Reconsidering Kinship and Decision-Making in Economic Migration - A Study in Nepal

解释移民相关决策的主流方法有许多缺点：它们往往依赖于理性选择的模型，忽视了文化背景或行为者的社会嵌入性的作用，并且大多数都未能充分解释人种学现实（Boholm等人，2013，Sharma 2008）。这个哲学博士项目旨在通过关注决策的未反映的前期阶段，为决策过程提供新的视角。在尼泊尔进行为期12个月的实地考察，调查以下问题：在尼泊尔经济移徙的背景下，形成个人对可供选择的看法的基本机制是什么？此外，研究还应包含政策和干预建议，从而弥合科学与实践之间的差距。尼泊尔广泛的、不断增加的劳动力迁移及其普遍的社会后果令研究人员和发展参与者感到困惑（例如，Sharma等人，2014年;苏南和McCarthy，2016年; DoFE，2015年; NIDS，2011年）。尼泊尔境内既有移徙，也有向世界不同地区的移徙;移徙或者是季节性的，持续数年，或者是永久性的，在国外形成越来越多的移民群体（Adhikari 2012，Banerjee 2014，Mellé 2008，Gellner 2013，Hausner and Gellner 2012，Hutt 1997，Kollmair et al. 2006：152，Nath 2009：106）。移民的影响因素很复杂，包括推动因素和拉动因素（Oliver-Smith 2014：146，Hutt 1997：109 f）。研究人员和政策制定者往往非常重视经济驱动因素（Barbora et al. 2008，Oliver-Smith 2014：146）。然而，很难将众多的促成因素分开和隔离，这些因素也可能（或主要）是社会、人口或政治来源的（奥利弗-史密斯2014：146，Poertner等人2011：35）。青年男子在移徙实践中持续占主导地位，这表明在这方面存在大量“性别和代际考虑”（Sharma，2013年：348）。男性移民希望履行养家糊口的义务，并提高家庭的社会经济地位（Sharma 2008：313）。在他们的理由陈述中，他们还强调机会、消费的魅力、现代性和海外冒险（Sharma 2008：312）。尽管国际移徙中的妇女人数增加了1（联邦经济和环境部，2015年），但妇女在移徙和对家庭的义务方面的规范性限制仍然限制了她们的移徙做法（Thieme和Muller-Böker，2009-2010年：118）。性别概念在决策中的这种中心地位与我在尼泊尔的观察非常一致2，我在那里观察到社会结构对女性寻求健康行为的强烈影响。塔芒族和切特里族不同的婚姻模式与不同的居住模式、活动领域、相关义务和关系有关。由此产生的护理人员和工作替代的可用性对看医生的决定有很大的影响。以此为切入点，我的目标是加深对经济移民决策的理解，并更多地了解其影响因素的层次结构。一个有用的概念是Boholm et al.所谓的“选择视野”（Boholm et al. 2013）。它是塑造个人选择的因素的总和。虽然性别观念的影响，网络，社会和文化资本的决定，移民已经解决了几个学者如上所述，我计划调查的机制，通过这些因素塑造的选项和选择的看法，以及它们是否被视为选项。

Prevailing approaches to explain migration-related decision making have numerous drawbacks: they tend to rely on models of rational choice, they neglect the role of cultural context or the social embeddedness of actors, and mostly fail to adequately explain ethnographic reality (Boholm et al. 2013, Sharma 2008). This DPhil project aims to shade new light on the decision-making process by focusing on the unreflected prestage of a decision. A twelve-month fieldwork in Nepal shall investigate the following question: What are the underlying mechanisms for shaping the perception of options available to the individual in the context of economic migration in Nepal? The research shall moreover contain recommendations for policy and intervention, thereby bridging the gap between science and practice.The widespread, evermore increasing labour migration in Nepal and prevailing societal consequences puzzle researchers, as well as development actors (e.g. Sharma et al. 2014, Sunam and McCarthy 2016, DoFE 2015, NIDS 2011). There is both migration within Nepal and migration to different regions of the world; it is either seasonal, for the duration of several years, or permanent and forming a growing diaspora abroad (Adhikari 2012, Banerjee 2014, Bruslé 2008, Gellner 2013, Hausner and Gellner 2012, Hutt 1997, Kollmair et al. 2006: 152, Nath 2009: 106). The influencing factors on migration are complex, including both push and pull factors (Oliver-Smith 2014: 146, Hutt 1997: 109f. Researchers and policy makers tend to attach great importance to the economic drivers (Barbora et al. 2008, Oliver-Smith 2014: 146). Yet, it is extremely difficult to separate and isolate the numerous contributing factors, which may also (or mainly) be of social, demographic, or political origin (Oliver- Smith 2014: 146, Poertner et al. 2011: 35). The persisting prevalence of young men in migration practice is pointing towards plenty of "gendered and generational considerations" in this respect (Sharma 2013: 348). Male migrants hope to fulfil their obligation as breadwinners and to enhance the socio-economic status of their family (Sharma 2008: 313). In their statement of grounds they also stress opportunities, the charm of consumption, modernity, and adventure abroad (Sharma 2008: 312). Although the number of women in international migration increases1 (DoFE 2015), the normative constraints in movement and obligation towards the family for women still restrict their migration practice (Thieme and Muller-Böker 2009-2010: 118). This centrality of gender concepts in decision-making is very much in line with my own observations in Nepal2, where I observed a strong influence of social structure on female health seeking behaviour. The differing marriage patterns of Tamang and Chhetri communities are connected to different patterns of residence, fields of activity, related obligations, and relationships. The resulting availability of care-takers and working replacement has strong impact on the decision to see a doctor. Using this perspective as an entry point, I aim to deepen the understanding of decision-making in economic migration and to learn more about the hierarchy of its influencing factors. A useful concept is what Boholm et al. call "horizons of choice" (Boholm et al. 2013). It is the sum of the factors that shape options of an individual. While the influence of gender concepts, networks, and social and cultural capital on the decision to migrate was already addressed by several scholars as highlighted above, I plan to investigate the mechanisms through which these factors shape the perception of options and choice, and whether they are perceived as options at all.