Routledge The Cultures of Economic Migration: International Perspectives (Studies in Migration and Diaspora)

Product Description This volume explores the processes of economic migration, the social conditions that follow it and the discourses that underlie research into it. Reflecting critically on economic migration and on the process of studying and creating knowledge about it, the contributors address the question of whether recent enquiries into modernity bring a newer and better comprehension of the nature of dislocation and movement, or whether these serve simply to replicate familiar modes of placing people and individuals. The book is organized into perspectives in and on specific continents - Europe, Asia and Africa - in order to explore notions regarding economic migration within and across regions as well as towards displacing the Eurocentrism of many studies of migration. Review 'This book shows that economically motivated processes assume cultural and social shapes, and it demonstrates that for those who migrate these cultural shapes are equally important, if not more important, than the economic motives. It adds detail and nuance to discussions of migration, academic and wider public ones, and offers rich materials to reflect on the connections between economy, culture and social structures. Richly documented and theoretically challenging, this book is a genuine contribution to the field.' Jan Blommaert, University of London, UK 'Sixteen papers explore the processes of economic migration, the social conditions that follow it, and the discourses that underlie research into it...' Journal of Economic Literature 'It covers a diversity of topics...treated from a diversity of disciplinary and methodological perspectives...One cannot help but learn some striking facts from this book.' Springer Science and Business Media Online 'If your taste runs to smorgasbord or rijsttafel (or any other ethnic feast that you might name), this book might be for you. It covers a diversity of subjects (places, peoples, discourses, artifacts, politics, and more) treated from a diversity of disciplinary and methodological perspectives...The vision reflected in the volume is laudable.' International Migration & Integration About the Author Suman Gupta is Professor of Literature and Cultural History and Director of the Ferguson Centre for African and Asian Studies at the Open University, UK, and is Principal Coordinator of the GIPSC project. He is the author of eight single-authored books, co-editor of five books and has published numerous scholarly papers. Tope Omoniyi is Professor of Sociolinguistics in the School of Arts, Roehampton University, UK. He has published widely in the field and held lectureships in Africa, Asia and Europe.