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

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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.