Globalization: Migration - Spring 2023/2024 PDF

GLOBALIZATION: MIGRATION SPRING 2023/2024 WHAT IS MIGRATION? Migration is the physical movement of people from one place to another; it may be over long distances, such as moving from one country to another, and can take place as individuals, family units, or large groups. EXAMPLE OF MIGRATION...

GLOBALIZATION: MIGRATION SPRING 2023/2024 WHAT IS MIGRATION? Migration is the physical movement of people from one place to another; it may be over long distances, such as moving from one country to another, and can take place as individuals, family units, or large groups. EXAMPLE OF MIGRATION A prominent example of migration is the Holocaust in World War II. The Holocaust is an example of forced migration for the Jews because of the threat of death of not moving away from Hitler's forces. Thus, it reflected the necessity for them to migrate. Jewish people across Europe were forced out of their homes. Some were taken to concentration camps while others fled to other countries because of the fear of death and enslavement. Millions of Jewish people fled and were considered as ‘refugees.’ MIGRATION & GLOBALIZATION Migration is not a new thing. People have always left their homes in search for better economic opportunities, both within and outside of their own homeland. But economic globalization has put a new spin on global migration causing global uprootedness and human displacement of an unprecedented scale. Why? Because economic globalization worsens inequality among nations, thus, migration for many becomes not a choice but an economic necessity. MIGRATION & GLOBALIZATION In 2019, the total number of international migrants attained an estimated number of 272 million worldwide according to United Nations. As such, approximately 3.5 per cent of the global population lives in a country different from their country of birth. MIGRATION & GLOBALIZATION High-skilled migrants usually choose developed countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States as well as the GCC countries. This growing trend of migration, especially that of the skilled, can be deemed to be one of the major aspects of globalization. As a result of globalization, demand pressures by developed nations for skilled migrants has increased. And over time, this has contributed to a large and increasing absolute wage differential for skilled workers across the two locations. In addition to this, the increased high-skilled migration led to relatively large losses in skilled labor in the country of origin – a concept known as the brain drain effect. BRAIN DRAIN & GAIN Brain drain and brain gain both refer to consequences of migration for the host and sending societies in terms of the transfer of human capital. 1. Brain drain involves the departure of a society’s high- skilled or well-trained individuals through emigration. 2. Brain gain in turn refers to such individuals contributing human capital to a host society. These are also collectively known as ‘brain circulation’. PUSH & PULL THEORY Contemporary views on migration depart from the idea of the push and pull theory on migration. According to this theory, people moved either because of social and economic forces in the place of destination that forced them to do so, or because they were attracted to places of destination by one or more social and economic factors there. 1. Push factors are events and conditions that force an individual to move from an area. Example: War, income inequality, high unemployment rate, poverty, etc. 2. Pull factors are conditions that influence migrants to move to a particular location. Example: High wages, good healthcare and educational system, demand for labor, etc. PUSH & PULL THEORY Therefore, there are several reasons why people migrate known as push and pull factors, and they happen on economic, cultural, and environmental lines. 1. Economic factor: The number one reason why people migrate is for economic purposes. Why? Because people either get ‘pushed’ away from where they live due to a lack of employment opportunities or ‘pulled’ because somewhere else either offer more jobs or higher-paying jobs. PUSH & PULL THEORY 2. Cultural factors: Cultural push factors usually involve political instability, ethnic cleansing, famine, and war. People who choose to flee or are forced to flee as a result of these problems are often called refugees. The United States Committee for Refugees classifies a refugee as someone who has been forced from their homes and cannot return because of their religion, race, nationality, or political opinion. For example: Syria. After over a decade of conflict, Syria remains the world's largest refugee crisis. Since 2011, more than 14 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety. In 2010, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees estimated that there are over 44 million people worldwide that have been forcibly displaced. PUSH & PULL THEORY Cultural pull factors could include people who want to live in democratic societies, have gender equality, or educational or religious opportunities. For example: Students from African and Asian countries migrate to the West to pursue their studies. Better educational opportunities. PUSH & PULL THEORY 3. Environmental factors: Environmental pull factors can include people wanting to live in particular environments. For example, some people want to live where snow activities are available or near an ocean. Environmental push factors often are related to the frequency of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, or hurricanes that a region could experience. CONTEMPORARY FACTORS While economic factors are the most important reason for migration, other motives should not be underestimated. One of the contemporary factors of migration is experiencing the wider world. For young people, both women and men, migration is a way to experience the wider world and to gain independence – both financial and personal – from their parents and community elders. This is the outcome of improved access to information and of the emergence of employment opportunities that previously did not exist. Sometimes this attitude is deeply rooted in whole communities. For example: In southeast Nigeria, young men who do not migrate to town are considered to be ‘lazy’ and often mocked by their communities. WHAT DO MIGRANTS BRING? Migrants bring to the receiving countries many customs, practices and behavior patterns from the home country. For example: Smaller communities of the original culture are recreated in host countries, such as Chinatown in New York and Los Angeles. A multicultural society is usually seen in large urban communities such as Dubai, London, and New York. However, a multicultural society may be perceived as threatening to native-born citizens of receiving countries. Why do you think its threatening? WHAT DO MIGRANTS BRING? Because when culture and ethnicity are mixed with difficult times, there is the potential for creating scapegoats. Bad times can be blamed on ‘bad people’, who are said to be ‘taking our jobs’ and ‘distorting our culture’. American academic Samuel Huntington goes on to argue that Hispanic immigration to the U.S., particularly Mexican immigration, ‘threatens to divide the U.S. into two peoples, two cultures, and two languages.’ Why is it a threat? Because, according to Huntington, American culture and identity are essentially English in language and political culture (Protestant values). WHAT DO MIGRANTS BRING? Thus, migration has become a controversial subject in many developed countries as increasing immigration is seen as a threat to wages, employment, and job security among workers already residing in those countries. For example: Syrian migrants say they are continuously blamed for economic crises in Turkey but can barely get by on their low wages. Some Turkish interviewees said they were uncomfortable that Syrian migrants had started to learn the language and stood up for themselves when faced with discrimination. “They were not like that when they first arrived. I don’t think they’ll return to their countries, but I don’t want them to stay here. They have children now, and they’re settled in the country. They’re not as easily intimidated as when they first arrived.” SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Although migration is sometimes seen as problematic, it contributes to sustainable development. For households in poor areas, remittances improve security and, with the support of appropriate policies, can contribute to local economic growth. Remittance is described as a sum of money sent by someone working abroad to their family back home. The money that migrant workers send to their families can be a vital source of income and is used to pay for essentials like food, medicine, shelter and education. In many cases it can end poverty. Thus, remittances can support struggling families. FEMINIZATION OF MIGRATION Scholars have declared feminization to be a core dimension of the new age of international migration and globalization. The term feminization of migration has become commonly used. Since the early 1980s, an increasing number of women – both single and married, have been moving on their own to take up jobs in other countries. The past decades have seen an increase in women autonomous migration as the main economic providers or ―breadwinners for their families. FEMINIZATION OF MIGRATION The feminization of labor migration has happened over the last few decades for three main reasons: 1. First, the demand for labor, especially in more developed countries, is becoming increasingly gender-selective in favor of jobs typically filled by women. Example: Healthcare (Nurses). 2. Second, changing gender roles in some countries mean that women have more independence to work and migrate in greater numbers than before. 3. Third, there has been a growth in the migration of women for domestic work. Example: House keepers/helpers. FEMINIZATION OF MIGRATION Migration can potentially liberate female migrants from restrictive family control and gender roles. Becoming a breadwinner, not only abroad but also at home by migrating to the city, can enhance a woman’s status within their community back home. But this opportunity can also be a major challenge. How? 1. First, their departure can complicate the life and education of the children they leave behind. 2. Second, migrant women can suffer from disadvantage related to class, race or ethnicity that intersect with their immigration status. They can be more vulnerable to sexual and racial abuse, harassment and discrimination at the workplace. DEBATE QUESTION “Migration is steadily destroying the social fabric of the UAE.” GROUP E GROUP A FOR AGAINST 1. Moza Saif Saeed Khasaif Alteneiji 1. Ammar Ilyas Abdulwahid Ibrahim Al-farsi 2. Shamma Abdalla Rashid Allay Alnaqbi 2. Nawaf Rashid Ali Abdalla Almansoori 3. Shaikha Mubarak Ahmad Aldakhan Al-ali 3. Hamad Ahmed Abdelrahim Sedahmed 4. Maryam Khalid Saeed Mohamed Bin 4. Meryem Nakkabi Sulaiman 5. Mariam Omar Abdalla Khamboul Aldhuhoori 5. Maha Mohamed Ahmed Ali Al-ali 6. Rashid Saqer Rashid Humaid Alqasimi DEBATE QUESTION “The Western media deliberately paint the non-white world in a negative light.” GROUP F GROUP B FOR AGAINST 1. Shaikhah Mohamed Naser Humaid Maqdami 1. Abdulla Ahmed Humaid Binbader Alsuwaidi 2. Shamma Khalid Saeed Salim Alnaqbi 2. Abdelaziz Hassan Ghuloum Amiri Aljasmi 3. Aisha Saeed Salim Hedairim Alketbi 3. Abdelaziz Salah Mohamed Alshomali 4. Alyah Hassan Mohamed Hassan Alzaabi 4. Mohammed Ali Abdulla Alkhawwar Alshehhi 5. Khadija Yousif Ahmed Binbella Alansaari 5. Saif Khaled Humaid Binbader Alsuwaidi