Remittances as Social Practices and Agents of Change: The Future of Transnational Society

Acknowledgements
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Introduction: Theorizing Remittances — Social Positioning and the Making of Migrant Subjectivity
	Transnationalism: A Society in the Making
	What Are Remittances?
	From Ways of Being and Belonging to Becoming: Remittance Scripts and Migrant Subjectivity
		Ways of Being and Belonging: Remittance Scripts and Social Positioning
		Becoming: Remittances and the Production of Migrant Subjectivity
	Conclusion
	References
Part I: Historical Perspectives in Remittance Research
	References
	Chapter 2: Postcolonialism, Transnationalism, and Remittances: New Perspectives on “Guest Worker” Research in Austria
		Introduction
		When Austria Discovered Immigration
		Remittances in Social Science Research of the 1970s
		Reclaiming Postcolonial and Transnational Perspectives
		Colonialism Without Colonies
		Austria as a Migration Society
		The Perpetuation of Racism in Migration Discourse
		National Histories and Transnational Society
		Who Tells the National History? Whose Voice Is Heard?
		Provincializing Europe
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 3: “You Can’t Have Your Pudding and Eat It”? Remittances and Development in Yugoslavia, 1918–1989
		Introduction
		Main Trends in Yugoslav Emigration
		Repatriation Agenda
		Influx of Remittances
		Remittances on the Macro-Scale
		Remittances on the Meso-Scale
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 4: “Money Can’t Buy Me Love”: Remittances, Return Migration, and Family Relations in Serbia (1960s–2000s)
		Introduction
		The Inflow of Migrant Remittances in (Post-)Socialist Serbia: An Overview
		Social Status and the Rural/Urban Divide
		The (In)Visibility of Remittances in Family Relationships
		The Transformation of Value Systems and the Impact of Class on Family Ties
		Motherhood and Gender Roles
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 5: “Dear Brother, Please, Send Me Some More Dollars…”: Transatlantic Migration and Historic Remittance Between the Habsburg Empire and the United States of America (1890–1930s)
		Historic Remittance Practices
		Migration Between the Habsburg Empire and the United States of America
		Historic Return Migration
		Transatlantic Communications and Sending Money Back Home
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 6: Standing Waves: Remittances as Social Glue in Neo-Diasporic Communities
		Introduction: Diasporic Communities and Remittances
		Theoretical Framework: Neo-Diaspora as a “Community of Standing Waves”
		Methods and Context: A Multi-sited Approach and Historical Lens to Study Standing Waves Among Kfarsghabis
		Standing Waves over Time: “We Continue to Enjoy a Bond that is as Strong Today as When our Families Lived through Great Migration Adventures” (FB_KL, 6 April 2014)
			Remittance Money for Infrastructure: “Kfarsghab Will Become a Model Village” (AN, 1971/3, p. 16)
			Knowledge, Medicine, and Sport: “Education in Lebanon is a Very Critical Tool” (AN, 1988/2, p. 31)
			Humanitarian Aid: “To Help Our Brothers and Sisters Abroad” (FB_KDF, 25 August 2020)
			Material Objects and Symbols: “Just Make a Left into Paramatta Road When You Get to Kfarsghab” (AN, 1996/1, p. 24)
			Information and Collective Narratives: “News and Gossip of the Community at Large” (AN, 1999/1, p. 24)
			Emotions: “Joy Shared is Joy Multiplied. Grief Shared is Grief Divided” (FB administrator, Sydney, 21 August 2015)
			Visitors: “[A] Most Pleasant Holiday and Happy Reunion with their Relatives and Friends” (AN, 1972/2, p. 18)
		Conclusion: Standing Waves as Social Glue in Neo-Diasporic Communities
		References
Part II: Migrants as Game Changers: Rethinking Collectivity and Agency of Remittances
	References
	Chapter 7: The Confluence of Remittances and Transnational Islamic Charity
		Introduction
		Approaching Remittances and Transnational Islamic Charity Analytically
			Lived Religion and Islamic Charity
			Remittance Scripts
			Temporal Perspectives
		Methods, Data, and Context
		Remittances and/or Transnational Islamic Charity?
			Sending Money Home: A Confluence of Motivations?
			Remittance Scripts and Transnational Islamic Charity
			Interrogating the Confluence
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 8: Remittances and the Destination State: A Comparison of Bangladeshi Migrants in Japan and the USA
		Introduction
			Earlier Approaches to the Role of the Destination State in Remittance Research
		Encountering the Destination State
		Methodology and the Two Fields of Research
		The Destination State in Bangladeshi Migration to Japan and the USA
			Japan
			The USA
		Remittance Decay in the Context of the Destination State
			Japan: Temporary Migration without the Family and Remittances
			The USA: Permanent Settlement, Family Unification, and Remittances
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 9: “We Do Solidarity, Not Charity”: The Collective Remittance Practices of Moldovan Migrants
		Introduction
		Setting the Scene: The Theoretical and Geographical Terrain
		On Channeling the Good Spirits: Migrants’ Personal Migration Experiences as a Motivation for Collective Remitting
			Belonging and Self-Representation
			On Becoming a Person Again: Remittance Practices Shaped by Migrants’ Professional Skills
		National Historic Determinants and Core-Periphery Dynamics of the Home Nation
			Overcoming the Soviet Past: Regaining Confidence Through Collective Remittance Practices
			Putting Moldova Center-Stage: (Re-)Connecting Moldova with Europe Through Collective Remittance Practices
		“We Don’t Do Charity […]. We Do Real Things”: Migrants’ Understanding of Development Practices in Relation to Mainstream Aid-Giving
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 10: Transformative Effects of Remittances on Health Behavior, Community Resilience, and Gender Dynamics in Burkina Faso
		Introduction
		Migration from Niaogho to Italy
		Research Questions, Methods of Data Collection, and Theoretical Framework
			Research Questions
			Methods of Data Collection
			Theoretical Framework: Remittances and Capital Theory
		Remittances and Health at the Community Level
			Development of Health Infrastructure in Niaogho
			Trust, Health Practices, and Knowledge Transfer in Households With and Without a Connection to the Diaspora
		Transformative Effects of Remittances on Community Resilience
			Positive Effects of Remittances at the Household and Community Level
			Negative Effects of Remittances at the Household and Community Level
		Conclusion
		References
Part III: Theorizing Materiality in Remittance Research: Exchange, Embodiment, and Transformative Effects
	References
	Chapter 11: The Afterlife of Migrant Gifts
		Thinking Through Things in Motion
		The Biographies of Migrant Gifts
		Theorizing the Gift as a Medium of Migrant Narratives
		Experiencing the Other Land
		Value Shift: The History of Turkish Labor Migration Through Things
		Introducing the Industrial Exotic
		Adoption of the Gift
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 12: Conceptualizing Remittance Affordances: Transformations of a Knife Across Borders
		At the Kitchen Table
		Introduction
		Iron Manufacturing in the Stubai Valley: A History of Cross-Border Migration
			The Guest Worker Regime from the Perspectives of Austria and Turkey
			Participating Simultaneously Here and There: The Cross-Border Space in the Stubai Valley and Uşak
		Theoretical and Methodological Framework: Following Affordances in Remittance Landscapes
			Multi-Sited Ethnography as a Spatial and Temporal Research Strategy
		Stubai Knives and Tools as Remitted Objects
			Knives and Tools in the Everyday Life of Returnees
			Between Connection and Disruption: Remitted Knives as Ambivalent Cross-Border “Tie-Signs”
		Conclusion: Conceptualizing Remittance Affordances
		References
	Chapter 13: Remittances and Migrating Spaces in the Context of Turkish, Vietnamese, and Korean Remigration
		The Spatiality of Remittances
		References
	Chapter 14: Material Remittances in the Context of Seasonal Work: Social and Economic Change in Vanuatu
		Introduction
		Australia’s and New Zealand’s Seasonal Worker Schemes
			Material and Financial Remittances in the Context of the RSE and the SWP
		Introducing the Research Field: Vanuatu
		Methodology
		Remitting Material Goods
		Transforming the Village: Homes, Households, Everyday Life, and Schools
			From Thatched to Permanent Homes: The Transformation of the Built Environment
			Within the Household
			Everyday Life and Solar Power
			Schools
		Collective Community Projects
			Host Country Community Contributions
		Kastom Ceremonies
		Transformations in the Business Sector, Agriculture, and Transportation
		Rejection of Remittances, Perceived Negative Impacts, and Inequality
		Material Remittances as Practices of Belonging
		Conclusion
		References
Part IV: Remittances in the Light of Conflict, Climate Change, and the Postcolonial: Contemporary Issues and Upcoming Challenges
	References
	Chapter 15: Remittances as a Game Changer for Climate Change Adaptation Financing for the Most Vulnerable: Empirical Evidence from Northern Ghana
		Introduction
		Materials and Methods
		Results of the Study
			Information on Sampled Farmers
			Farmers’ Perception and Knowledge of Climate Change
		Climate Impacts and Adaptation
		Flow of Remittances and Use of Remittances for Adaptation
		Influence of Remittances on Adaptation
		Discussion
		Conclusions
		References
	Chapter 16: Transnational Society in Light of Environmental Change
		Introduction
		Migration as an Adaptation Strategy for Dealing with Environmental Change
		Understanding, Awareness, and Circulation of Ideas on Environmental Issues
		Migration Histories, Practices, and Cultures
		Migrants as Transformative Agents in Transnational Societies: Potentials and Pitfalls
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 17: Political Remittances: The Post-war Transformation of the Tamil Swiss Diaspora
		Introduction
		Methodology
		Theoretical Concepts
			Transnationalism
			Conflict-generated Diaspora and Translocal Communities
			Political Remittances
			Second-generation Diaspora
		The Civil War, Transnational Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora and Political Remittances
			Political Remittances During the Civil War (1983–2009)
			Transformation of Remittance Practices: The Tamil Diaspora after the Civil War
		The Tamil Swiss Diaspora
			The Second-generation Tamil Swiss Diaspora and Political Remittances
			Political Remittance Practices
			Social Remittance Practices
			Transformation in Remittances in the Second-generation Tamil Diaspora
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter 18: Receiving the Gift of the Master’s Voice: How White Western Academic Paradigms Shape Knowledge and Remittance Economies: A De-Colonial Perspective
		Introduction
		Knowledge and Remittance Economy
		Scenario 1: Who is Speaking? Who is Listening?
		Scenario 2: The Listening Language, or the Monolingual Knowledge Economy
		Scenario 3: The Terms of Knowledge Exchange
		Conclusion
		Epilogue
		References
	Chapter 19: Conclusion: A Transformative Perspective on Remittances—Towards the Future of Transnational Society
		Introduction: Two Sides of the Same Remittance Coin
		A Transformative Perspective on Transnational Society
		The Future of Remitting is Digital
		Remittances are Disparate, but Stabilizing Practices in Times of Crises
		Conclusion and Outlook: The Social Question and the Future of Transnational Society
		References
Index