earlier static assumptions in integration research, aiming at shedding light on the bonds and practices developed between individual, collective, and govern-mental actors located in two or more countries. In fact, the transnational mobility of immigrants is clearly placed in the framework of the integration discourse, where national integration policies as well as citizenship regimes are considered as systemic opportunity structures that may encourage, discourage, or shape the degrees and types of immigrants’ economic, political and social-cultural involvement in transnational activities. In the context of redefining the concept of integration as a three-way process (country of destination, country of origin and migrant him/herself), the notions of integration and transnationalism have gained a prominent role in understanding the multiple trajectories of migrants. Cross-border movements as well as the emerging multicultural mosaic of the urban environment now seem to be permanent features of European societies. With this problem in mind, this study seeks to identify the patterns of interaction between integration and transnationalism under specific context-bound national and local conditions and see how they shape the dynamics of migration trajectories of Albanian migrants. The aim is to investigate the interaction of processes related to integration and transnationalism and to identify the conditions under which these processes may affect each other. It do so by applying a comparative cross-national and cross-local perspective, focusing on two (receiving) countries that represent different migration and integration regimes, Greece and Austria, particularly focusing on two local metropolitan areas: Athens and Vienna. The analytical approach is based on the argument that these complex processes take place within migration systems that connect countries and regions. We adopt the migration systems approach mainly as an analytical framework for our empirical research in Greece and Austria. It functions as a typological paradigm of an EU-Western Balkans migration system that takes into account the (a) heterogeneity and multiple dynamics of migration trajectories, (b) changes (e.g., economic crisis, stagnation) occurring in a migration system, and (c) the role of migrants’ agency (vis-à-vis structure). By focusing on the diptych integration-transnationalism of Albanians through a comparative cross-national and cross-local lens, the study aspires to bring a new understanding to one of the most representative cases in the EU-Western Balkans migration system.
Albanian Migration to Italy: towards differential circularisations? (2011)
The METOIKOS project looks at circular migration patterns in three European regions: southeastern Europe and the Balkans (Greece, Italy and Albania); southwestern Europe and the Maghreb (Spain, Italy and Morocco); and Central Eastern Europe (Poland, Hungary, and Ukraine). More specifically, METOIKOS studies the links between different types of circular migration and processes of integration (in the country of destination) and reintegration (in the source country). It identifies the main challenges and opportunities involved in circular migration for source countries, destination countries and migrants (and their families) and develops new conceptual instruments for the analysis of circular migration and integration. The project will develop policy recommendations (a Guide for Policy Makers, available in 10 European languages) for local, regional and national policy makers as to how to frame circular migration with appropriate (re-)integration policies. It will also organise three Regional Workshops (on Spain, Italy and Morocco; on Greece, Italy and Albania; and on Poland, Hungary and Ukraine). The project will foster online discussion on circular migration with a view to raising awareness about the challenges and advantages of circular mobility in the wider EU Neighbourhood and the Euro-Mediterranean region more generally.
The end of communism regime and the raise of democratization process helped Albanian society to be 'open border' toward all countries in the world, especially toward Western ones during 1990's. This phenoma was quite new for Albanian society. Migration involves a series of events that can be highly traumatizing of identity and problems of inegration. The process involves uprooting, being separated from traditional values, being placed in new social and cultural different situations of hosted countries. So for many migrants, social integration process is not quite easy. Resistance to their participation in society results from language problems and culturally defined behavior that often reinforce stereotypes and prejudices. This situation brought out many challenges in the social identity and integration problems of migrants life in hosted countries.In this paper it is going to be focused on the analyses of Albanian migration during post communist period. Also it will be focused on the recent Albanian migration, emigrants and their integration process in the hosted European societies. Consequently to this, it is going to be focuse on the challenges of their social identity during the integration period. Are the emigrants integrated and harmonizing with the European societies or they are just trying to shape their life according to the social, economical and cultural conditions? Or let say that, are the emigrant assimilating their own identity just to be a social actor in the European societies?
2014
The persisting economic crisis in Europe and the policy makers need to propose quick solutions to the migration problems contributed to emphasize the concepts of circular migration and return in the last few years. The main aim of this paper is to underline the connections between these phenomena and the transformations in the relationships between migrants and their host countries, and -consequently -the changes in the way they contribute to build social processes. The work will focus on the Albanian community in Italy, which can be regarded as an interesting object of studies in consideration of his migration history and of the links between the two countries. Albanian migration changed completely in the last twenty years: from the violent media impact of the first arrivals in 90s to the so called "mimesis" as a privileged form of integration, until the actual role played by the second generation and the wide student community looking for public spaces to express their d...