Browsing by Subject "migration"

The subject of my thesis is an academy in Bangkok for Burmese migrants. The thesis explores the socioeconomic conditions of the migrants and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the academy's resources. The academy is referred to as ”DA”. The thesis analyzes how the academy aims to support the migrant community. The objective of the thesis is to provide an example of a community actively working to improve the opportunities of the migrants in Thai society. Furthermore, the thesis offers an example of how the COVID-19 pandemic is reflected in the lives of economically disadvantaged migrants. The data for the thesis consists of relevant literature, interviews, field diary, and statistics. The field diary and interviews were collected during February and March 2023 when I conducted a six-week ethnographic fieldwork in Bangkok. In addition to qualitative data, I also utilize data gathered by the DA about its students. The theoretical framework of the research consists of a collection of concepts, including precarity, cultural citizenship, social inclusion, and placemaking. Based on the research data, the situations of DA's migrant community members vary. The majority of DA's students work in low-paying manual labor, such as domestic work, factory work, or in inexpensive restaurants. Many have unstable lives, as they have low income, low educational level and limited social networks. In other words, their living conditions are precarious. These conditions are visible in the academy’s daily life as irregularity of participation and learning difficulties. DA's current operational capacity is also affected by the significant economic losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in reduced courses, materials, and teaching staff. The DA's ability to support the Burmese migrant community has reduced due to the pandemic. For example, cultural events and Burmese language courses that previously were included in the activities are no longer a part of the academy. The reduction in community building is a serious issue for the DA, as tensions between ethnic groups and the internal political crisis in Myanmar cause lack of trust within the Burmese community.

Female migration has been widely studied in Europe. Previous studies had found that migration is gendered, thus, the experience of migrants differs depending on issues such as gender, class and ethnicity along with career and familial relations. The position of the migrants in the post-migration time period is influenced by the recognition of their skills and the assessment of human capital they possess in the host society, which has a considerable effect on the position of immigrant women. Thus, I employ a feminist extension of Bourdieu’s forms of capital in migration studies as a theoretical framework to examine the position of immigrant women and to better understand their experience in a host society. In addition, I utilize the ideas of emotional capital to discuss the importance of studying caring practice, including everyday activities and the caring work done for other family members, and its interactions with the outside of the household, the local community and, possibly, with integration. My focus is on the position of immigrant woman in Finland, a country where the Nordic welfare regime, which is built on egalitarian practices, creates a paradox for immigrant integration, as national belonging is built on labour market participation and the idea of gender equality. I pay specific attention to the Cash for Care scheme in relation to high female labour participation and the choices of childcare provision. Thus, my intention is to explore immigrant women’s decision making on childcare, what kind of activities the women engage in while taking care of their child, and their progress in integration. My research questions are: 1) do immigrant women utilize caring practice in capital accumulation; and if so, how? and 2) how do they generate various forms of capital and transform them into other types of capital and, ultimately, into economic capital? The sub-questions include: how does the notion of national belonging related to labour market participation and gender equality in Finnish society intertwine with individuals’ decision making with regards to the process of capital accumulation and transformation? I employed a feminist standpoint to conduct 6 in-depth interviews using a narrative approach. The interviewees are all from outside of the European Union, are highly skilled, have at least one child whose age is under three years old, have experienced staying at home with a child and currently live in the Helsinki metropolitan area. I utilized thematic analysis to explore the experiences of the immigrant women. The results show the potential for immigrant women to be subjects of capital accumulation, as well as objects where their capital is utilized in supporting and enhancing the lives of other family members. First, the results establish the importance of a local and neighbouring context in capital accumulation in relation to how caring for a child goes beyond the household, and is linked to the generation of social and cultural capital. The choice on the length of stay with one’s child at home intertwines with the social and economic statuses of the interviewees, but remains primarily a matter of individual preference. Second, two of the cases demonstrate the transformation of accumulated capital into economic capital through caring for other members of the family, which works as a resource of emotional capital. At the same time, the position of these women is constrained by social and cultural barriers, as they lack appreciated capital, the most important of them being a sufficient knowledge of Finnish language and culture along with relevant social networks. The position of immigrant mothers can also be observed from an objective viewpoint: there are limitations on the women’s ability to accumulate capital for themselves due to them taking care of the child. However, at the same time, the women can engage in transmission of capital and enhancing their children’s capital development. This thesis shows that the caring work of mothers goes beyond the household, contributing to the generation of capital in their integration process as well as for their children. Caring practice in research demands further investigation to better understand the paths of immigrant women and, possibly, the involvement of their spouses in this practice, in order to improve the women’s social and economic positioning in Finnish society.

Research on education outcomes in Finland reflects how migrant pupils generally have poorer performance and lower levels of well-being than non-migrant pupils. However, research on the causes of this has been concentrated on migrants themselves, rather than critiquing education structures. This thesis explores discourses found in the Finnish National Core Curriculum and analyses the ways in which these discourses represent migrants, and what potential impacts these discourses can have. This thesis focuses on both migrants and persons of colour, because previous research showcases how these two groups often become conflated with one another. The material used is the Finnish National Core Curriculum 2014, which is the most recently implemented version of the national curriculum. I conducted a critical discourse analysis, drawing from Van Dijk, Bacchi, and Critical Race Theory for my methodology. These allow for analysis on meanings and constructions, and on how they tie into social power hierarchies and inequalities. The analysis also draws from literature regarding how Finland has used discourse in the past to construct national identity, history, and social hierarchies. The research identified three main categories of discourse: Finnish values and normativity, “us vs. them” framing and representations of difference, and selective inclusion of topics, meanings, and terminology. They reflect different discourses and/or discursive strategies used to create a homogenous national identity that is heavily associated with whiteness and speaking Finnish, whilst any divergence is framed as not belonging. Representations of difference also reflected how “migrants” are categorised somewhat homogenously, evading an intersectional perspective. Choices of terminology and what is left unsaid reflect underlying values of Finnish exceptionalism and unwillingness to discuss race and racism. In the discussion of findings, I identify how these discourses represent migrants and persons of colour as not belonging to the national identity, and how the contribute to broader societal discourse of faulting individuals over structures. I also identify the potential impacts on the well-being and school performance of pupils, and how discourse disseminated through education can ultimately be internalised by pupils and teachers alike in ways that continue to reproduce dominance and inequality in society.

In Finland, the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel will start in the 2020s where spent nuclear fuel will be disposed 400-450 meters deep into the crystalline bedrock. Disposal will follow Swedish KBS-3 principle where spent nuclear fuel canisters will be protected by multiple barriers, which have been planned to prevent radionuclides´ migration to the surrounding biosphere. With multiple barriers, failure of one barrier will not endanger the isolation of spent nuclear fuel. Insoluble spent nuclear fuel will be stored in ironcopper canisters and placed in vertical tunnels within bedrock. Iron-copper canisters are surrounded with bentonite buffer to protect them from groundwater and from movements of the bedrock. MX-80 bentonite has been proposed to be used as a bentonite buffer in Finnish spent nuclear fuel repository. In a case of canister failure, bentonite buffer is expected to absorb and retain radionuclides originating from the spent nuclear fuel. If salinity of Olkiluoto island´s groundwater would decrease, chemical erosion of bentonite buffer could result in a generation of small particles called colloids. Under suitable conditions, these colloids could act as potential carriers for immobile radionuclides and transport them outside of facility area to the surrounding biosphere. Object of this thesis work was to study the effect of MX-80 bentonite colloids on radionuclide migration within two granitic drill core columns (VGN and KGG) by using two different radionuclides 134Cs and 85Sr. Batch type sorption and desorption experiments were conducted to gain information of sorption mechanisms of two radionuclides as well as of sorption competition between MX-80 bentonite colloids and crushed VGN rock. Colloids were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and particle concentrations were determined with dynamic light scattering (DLS). Allard water mixed with MX-80 bentonite powder was used to imitate groundwater conditions of low salinity and colloids. Strontium´s breakthrough from VGN drill core column was found to be successful, whereas caesium did not breakthrough from VGN nor KGG columns. Caesium´s sorption showed more irreversible nature than strontium and was thus retained strongly within both columns. With both radionuclides, presence of colloids did not seem to enhance radionuclide´s migration notably. Breakthrough from columns was affected by both radionuclide properties and colloid filtration within tubes, stagnant pools and fractures. Experiments could be further complemented by conducting batch type sorption experiments with crushed KGG and by introducing new factors to column experiments. The experimental work was carried out at the Department of Chemistry, Radiochemistry in the University of Helsinki.

Efter nationalsocialisternas maktövertagande i Tyskland 1933 började allt fler människor fly landet. De som flydde var främst politiska motståndare till den nya regimen och judiska flyktingar. Till Finland tog sig de första flyktingarna under våren 1938. Under sommaren samma år började en stundvis häftig polemik i den finländska pressen om förhållandet till flyktingarna. I denna pro gradu-avhandling jämförs sex större finländska dagstidningars syn på de centraleuropeiska flyktingarna samt mängden och genren av artiklar som tillägnades frågan. De studerade tidningarna är: Ajan Suunta, Helsingin Sanomat, Ilkka, Suomen Sosialidemokraatti, Svenska Pressen och Uusi Suomi. Dessa tidningar representerade antingen direkt eller indirekt de olika partipolitiska grupperingarna i landet och syftet med avhandlingen är att ge en möjligast representativ bild av flyktingdebatten i Finland. Källmaterialet har avgränsats till en tidsperiod från juli 1938 till slutet av augusti 1939, då flyktingdebatten gick som hetast i landet. Som teoretiska ramverk stöder sig avhandlingen på mentala uppdelningar av världen i ”Vi” och ”De”. För den nationalistiska högerpressen, Ajan Suunta och Uusi Suomi, representerade flyktingarna ett Andre, som framkallade typiska anti-immigrationsattityder och farhågor hos skribenterna. Då majoriteten av flyktingarna som tog sig till Finland dessutom var judar övergick kritiken mot flyktingarna även till antisemitiska stereotypier och karaktäriseringar. De mångfacetterade antisemitiska stereotypierna som förekom både i Ajan Suunta, och Uusi Suomi tyder också på att tidstypiska antisemitiska föreställningar var välkända i Finland under mellankrigstiden. En positivare syn på flyktingarna förmedlades dock också i pressen. Suomen Sosialidemokraatti yrkade på klasstillhörighet med de politiska flyktingarna, medan både Svenska Pressen och Suomen Sosialidemokraatti åberopade solidaritet med samtliga flyktingar. Flyktingarna ansågs därutöver utgöra ett konkret bevis på det nationalsocialistiska Tysklands orättfärdighet och flyktingarna användes även som ett antifascistiskt slagträ. Av de studerade tidningarna hängav Ajan Suunta och Suomen Sosialidemokraatti det absolut största intresset till flyktingfrågan. Det var även dessa tidningar som representerade bägge ytterligheter i den offentliga debatten om flyktingarna. Ilkka och Helsingin Sanomat tillägnade frågan det minsta spaltutrymmet och deras syn på flyktingarna var tämligen neutral. Av dessa hade dock Ilkka en försiktigt positiv syn, medan Helsingin Sanomat hade en mer kritisk inställning. De främsta argumenten som användes för att kritisera mottagandet av flyktingar var att dessa anlände i alltför stora mängder, att Finland inte hade råd med att ta emot ytterligare flyktingar, att man borde prioritera de så kallade finskbesläktade stamfrändeflyktingarna och att man ej ville skapa en inhemsk ”judefråga” genom att öka den judiska minoriteten i landet. Därutöver förekom stereotypier av judarna som stormrika och sluga affärsmän som inte var i behov av hjälp, utan endast utnyttjade situationen till egen vinning. I majoriteten av argumentationen som användes för att befrämja mottagandet av flyktingarna framfördes att flyktingarna var förföljda offer av nationalsocialistisk terror samt både Tyskland och finländska ytterhögern kritiserades för nonchalans i frågan. Motsättningsvis appellerade man till medmänsklighetskänsla, solidaritet och humanism hos läsarna.

The aim of this thesis is to examine migration of educated Dominicans in light of global processes. Current global developments have resulted in increasingly global movements of people, yet people tend to come from certain places in large numbers rather than others. At the same time, international migration is increasingly selective, which shows in the disproportional number of educated migrants. This study discovers individual and societal motivations that explain why young educated Dominicans decide to migrate and return. The theoretical framework of this thesis underlines that migration is a dynamic process rooted in other global developments. Migratory movements should be seen as a result of interacting macro- and microstructures, which are linked by a number of intermediate mechanisms, meso-structures. The way individuals perceive opportunity structures concretises the way global developments mediate to the micro-level. The case of the Dominican Republic shows that there is a diversity of local responses to the world system, as Dominicans have produced their own unique historical responses to global changes. The thesis explains that Dominican migration is importantly conditioned by socioeconomic and educational background. Migration is more accessible for the educated middle class, because of the availability of better resources. Educated migrants also seem less likely to rely on networks to organize their migrations. The role of networks in migration differs by socioeconomic background on the one hand, and by the specific connections each individual has to current and previous migrants on the other hand. The personal and cultural values of the migrant are also pivotal. The central argument of this thesis is that a veritable culture of migration has evolved in the Dominican Republic. The actual economic, political and social circumstances have led many Dominicans to believe that there are better opportunities elsewhere. The globalisation of certain expectations on the one hand, and the development of the specifically Dominican feeling of ‘externalism’ on the other, have for their part given rise to the Dominican culture of migration. The study also suggests that the current Dominican development model encourages migration. Besides global structures, local structures are found to be pivotal in determining how global processes are materialised in a specific place. The research for this thesis was conducted by using qualitative methodology. The focus of this thesis was on thematic interviews that reveal the subject’s point of view and give a fuller understanding of migration and mobility of the educated. The data was mainly collected during a field research phase in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic in December 2009 and January 2010. The principal material consists of ten thematic interviews held with educated Dominican current or former migrants. Four expert interviews, relevant empirical data, theoretical literature and newspaper articles were also comprehensively used.

Migrants may find themselves in a vulnerable position after migration due to the new social structure (e.g., labor market opportunities, language problems, migration legislation, or networks in the new country). Since they lose their power in the society at large, this change may also affect power relations in their families. As a result, gender roles at home may also change. While existing studies on migration focus on migrants' socio-economic integration into host societies, their family formation and gender roles at home are not well explored. Rather than attributing these roles solely to 'cultural' reasons, I attempt to find answers through an exploration of the immigration experiences. This study has the potential to fill a gap in the literature on migration and gender studies and to contribute to this field in Finland. In this qualitative study, I attempt to explore how Turkish married migrants experience their gender roles and power relations at home after migration. Through thematic analysis of six interviews with three male and three female Turkish migrants, I identified four themes: "status loss after migration," "status loss and willingness to move back," "loneliness after migration," and "rejection of traditional gender roles." One of the most important findings of the study is that those who moved to Finland through family reunification experience a strong sense of status loss, which lead to marital dissatisfaction or a desire to leave the country. Furthermore, labor market opportunities push Turkish women to more traditional roles, while language barriers and a lack of networks hinder their integration into the country. It is important to note that most of the participants reject traditional gender roles as an ideology. However, there are other factors that contribute to their adherence to these roles.

This study is an analysis of British media coverage of the 2015 migration crisis. I analyse press reporting in the UK during the two week period surrounding the death of Alan Kurdi in September 2015, as this is when media interest in the migration crisis was at its highest. I study reporting in three different media outlets — The Guardian, The Times, and The BBC. Taken together these three cover the political spectrum of mainstream British media. I use critical discourse analysis to do a qualitative study of reporting of three key news events during this two week period, to understand how each of these three different media outlets report on each event, the discursive devices they use, and what effect this has. This is of interest not only with regards to the 2015 migration crisis, but also the wider political context in the UK at the time. There was considerable political and social upheaval, which culminated in the UK’s decision to leave the EU the following year. Immigration was one of the most salient discussion points in this Brexit referendum, which gives the narratives around it even greater importance. My results show that, overall, the way each media outlet reports on the migration crisis and migrants is in keeping with their political ideology — be it right wing, left wing or neutral. My analysis shows that a mixture of explicit and implicit devices are used. In particular, by highlighting the tacit techniques, I am able to show the power the UK media has, not only to inform, but also to influence people, their decisions and their world views.

This master’s thesis explores the links between social work and precarization and adjacent concepts, which is a rapidly growing field of interest in the scholarly literature in social work. The research is conducted as an integrative literature review consisting of 31 peer-reviewed publications in the field of social work. The theme is approached through two main research questions: 1) What are the links between social work and precarization that the scholarly literature in social work identifies and discusses? 2) How are the terms precarization, precariat and precarity conceptualized in the scholarly literature in social work? The conducted literature review shows that the conceptualizations in the examined scholarly literature vary and reflect the broader academic and political debate on precarization and adjacent concepts. The literature highly emphasize the political dimensions of precarization and adjacent concepts and their potential contribution to critical social work practices. The links between precarization and social work that the scholarly literature identifies are categorized in three main themes using a zooming perspective: precarization as a new societal context for social work, precarization from the perspective of the social worker, and social work with migrants with precarious legal status. In conclusion, the master’s thesis suggests that precarization is regarded a challenge for social work, but it also opens up space for transformative social change. The engagement with precarization and adjacent concepts contributes to social work by providing critical perspectives on the centrality of wage labor in social work, suggestions on the recalibration of critical and radical social work, and tools to analyze how the migration administration produces precarity among migrants and how this process challenges the nationally bound social work. Denna magisteravhandling undersöker kopplingarna mellan socialt arbete och prekarisering och närliggande koncept, ett område som i tilltagande takt blivit föremål för intresse i den vetenskapliga litteraturen i socialt arbete. Avhandlingen är en integrativ litteraturöversikt som består av 31 kvalitetsgranskade publikationer i socialt arbete. Jag närmar mig temat genom två centrala forskningsfrågor: 1) Vilka kopplingar mellan prekarisering och socialt arbete identifierar och diskuterar forskningen i socialt arbete? 2) Hur konceptualiserar forskningen i socialt arbete prekarisering och de närliggande begreppen prekaritet och prekariat? Litteraturöversikten visar att konceptualiseringarna varierar och reflekterar den bredare akademiska och politiska debatten om prekarisering och närliggande koncept. Litteraturen betonar starkt de politiska dimensionerna i prekarisering och närliggande koncept och deras potentiella kontribution till kritiska praktiker i socialt arbete. Kopplingarna mellan prekarisering och socialt arbete som den vetenskapliga litteraturen identifierar är kategoriserade i tre teman som jag analyserar ur ett zoomningsperspektiv: prekarisering som ny samhällelig kontext för socialt arbete, prekarisering ur socialarbetarperspektiv och socialt arbete med migranter med prekärt juridiskt status. Sammanfattningsvis föreslår magisteravhandlingen att prekarisering betraktas som en utmaning för socialt arbete men skapar även utrymme för transformativ social förändring. Engagemanget med prekarisering och närliggande koncept kontribuerar till socialt arbete genom att erbjuda kritiska perspektiv på lönearbetets centralitet i socialt arbete, förslag på förkovran av kritiskt och radikalt socialt arbete samt redskap för att analysera hur migrationsadministrationen producerar prekaritet bland migranter och hur denna process utmanar det nationellt inramade socialarbetet.

Tiivistelmä – Referat – Abstract Human trafficking is a complex issue that has close connections to other large societal and global issues such as contemporary slavery, inequalities and migration. Trafficking can be seen as a part of a larger scale exploitation of labor and migrants. The risk of being re-trafficked after a trafficking experience is higher and well executed reintegration can reduce this risk. However, the research into the reintegration and rehabilitation of trafficked persons is underrepresented in the current academic literature. This thesis takes a closer look at the assisted return programs and reintegration and rehabilitation of trafficked persons in Indonesia to determine how well the programs respond to the needs of trafficked persons when they return home. The work provides insights into the experiences of integration and rehabilitation after trafficking and brings forth some of the experiences of trafficked persons. The causalities behind trafficking are explored through the concept of vulnerabilities to highlight how different systems produce vulnerabilities and increase the risks of being trafficked. These same vulnerabilities are faced upon return as well with additional vulnerabilities (f.e. health and psychological issues) imposed on trafficked persons by their experience. Vulnerabilities of a person are constructed in multiple dimensions. In this thesis the vulnerabilities are framed firstly through the concepts of labor migration, globalization and capitalism and secondly through concepts of oppression, exploitation and dehumanization to highlight the complexities surrounding vulnerabilities and consequently trafficking and reintegration. Through reviewing existing literature on reintegration of trafficked persons, an online interview with the employees of Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI) and a questionnaire to previously trafficked persons on their needs, a framework for desirable reintegration was established. The framework was then used to analyze IOM Indonesia’s Handbook on Service Mechanisms for Witnesses and/or Victims of Trafficking in Persons in Indonesia to establish how well the programs in Indonesia answer the needs of trafficked persons. The results of the thesis highlight that the needs of trafficked persons upon return are multiple. People need to be presented with an opportunity to become self-sufficient economically and socially and their health needs (both physical and psychological) need to be met. Most common issues faced by the informants of this thesis were economic and psychological in nature, but other difficulties were common as well. The analysis of IOM Indonesia’s handbook provided a positive view of the reintegration and rehabilitation in Indonesia. The Handbook was comprehensive and all-encompassing. Furthermore, it encouraged to take each individual’s needs into consideration and adjust the programs to fit each person. All dimensions of reintegration are taken into account. The results of the questionnaire however indicated that the state response in prosecuting the perpetrators is not sufficient and many informants were left without a proper restitution and with a feeling of injustice. The programs provide great tools to combat different difficulties faced by trafficked persons and help to mitigate the risks and reduce vulnerabilities. However, there are larger societal and developmental complexities behind trafficking and vulnerabilities people face. Issues of poverty, oppression and inequality cannot be improved by the rehabilitation and reintegration programs. This would require larger shift in policy and the way we organize and think about our global world.