Doctoral Dissertation Research: Rural-Urban Linkages and Livelihood Strategies in Tamatave, Madagascar

博士论文研究：马达加斯加塔马塔夫的城乡联系和生计策略

• 批准号: 1124316
• 负责人: Bram Tucker
• 金额: $ 1.26万
• 依托单位: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-07-15 至 2012-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1124316&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Rural; Urban

University of Georgia graduate student Laura M. Tilghman, under the guidance of Dr. Bram Tucker, will undertake research on the changing nature and importance of linkages between urban migrants and their rural kin. The strong interconnection between village and city has been a longstanding theme of research on African urbanization, and scholars have recently called for more attention to the variation in the linkages migrants engage in, and more systematic analysis of how linkages play into migrants' economic survival strategies. Tilghman will explore these issues in Madagascar, whose isolation as a large island makes an interesting contrast to mainland African studies where internal and international migration are strongly intertwined.The study is guided by two questions. First, what factors account for variation in how migrants maintain ties, the frequency that they do so, and how they perceive the importance of such linkages? Second, how does the overall strength of migrants' ties with their rural places of origin impact their ability to survive and thrive in the city? These research questions will be analyzed in the context of rural-urban migration in the northeast coast of Madagascar. The study will follow a cohort of 60 migrants, using weekly linkage activity questionnaires, seasonal livelihood and well-being assessments, and regular interviews and participant observation to capture their linkage activities and well-being over the course of 12 months. Focus group interviews with migrants' rural family members will provide additional information and context. The study contributes to scholarship on both rural-urban linkages and contemporary urban economies. The research will shed light on how aspects of modern African city life, such as entrenched urban poverty, new gender roles, the rising popularity of evangelical Christian faith groups, and the growing reach of the capitalist market economy, may be changing the longstanding ties between cities and villages. The study will also test whether hypotheses positing that linkages are essential for urban survival hold up under more systematic analysis using multidimensional and seasonally-iterated measurements of urban economic well-being. Funding this research also supports the education of a graduate student.

佐治亚大学研究生劳拉·M·蒂尔曼将在布拉姆·塔克博士的指导下，研究城市移民与其农村亲属之间不断变化的联系的性质和重要性。乡村和城市之间的强大联系一直是非洲城市化研究的一个长期主题，学者们最近呼吁更多地关注移民参与的联系的变化，并更系统地分析联系如何影响移民的经济生存战略。蒂尔曼将在马达加斯加探索这些问题，马达加斯加作为一个大岛与世隔绝，与国内和国际移民紧密交织在一起的非洲大陆研究形成了有趣的对比。这项研究以两个问题为指导。首先，是什么因素导致移民在保持联系的方式、频率以及他们如何看待这种联系的重要性方面存在差异？其次，流动人口与农村原籍地联系的整体强度如何影响他们在城市中生存和发展的能力？这些研究问题将在马达加斯加东北沿海农村向城市迁移的背景下进行分析。这项研究将跟踪60名移民，使用每周联系活动问卷、季节性生计和福祉评估、定期访谈和参与者观察，以了解他们在12个月期间的联系活动和福祉。焦点小组对流动人口农村家庭成员的访谈将提供更多信息和背景。这项研究有助于研究城乡联系和当代城市经济。这项研究将揭示现代非洲城市生活的一些方面，如根深蒂固的城市贫困、新的性别角色、福音派基督教信仰团体越来越受欢迎，以及资本主义市场经济的影响范围越来越广，这些可能正在改变城市和乡村之间的长期联系。这项研究还将测试假设联系对城市生存至关重要的假设是否在更系统的分析下站得住脚，这些分析使用多维和季节性重复的城市经济福祉衡量标准。资助这项研究还支持研究生的教育。