In the spotlight

Review of the IMISCOE Book Series 2023

29 June 2023

IMISCOE, the world's largest network focusing on migration and diversity, is proud to have an official book series. This collection showcases empirical and theoretical research on diverse facets of international migration. Authored by experts in the field, these publications serve as a comprehensive resource for both researchers and individuals interested in migration studies. The series, consisting of over eighty titles, is meticulously curated under the watchful eye of our IMISCOE Editorial Committee, which comprises a diverse group of renowned scholars. The internationally peer-reviewed nature of the series ensures the preservation of exceptional academic standards and high scholarly quality. Most of these invaluable resources are freely accessible to the public. Here you will find a review and recap of this year’s publications.

Migration in South Asia

Editor(s): S. Irudaya Rajan

This open access Regional Reader presents an updated examination of the unique challenges and issues confronting South Asian migration in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It proposes a framework for sustainable and cooperative migration, both within and from South Asia, that has significant implications for the region's economic and developmental trajectory.

Adopting an interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach, the book delves into three core domains of South Asian migration studies: Governance and mobility, Family, health, and demography, and Forced migration. It thereby addresses a wide range of issues pertaining to countries in South Asia, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and the Maldives.

This book serves as an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to understand the migration dynamics of the world's most prolific migrant-sending region, a region whose patterns will undoubtedly shape the future of global migration.

More information on this book here: https://link.springer.com/book/9783031341939

Mobilities in Life and Death: Negotiating Room for Migrants and Minorities in European Cemeteries.

Editors(s): Avril Maddrell, Sonja Kmec, Tanu Priya Uteng, Mariske Westendorp

This open access book delves into the needs of migrant and minority communities concerning cemeteries and crematoria, drawing upon the concepts of mobility for both the living and the dead. It bridges migration and mobility studies with death studies to examine the culturally inclusive spaces of cemeteries and crematoria for these communities.

The book explores the practices and provisions of majority and minority communities in terms of burial and cremation in various North West European contexts. It reveals how the planning, management, and use of these spaces in multicultural societies can provide insight into the everyday experiences of migration and migrant heritage, urban diversity, and social inclusion and exclusion in Europe. Furthermore, these practices can give a perspective on lived citizenship, territoriality, bordering, and colonial/postcolonial narratives. This book is aimed at those interested in migration/mobility studies and death studies, including policy makers, local government officers, cemetery managers, and city planners.

More information on this book here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-28284-3

Irregular Migration

Author(s): Maurizio Ambrosini , Minke H.J. Hajer

This open access short reader serves as an insightful introduction to the theoretical discussions surrounding irregular migration, aiming to connect these debates with present empirical findings. It clarifies the concept of irregular migration and irregular migrants, discussing a broad range of definitions while spotlighting the reasons behind the presence of such immigrants in developed nations. The book offers an analysis of the divergences in policies concerning irregular migrants and delves into the facilitation and support of irregular migration. It scrutinizes the interactions between border enforcement, human smuggling/trafficking, and the support provided to irregular migrants by EU citizens and civil society.

Furthermore, the book highlights the personal agency and political mobilization of irregular migrants. Thus, it serves as an invaluable resource for anyone interested in understanding irregular migration more profoundly.

More information on this book here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-30838-3

Migration and Religion

Author(s): Magdalena Nordin , Jonas Otterbeck

This open access book provides an in-depth exploration of research on migration and religion, focusing on migration to Western European countries since the 1950s. It uniquely marries the academic research on the topic with the actual experiences and challenges faced by migrants.

The book is divided into three parts. The first introduces key concepts and presents an overview of major research trends over time. The second part explores the processes of settlement on individual, group, and societal levels. The final part delves into religious changes in the context of religious ideas and practices, particularly emphasizing religious creativity. The book concludes with a discussion on the challenges of research in this field and highlights areas where our understanding is still limited.

More information on this book here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-30766-9

Migration Control Logics and Strategies in Europe: A North-South Comparison

Editor(s): Claudia Finotelli, Irene Ponzo

This open access book examines various aspects of immigration control through the lens of the migration regime concept. The book is an amalgamation of work by scholars who investigate the patterns and practices within the field of immigration control, offering a comprehensive theoretical framework. The study spans a wide spectrum of policy areas including visa policies, labour migration, internal controls on irregular migration, externalisation of controls, asylum, and restrictions on intra-EU mobility.

The chapters shed light on different organizational strategies and practices across Europe, challenging the notion of a North-South divide in European migration and offering insight into how Europe functions in the field of migration, particularly during periods of significant economic, asylum, and health crises. The book also criticizes the prevalent view that the outcomes of migration control are merely a result of effective or ineffective state policies. Instead, it highlights how national policy goals and strategies are deeply intertwined with varied economies, institutional cultures, and geopolitical positions.

More information on this book here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-26002-5

Migration and Domestic Space. Ethnographies of Home in the Making

Editor(s): Paolo Boccagni, Sara Bonfanti

More information on this book here: This book offers a comprehensive examination of the living conditions of individuals with an immigrant or refugee background. Through ethnographic research, it explores a wide range of housing situations and household dynamics across various national backgrounds, including Latin America, North and West Africa, Eastern Europe, and South Asia. By delving into migrants' experiences within their domestic spaces, the book sheds light on how houses serve as microcosms that reflect societal identities, values, and inequalities. By bridging migration studies with research on housing, social reproduction, domesticity, and material culture, this book not only enriches scholarly understanding but also provides valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners involved in local housing and integration policies.

More information on this book here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-23125-4

Migration in Southeast Asia

Editor(s): Sriprapha Petcharamesree, Mark P. Capaldi

Summary: This IMISCOE Regional Reader, available as an open-access publication, examines the challenges confronted by migrant groups in Southeast Asia and the difficulties they face in having their human rights acknowledged. It investigates the various responses, or lack thereof, from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to these intricate circumstances, which are influenced by current debates on borders, state concepts, migrants' rights, citizenship access, and how these concepts relate to agency and resilience of migrants. The book highlights the often overlooked populations and issues in the region, including the Vietnamese in Thailand, individuals of Indonesian descent in Southern Philippines, independent child migrants, and the vulnerabilities faced by migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More information on this book here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-25748-3

Syrian Refugees in Turkey. Between Reception and Integration

Author(s): Zeynep Şahin-Mencütek , N. Ela Gökalp-Aras , Ayhan Kaya , Susan Beth Rottmann

Summary: This open access book offers a comprehensive assessment of Turkey's approach to the mass migration of Syrians from 2011 to 2020. It thoroughly explores both the internal and external dimensions of the refugee issue, considering the geopolitical dynamics of the Middle East and the importance of managing irregular migration for the European Union. The book specifically focuses on policies and discourses related to border management, reception, asylum, protection, and refugee integration, analyzing the continuities, disruptions, and changes within these areas. A key objective is to compare policy practices across different provinces in order to gain a deeper understanding of how Syrian refugees assert agency, develop a sense of belonging, and experience integration within the context of cultural intimacy, precarity, and temporariness..

More information on this book here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-27366-7

Forced Migration and Separated Families. Everyday Insecurities and Transnational Strategies

Editor(s): Marja Tiilikainen, Johanna Hiitola, Abdirashid A. Ismail, Jaana Palander

Summary: This open access book delves into the consequences and experiences of family separation among forced migrants and their transnational families. It explores how individuals who have experienced forced migration in Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America endure the separation from their families. Simultaneously, it examines the impact on family members and kin who remain in the countries of origin or transit, often affected by the precarious situations faced by their loved ones in receiving countries. The book sheds light on the intricate connections between transnational family separation, forced migration, and everyday (in)security, presenting new insights and knowledge in this field. Moreover, it offers comparative information to assess the effects of relevant legislation and administrative practices across various national contexts. Drawing from extensive empirical data, including unique cases involving South-South migration, the book's findings hold significant relevance for scholars in migration and refugee studies, as well as policymakers, legislators, and practitioners in the field.

More information on this book here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-24974-7

Revising the Integration-Citizenship Nexus in Europe. Sites, Policies, and Bureaucracies of Belonging

Editor(s): Roxana Barbulescu, Sara Wallace Goodman, Luicy Pedroza

Summary: This open access book offers a critical reassessment of the theoretical and empirical links between integration and citizenship, particularly in relation to naturalization. Through fresh empirical analyses exploring the concept of the "citizenship-integration nexus," the book's main objective is to highlight how informal forms of integration play a crucial role in attaining membership, often aligning with but occasionally disregarding formal citizenship requirements. By presenting evidence of a disconnection within this nexus, the book contributes to essential discussions on immigrant integration and political inclusion.

More information on this book here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-25726-1

Anxieties of Migration and Integration in Turbulent Times

Editor(s): Mari-Liis Jakobson, Russell King, Laura Moroşanu, Raivo Vetik

Summary: This open access book explores the changes in migration and integration dynamics when crises become the norm. In today's turbulent times, various unsettling events have replaced a single crisis, affecting migrants, governments, and societies as a whole. This complex web of events creates anxieties surrounding migration. The book examines this phenomenon from multiple theoretical and methodological perspectives, encompassing diverse geographical contexts in Europe and beyond. By analyzing migrations resulting from global political events, national political shifts, economic downturns, and the Covid-19 pandemic, the chapters offer fresh insights. The focus is on understanding both migrants' experiences and policy outcomes.

More information on this book here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-23996-0

Immigrant and Asylum Seekers Labour Market Integration upon Arrival: NowHereLand. A Biographical Perspective

Editor(s): Irina Isaakyan, Anna Triandafyllidou, Simone Baglioni

Summary: This open access book examines the initial labor market integration experiences of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers from an inter-subjective perspective. These individuals have diverse backgrounds and migration/asylum journeys. The book aims to give voice to these migrants and emphasize their own experiences and understandings of the labor market integration process during the early years of their immigration. It takes a critical and qualitative approach, focusing on the migrants' perspectives rather than relying solely on ethnographic research. Instead, it connects the migrants' voices and experiences with their expert knowledge of the policy and socio-economic context they navigate. Each chapter facilitates a dialogue between the migrants' inter-subjective experiences and the relevant policies, practices, and stakeholders involved, such as local government, national services, civil society, or migrant organizations. The book concludes by offering critical insights into how labor market integration is experienced on the ground and how migrants actively engage with labor market policies, shifting the focus from what policies do to or for migrants to what migrants themselves do with these policies.

More information on this book here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-14009-9

Onward Migration and Multi-Sited Transnationalism. Complex Trajectories, Practices and Ties

Editor(s): Jill Ahrens, Russell King

Summary: This open access book presents fresh and innovative viewpoints within the field of transnational migration studies. It emphasizes the intricate nature of migration paths and advocates for multi-sited field studies to comprehend this intricacy. Through its chapters, the book provides instances of onward migration occurring across various regions worldwide. These chapters showcase a diverse range of interdisciplinary approaches, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Consequently, the book successfully redefines and reconsiders global migration and mobility, offering a significant contribution to the scholarly discourse.

More information on this book here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-12503-4

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In the spotlight
Review of the IMISCOE Book Series 2023

IMISCOE, the world's largest network focusing on migration and diversity, is proud to have an official book...