Finals

Lesson 1. Global Migration

Learning Outcomes:

1. Define what is migration?

2. Analyse how migration serve as engines of globalization
3. Write a case report.

Global Migration

The nuances of the movements of people around the world can be seen
through the categories of migrants-“vagabond” and “tourist” (Bauman, 1998).
Vagabonds are on the move “because they have to be” (Ritzer, 2015, p.179)-
they are not faring well in their home countries and are forced to move in the
hope that their circumstances will improve. Tourists, on the other hand, are on
the move because they want to be and because they can afford it.

Refugees are vagabonds forced to flee their home countries due to safety
concerns (Haddad, 2003). Asylum seekers are refugees who seek to remain in
the country to which they flee. According to Kritz (2008), those who migrate to
find work are involved in labor migration. Labor migration is driven by “push”
factors (e.g., lack of employment opportunities in home countries), as well as
“pull” factors (work available elsewhere). Labor migration mainly involves the
flow of less-skilled and unskilled workers, as well as illegal immigrants who live
on the margins of the host society (Landler, 2007).

Unlike other global flows, labor migration still faces many restrictions.
Many of these barriers are related to the Westphalian conception of the nation-
state and are intimately associated with it. Shamir (2005) discussed that the
state may seek to control migration because it involves the loss of part of the
workforce. An influx of migrants can lead to conflicts with local residents.
Concern about terrorism also affects the desire of the state to restrict population
flows (Moses. 2006).

Migration is traditionally governed either by “push” factors such as

political persecution, economic depression, war, and famine in the home country
or by “pull” factors such as a favourable immigration policy, a labor shortage,
and a similarity of language and culture in the country of destination (Ritzer,
2015). Global factors, which facilitate easy access to information about the
country of destination, also exert significance influence.

Many countries face issues of illegal migration. The United States faces a
major influx of illegal immigrants from Mexico and other Central American States
(Thompson, 2008). A fence is being constructed on the US-Mexico border to
control this flow of people (Fletcher and Weisman, 2006). However, its efficacy
is questioned and it is though that will only lead illegal immigrants to adopt more
dangerous methods to gain entry, in addition, tighter borders have also had the
effect of “locking in” people who might otherwise have left the country (Fears,

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 2006). Other countries with similar concerns about illegal immigration include
Great Britain, Switzerland, and Greece as well as countries in Asia.

A strong case can be made on the backlash against illegal immigrants

(Economist, 2008, January 3, “Keep the Borders Open”). In the North, such
immigrants constitute a younger workforce that does work which local may not
perform, and they are consumers who contribute to growth. They also send
remittances back to family members in the country of origin, which improves the
lives of the recipients, reduces poverty rates, and increases the level of
education as well as the foreign reserves of the home country (Economist 2007,
November 1). Banks are often unwilling or unable to handle the type (small
amounts of money) and volume of remittances. As a result, specialized
organizations play a major role in the transmission of remittances. According to
Malkin (2007), the Philippines is one of the leaders when it comes to the flow of
remittances ($14.7 billion), next to India ($24.5 billion) and China (21.1 billion).

The term “diaspora” has been increasingly used to describe migrant

communities. Of particular interest is Paul Gilroy’s (1993) conceptualization of
the diaspora as a transnational process, which involves dialogue to both
imagined and real locales. Diasporization and globalization are closely
interconnected and the expansion of the latter will lead to an increase in the
former (Dufoix, 2007). Today, there exist “virtual diasporas” (Laguerre, 2003)
which utilize technology such as the internet to maintain the community network.

References:

Aldama, Prince Kennex R. The Contemporary World,

Rex Book Store, Inc., 2018
Ariola, Mariano M. The Contemporary World,
Unlimited Books Library Services and Publishing Inc., 2018

Check-up Questions:

1. Is the heightened flow of people a unique feature of the current global era?
2. Has globalization facilitated or obstructed greater labor migration?

Activity: Case Report

1. Get a news report on cases that made newspaper headlines or post from the
internet from the last two years:
For example: 2016 and 2017for 2018; 2017 and 2018 for 2019; 2019 and 2020
for 2020
2. Choose one task:
Task 1. Case of imprisoned OFW
2. Case of murdered or killed OFW
3. Case of bodily injured or harassed OFW
4. Case of deranged OFW while working abroad

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