Migration as mobility? An intersectional approach

ABSTRACT

Within the inclusive approach of mobility studies, migration has been referred to as one of the most prominent forms of mobility. However, discussing all migrants’ experiences as just “mobile” experiences shadows the range and nuances of migration. This paper argues and illustrates how migration can be a form of mobility and also addresses migration as a much nuanced form of mobility that has been rather silent in existing literature. We examine one social condition that has informed a range of international migrants’ experiences: their (re)organization of gender patterns within the family on the basis of transnational realities. We use a multi-scalar model of intersectionality to conceptualise migratory movements as mobility, particularly when the meaning is assigned to it on the basis of power relationships. This way, we suggest a fruitful intersectional analysis of migration and mobilities.

KEYWORDS:

• Migration
• mobility
• intersectionality
• transnationalism
• gender

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [Research Training Group 1599/1];Doctoral Evidence Acquisition Fellowship Award [2012];Morris and Anita Broad Research Fellowship and Travel Grant [(2012)];Hans Böckler Stiftung (DE) [357119].