Migrations, Migrations, transnationalism and transnationalism and the locus of researchthe locus of research

Multi-locality and the shift Multi-locality and the shift from “sites” to “fields”from “sites” to “fields”

Giulia SINATTI

Università Milano-Bicocca

Goldsmiths College

“Nuevos retos del transnacionalismo en el estudio de las migraciones”

Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona

14-15 Febrero 2008

Transnationalism: a Transnationalism: a “methodological threat”“methodological threat”

for research ?for research ?1. InnovationsInnovations of transnational theory

2. From the study of sitessites to the study

of fieldsfields

3. Implications for research practiceresearch practice

1. Innovations 1. Innovations of transnational of transnational

theorytheory

Beyond transnationalism: a world of flowsflows …

once distant places are increasingly connectedconnected

A new interest within A new interest within the social sciences …the social sciences …DeterritorialisationDeterritorialisation (Appadurai)

DisembeddingDisembedding (Giddens)Time-space Time-space

compressioncompression (Harvey)

… in migration studies … migrations are conceived as increasingly connectedconnected to the homelandhomeland (Glick Schiller, Basch, Szanton Blanc 1992)

transnational occupations and activities require regularregular cross-border social contacts, sustainedsustained over time (Portes et al. 1999)

migrant transnationalism is framed by StatesStates, their boundaries and regulations

Innovative features of the transnational approach

Migrants are simultaneously conceived as imim-migrantsmigrants as well as ee-migrantsmigrants

Broader analytical framework includes:sendingsending, transittransit and receivingreceiving contexts and the circulation of not only peoplepeople, but also ideasideas, symbolssymbols and goodsgoods along the same circuits

2. The locus of 2. The locus of research: research:

from ‘sites’ from ‘sites’ to ‘fields’to ‘fields’

From sitessites to fieldsfields

Scholarly focus breaks away from geographic constraintsgeographic constraints and becomes disperseddispersed in time and space:

social space of post-modernism (Rouse); transnational social fields (Glick-Schiller); cultural sites (Olwig); transnational social space (Faist, Pries)

Researching fieldsfields, rather than sitessites …

… requires simultaneous attention for phenomena taking place in various localities and is traditionally associated with multi-sited multi-sited fieldworkfieldwork, conducted at both ends of the migration trail

TheorisingTheorising multi-sited research

Attention for relationships withinwithin as well as betweenbetween individual sites

Revival of comparativecomparative committment within migration research

EthnographyEthnography goes transnational!

Manchester Manchester SchoolSchool: the Rhodesian Copperbelt

Chicago Chicago SchoolSchool: urban sociology

Louis Wirth, The GhettoLouis Wirth, The Ghetto

Nels Anderson, The HoboNels Anderson, The Hobo

Ethnography of the Ethnography of the transnationaltransnational

3. Practicing 3. Practicing multi-sited multi-sited researchresearch

ConstructingConstructing a multi-sited field

Follow the actorsactors (focus on people)

Follow the thingthing (focus on objects)

Follow the metaphormetaphor (focus on ideas)

Study the technologytechnology

Study a placeplace (of passage)

Managing research practicepractice

ChoiceChoice of sites

Finding a balancebalance between sites

Being a mobile researchermobile researcher

Negotiating field accessfield access

Differing cultural competencecultural competence

Piecing togetherPiecing together different ethnographies

giulia.sinatti@unimib.it

g.sinatti@gold.ac.uk

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