How is migration contributing to and reflecting the challenges of globalization? - publié le 02/04/2013

Résumé du document

In the past few years, cultural and social conflicts broke out in different places of Northern countries. As it generally occurs in periods of economic and social crisis, the migrants were generally marginalized: either they were excluded by the society because of their differences (it was one of the claims supporting the revolts in France in 2005) or they did not succeed to integrate (and even assimilate) in the society. At the same time, we can observe, as Joppke argues it, a retreat of multicultural policies in many countries (2004). Both these observations may be related to each other in order to understand the central issue of migration in our societies.

For example, a country such as the Netherlands is characterized by both cultural conflicts and a retreat of multiculturalism. These are one of the challenges which characterized globalization, a process of multiplication of economic or financial exchanges and human fluxes, because of liberalization and deregulation (especially over the past thirty years). This conception of the world as a ‘global village' (McLuhan) is largely criticized by nationalists which consider that this process undermines the authority of the States and blurs frontiers which define Nations. In particular, the extreme right is opposed to the process of migration: in addition to the critics of an increasing ethnic diversity, they reproach migrants for taking the jobs of the natives (a critic easily contradicted by features)… Population movements reflect many challenges of globalization, especially in terms of division between Northern and Southern countries at a global level.

Hence, we may wonder how migration is contributing to globalization and how it is reflecting its challenges. We will demonstrate that migration, through different forms, and in the light of recent tendencies, is a cause and (also a result) of globalization. Then, we will see that the challenges of international migration reflect the challenges of globalization (although migration remains an exception) in different fields (economy, politics, culture…) and at different levels (local, national, global). Finally, we will argue that politics can be led at both domestic and international levels to face these challenges of global migration.

Extraits

[...] However, as we saw, the migration increases diversity and then the concept of Nation is called into question in our globalized world. Moreover, migration may generate cultural conflicts or social conflicts (for instance, the extreme right generally accuses migrants for taking jobs to ‘natives') and the unity of the nation is threatened. The notion of citizenship is also challenged. Castles explains there is a dilemma for states: either they accept migrants (and facilitate the means to get citizenship) although it may threat the cohesion of the nation because of increasing cultural homogeneity, or they make it difficult to become a citizen but this can exacerbate social tensions (2008). [...]

[...] who want to join them in the receiving country. There are several tendencies observed over the past few years which are useful to understand how migration contributes to globalization in the early twenty-first century. First of all, the migration process is now globalized: it means that there is a multiplication of countries involved at the same time in population movements. Hence, we can summary the recent geographical tendencies in terms of migration. Countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zeeland are considered as ‘classic countries of migration' and they receive different kinds of migrants. [...]

[...] This is a fundamental challenge for Western countries and international cooperation was launched only after World War II. For example, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been created in the early 1950s. Nowadays, the question of refugees still poses a number of political difficulties and for instance, asylum seekers have no other alternative to enter the European Union illegally' (Moorehead p. 37). These challenges of globalization reflected by migration create tensions at different levels. First of all, these challenges of globalization occur at a local level, particularly in the global cities. [...]

[...] Rosewame, S. (2010), “Globalization and the Commodification of Labor: Temporary Labor Migration”, in The Economic and Labor Relations Review, Vol Iss pp. 99-110. Simmons, A. B. (2002), Mondialisation et migration internationale : tendances, interrogations et modèles théoriques in Cahiers québécois de la démographie, Vol No pp. 7-33. [...]

[...] It is a cause insofar as it is part of the cultural and economic globalization. Indeed, the cultural globalization is based on the multiplication of human fluxes (both tourism and migration) although the migration remains the exception and not the rule: around of human people are migrants (Simmons p. 17). In every country affected by migration, these fluxes provoke social and cultural changes. Migration is also integrated in the global economy. On the other hand, migration is a result of economic globalization as well. [...]