Political Remittances: The Migration of Ideas, Identities and Practices

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The proposed research explores the way in which low-income populations circulate political ideas, identities and practices as they migrate from one location to another for short durations. The approach in the research is sociological, which highlights the transformations and changes unfolding in society. Therefore, the research questions focus on the ways in which the social experiences of migrants in their 'originating' and 'destination' localities influence them politically. In particular the research design takes particular account of the political changes in the migrants' 'originating' localities and the structure of the industry in which they seek employment in the 'destination' localities. The research proposes to use a combination of methods to develop a textured account of these influences: the methods include ethnography, surveys and elite interviews. The analysis will be qualitative, directing attention to migrants' meanings, feelings and practices in relation to politics. The project will make the following contributions to the field. One, it will focus attention on the internal, rather than international, dimension of migration. Two, it will emphasize the political, rather than economic, implications of migration. Three, it will highlight the constructed and multi-faceted aspects of political identities, against static and singular views. Fourth, it will consider the circulation of ideas, identities and practices between 'originating' and 'destination' localities of migrants, instead of assuming that these are remitted only from 'destination' to 'originating' localities.