Minorities
International migration is hardly ever a simple individual action in which a person decides to move in search of better life-chances, pulls up his or her roots in the place of origin and quickly becomes assimilated in the new country. Much more often migration and settlement is a long-drawn-out process, which will be played out for the rest of the migrant's life, and affect subsequent generations too. 1 It is a collective action, arising out of social change and affecting the whole society in both sending and receiving areas. Moreover, the experience of migra- tion and of living in another country often leads to modification of the original plans, so that migrants' intentions at the time of departure are poor predictors of actual behaviour. Similarly, no government has ever set out to build an ethnically diverse society through immigration, yet labour recruitment policies often lead to the formation of ethnic minorities, with far-reaching consequences for social relations, public policies, national identity and international relations.
The aim of the chapter is to link two bodies of theory which are often dealt with separately: theories on migration and settlement, and theories on ethnic minorities and their position in society. It will start by looking at the concept of the migratory process, and then go on to examine theories of ethnicity and racism. These will be discussed in relation to concepts of gender, class, nation, state and citizenship. This chapter provides a theoretical framework for understanding the more descriptive accounts of migration, settlement and minority formation in later chapters. However, the reader may prefer to read those first and come back to the theory later.
Explaining migration and settlement
Research on migration and ethnic relations is intrinsically interdisci- plinary: sociology, political science, history, economics, geography,
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demography, psychology and law are all relevant. These disciplines look at different aspects of population mobility, and a full under- standing requires contributions from all of them. Within each social- scientific discipline, there is a variety of approaches, based on differ- ences in theory and methods. For instance, researchers who base their work on quantitative analysis of large data-sets (such as censuses or representative surveys) will ask different questions and get different results from those who do qualitative studies of small groups. Those who examine the role of migrant labour within the world economy using historical and institutional approaches will again get different findings. All these methods have their place, as long as they lay no claim to be the only correct one.
Representatives of all the various social-scientific paradigms have devised theories of migration (see Massey eta/., 1993, 1994). A detailed survey is not possible here, but a useful distinction may be made between three of the main approaches used in contemporary debates:
neo-classical economic equilibrium theory, the historical-structuralist approach and migration systems theory (Hugo, 1993: 7-12).
The neo-classical economic equilibrium perspective has its antecedents in the earliest systematic theory on migration: that of the nineteenth- century geographer Ravenstein, who formulated statistical laws of migration (Ravenstein, 1885, 1889). These were general statements unconnected with any actual migratory movement (Cohen, 1987: 34- 5; Zolberg, 1989: 403-5). This tradition remains alive in the work of many demographers, geographers and economists (for example, Jack- son, 1969). Such 'general theories' emphasise tendencies of people to move from densely to sparsely populated areas, or from low- to high- income areas, or link migrations to fluctuations in the business cycle.
These approaches are often known as 'push-pull' theories, because they perceive the causes of migration to lie in a combination of 'push factors', impelling people to leave the areas of origin, and 'pull factors', attracting them to certain receiving countries. 'Push factors' include demographic growth, low living standards, lack of economic opportu- nities and political repression, while 'pull factors' are demand for labour, availability of land, good economic opportunities and political freedoms.
This theory is essentially individualistic and ahistorical. It empha- sises the individual decision to migrate, based on rational comparison of the relative costs and benefits of remaining in the area of origin or moving to various alternative destinations. Constraining factors, such as government restrictions on emigration or immigration, are mainly
dealt with as distortions of the rational market, which should be removed. Clearly the model has much in common with neo-classical economics. For example, Borjas (1989, 1990) puts forward the model of an immigration market:
Neo-classical theory assumes that individuals maximise utility: in- dividuals 'search' for the country of residence that maximises their well-being ... The search is constrained by the individual's financial resources, by the immigration regulations imposed by competing host countries and by the emigration regulations of the source country. In the immigration market the various pieces of informa- tion are exchanged and the various options are compared. In a sense, competing host countries make 'migration offers' from which in- dividuals compare and choose. The information gathered in this marketplace leads many individuals to conclude that it is 'profitable' to remain in their birthplace ... Conversely, other individuals conclude that they are better off in some other country. The immigration market nonrandomly sorts these individuals across host countries. (Borjas, 1989: 461)
Borjas claims that 'this approach leads to a clear - and empirically testable - categorisation of the types of immigrant flows that arise in a world where individuals search for the "best" country' (Borjas, 1989:
461 ). On this basis, one would expect the most disadvantaged people to move from poor countries to richer areas. The mere existence of economic disparities between various areas should be sufficient to generate migrant flows. In the long run, such flows should help to equalise wages and conditions in underdeveloped and developed regions, leading towards economic equilibrium.
Such theories have been criticised as simplistic and incapable of explaining actual movements or predicting future ones (see Sassen, 1988; Boyd, 1989; Portes and Rumbaut, 1990). Empirical study shows that it is rarely the poorest people from the least-developed countries who move to the richest countries; more frequently the migrants are people of intermediate social status from areas which are undergoing economic and social change. Similarly the push-pull model predicts movements from densely populated areas to more sparsely peopled regions, yet in fact countries of immigration like the Netherlands and Germany are amongst the world's more densely populated. Finally the push-pull model cannot explain why a certain group of migrants goes to one country rather than another: for example, why have most
Algerians migrated to France and not Germany, while the opposite applies to Turks?
An alternative economic approach is provided by the 'new econom- ics of labour migration' put forward by Stark (1991) and others. Stark argues that markets rarely function in the ideal way suggested by the neo-classicists. Migration cannot simply be explained by income differences between two countries, but also by factors such as chances of secure employment, availability of capital for entrepreneurial activ- ity, and the need to manage risk over long periods. For instance, as Massey et a/. (1987) point out, Mexican farmers may migrate to the USA although they have sufficient land, because they lack the capital to make it productive.
The neo-classical model tends to treat the role of the state as an aberration which disrupts the 'normal' functioning of the market.
Borjas, for instance, suggests that the US government should 'dereg- ulate the immigration market' by selling visas to the highest bidder (Borjas, 1990: 225-8). But examination of historical and contemporary migrations (see Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6 below) shows that states (particularly of the receiving countries) play a major role in initiating, shaping and controlling movements. The most common reason to permit entry is the need for workers - with states sometimes taking on the role of labour recruiter on behalf of employers - but demo- graphic or humanitarian considerations may also be important. Im- migration as part of nation building has played a major role in new world countries such as the USA, Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Australia. Policies on refugees and asylum seekers are major determi- nants of contemporary population movements.
Thus the idea of individual migrants who make free choices which not only 'maximise their well-being' but also lead to an 'equilibrium in the marketplace' (Borjas, 1989: 482) is so far from historical reality that it has little explanatory value. It seems better, as Zolberg suggests, to analyse labour migration 'as a movement of workers propelled by the dynamics of the transnational capitalist economy, which simulta- neously determines both the "push" and the "pull"' (Zolberg, 1989:
407). This implies that migrations are collective phenomena, which should be examined as sub-systems of an increasingly global economic and political system.
An alternative explanation of international migration was provided from the 1970s by what came to be called the historical-structural approach. This has its intellectual roots in Marxist political economy, and stresses the unequal distribution of economic and political power
in the world economy. Migration is seen mainly as a way of mobilising cheap labour for capital. It perpetuates uneven development, exploiting the resources of poor countries to make the rich even richer (Castles and Kosack, 1985; Cohen, 1987; Sassen, 1988). Historical-structuralist analysts criticise the neo-classical perspective because its assumption of free choice for individuals is unrealistic (Hugo, 1993). Rather, inequal- ities in resources and power between different countries, combined with the entry policies of potential immigration countries, put great con- straints on migrants' choices (Zolberg, 1989).
While the 'push-pull' theories tended to focus on mainly voluntary migrations of individuals, like that from Europe to the USA before 1914, historical-structuralist accounts looked at mass recruitment of labour by capital, whether for the factories of Germany, for the agribusiness of California or for infrastructure projects like Australia's Snowy Mountain Hydro-Electric Scheme. The availability of labour was both a legacy of colonialism and the result of war and regional inequalities within Europe. For world systems theories, labour migra- tion was one of the main ways in which links of domination were forged between the core economies of capitalism and its underdeve- loped periphery. Migration was as important as military hegemony and control of world trade and investment in keeping the Third World dependent on the First.
But the historical-structuralist approach was in turn criticised by many migration scholars: if the logic of capital and the interests of Western states were so dominant, how could the frequent break-down of migration policies be explained, such as the unplanned shift from labour migration to permanent settlement in certain countries? Both the neo-classical perspective and the historical-structuralist approach seemed too one-sided to analyse adequately the great complexity of contemporary migrations. The neo-classical approach neglected histor- ical causes of movements, and down-played the role of the state, while the historical-functional approach often saw the interests of capital as all-determining, and paid inadequate attention to the motivations and actions of the individuals and groups involved.
Out of such critiques emerged a new approach, migration systems theory, which is increasingly influential in comparative research. Mi- gration systems theory (like the historical-structural perspective) em- phasises international relations, political economy, collective action and institutional factors. A migration system is constituted by two or more countries which exchange migrants with each other. The tendency is to analyse regional migration systems, such as the South Pacific,
West Africa or the Southern Cone of Latin America (Kritz, Lin and Zlotnik, 1992). However, distant regions may be interlinked, such as the migration system embracing the Caribbean, Western Europe and North America; or that linking North and West Africa with France.
The migration systems approach means examining both ends of the flow and studying all the linkages between the places concerned. These linkages can be categorised as 'state-to-state relations and compar- isons, mass culture connections and family and social networks' (Fawcett and Arnold, 1987: 456-7).
Migration systems theory suggests that migratory movements gen- erally arise from the existence of prior links between sending and receiving countries based on colonisation, political influence, trade, investment or cultural ties. Thus migration from Mexico to the USA originated in the south-westward expansion of the USA in the nine- teenth century and the deliberate recruitment of Mexican workers by US employers in the twentieth century (Portes and Rumbaut, 1990:
224-30). The migration from the Dominican Republic to the USA was initiated by the US military occupation of the 1960s. Similarly both the Korean and the Vietnamese migrations to America were the long-term consequence of US military involvement (Sassen, 1988: 6-9). The migrations from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to Britain are linked to the British colonial presence on the Indian sub-continent. Similarly Caribbean migrants have tended to move to their respective former colonial power: for example, from Jamaica to Britain, Martinique to France and Surinam to the Netherlands. The Algerian migration to France (and not to Germany) is explained by the French colonial presence in Algeria, while the Turkish presence in Germany is the result of direct labour recruitment by Germany in the 1960s and early 1970s.
The migrations systems approach implies that any migratory move- ment can be seen as the result of interacting macro- and micro- structures. Macro-structures refer to large-scale institutional factors, while micro-structures embrace the networks, practices and beliefs of the migrants themselves. The macro-structures include the political economy of the world market, interstate relationships, and the laws, structures and practices established by the states of sending and receiving countries to control migration settlement. The evolution of production, distribution and exchange within an increasingly inte- grated world economy over the last five centuries has clearly been a major determinant of migrations (and not merely of labour migration but also of nation-building migrations and refugee flows: see Portes and Borocz, 1989: 626).
The role of international relations and of the states of both sending and receiving areas in organising or facilitating movements is also significant (Dohse, 1981; Bohning, 1984; Cohen, 1987; Fawcett, 1989;
Mitchell, 1989; Manfrass, 1992). Industrial states guard their borders and admit workers or refugees as exceptions, rather than the rule, so 'it is necessary to account for the wall they have erected as well as for the small doors they have provided in it' (Zolberg, 1989: 408).
The micro-structures are the informal social networks developed by the migrants themselves, in order to cope with migration and settle- ment. Earlier literature used the concept of 'chain migration' to refer to the phenomenon (for example, Price, 1963: 108-10). Today many authors emphasise the role of information and 'cultural capital' (knowledge of other countries, capabilities for organising travel, find- ing work and adapting to a new environment) in starting and sustain- ing migratory movements. Informal networks include personal relationships, family and household patterns, friendship and commu- nity ties, and mutual help in economic and social matters. Such links provide vital resources for individuals and groups, and may be referred to as 'social capital' (Bourdieu and Wacquant, 1992: 119).
Informal networks bind 'migrants and nonmigrants together in a complex web of social roles and interpersonal relationships' (Boyd, 1989: 639). These bonds are double-sided: they link migrants with non- migrants in their areas of origin, but also connect settlers with the receiving populations in relationships of cooperation, competition and conflict. Such networks are dynamic cultural responses, which encou- rage ethnic community formation and are conducive to the mainte- nance of transnational family and group ties. .
The family and community are crucial in migration networks.
Research on Asian migration has shown that migration decisions are usually made not by individuals but by families (Hugo, 1994). In situations of rapid change, a family may decide to send one or more members to work in another region or country, in order to maximise income and survival chances. In many cases, migration decisions are made by the elders (especially the men), and younger people and women are expected to obey patriarchal authority. The family may decide to send young women to the city or overseas, because the labour of the young men is less dispensable on the farm. Young women are also often seen as more reliable in sending remittances. Such motiva- tions correspond with increasing international demand for female labour as factory workers for precision assembly or as domestic servants, contributing to a growing feminisation of migration.
Family linkages often provide both the financial and the cultural capital which make migration possible. Typically migratory chains are started by an external factor, such as recruitment or military service, or by an initial movement of young (usually male) pioneers. Once a movement is established, the migrants mainly follow 'beaten paths' (Stahl, 1993), and are helped by relatives and friends already in the area of immigration. Networks based on family or on common place of origin help provide shelter, work, assistance in coping with bureau- cratic procedures and support in personal difficulties. These social networks make the migratory process safer and more manageable for the migrants and their families. Migratory movements, once started, become self-sustaining social processes.
However, the social networks are complex and often ambivalent in character. Some people (both migrants and non-migrants) become facilitators of migration. A 'migration industry' emerges, consisting of recruitment organisations, lawyers, agents, smugglers and other middle-people (Harris, 1996: 132-6). Such people can be both helpers and exploiters of migrants. Especially in situations of illegal migration or of oversupply of potential migrants, the exploitative role may predominate: many migrants have been swindled out of their savings and found themselves marooned without work or resources in a strange country. The emergence of a migration industry with a strong interest in the continuation of migration has often confounded govern- ment efforts to control or stop movements. The migration industry can be seen as a 'maso-structure' which acts in the space between micro- and macro-structures, by linking individual activities to the state and economy.
Migration networks also provide the basis for processes of settlement and community formation in the immigration area. Migrant groups develop their own social and economic infrastructure: places of wor- ship, associations, shops, cafes, professionals like lawyers and doctors, and other services. This is linked to family reunion: as length of stay increases, the original migrants (whether workers or refugees) begin to bring their spouses and children in, or found new families. People start to see their life perspectives in the new country. This process is especially linked to the situation of migrants' children: once they go to school in the new country, learn the language, form peer group relationships and develop bicultural or transcultural identities, it becomes more and more difficult for the parents to return to their homelands.
The links between immigrant community and area of origin may