TY - JOUR
T1 - ‘My life is not to be called a failure’
T2 - how family reputation in the origin affects return considerations among South Asian migrants in the Gulf
AU - Klaunig, Katharina
AU - Karim Khan, Saba
AU - Reichelt, Malte
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Families are an important factor to consider when trying to understand if and when labor migrants decide to return to the origin. Research has mainly focused on how families provide incentives to return. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, stories about return migration decisions among male South Asian migrants in the Gulf reveal that families can exert substantial pressure on migrants to stay abroad, even during times of crisis. Using in-depth interviews with migrants in the UAE, returnees and family members between 2020 and 2022, we find that social expectations of migrants to maintain or build family reputation through actions abroad, in the context of broader communities of origin, is a key factor in deterring migrants from returning. Migrants and their families in the origin often seek to continue signaling a successful migration project, particularly by telling stories of entrepreneurial success or of being embedded in the destination through strong and resourceful networks. Returning early from a migration project, even during the pandemic, can be interpreted as a failure and risks negatively impacting the family's reputation. We observe that those who return early, despite family pressure to stay, face significant social sanctions from family and community.
AB - Families are an important factor to consider when trying to understand if and when labor migrants decide to return to the origin. Research has mainly focused on how families provide incentives to return. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, stories about return migration decisions among male South Asian migrants in the Gulf reveal that families can exert substantial pressure on migrants to stay abroad, even during times of crisis. Using in-depth interviews with migrants in the UAE, returnees and family members between 2020 and 2022, we find that social expectations of migrants to maintain or build family reputation through actions abroad, in the context of broader communities of origin, is a key factor in deterring migrants from returning. Migrants and their families in the origin often seek to continue signaling a successful migration project, particularly by telling stories of entrepreneurial success or of being embedded in the destination through strong and resourceful networks. Returning early from a migration project, even during the pandemic, can be interpreted as a failure and risks negatively impacting the family's reputation. We observe that those who return early, despite family pressure to stay, face significant social sanctions from family and community.
KW - Return migration
KW - family
KW - izzat
KW - labor migration
KW - reputation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85193021603&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1080/1369183X.2024.2346179
DO - 10.1080/1369183X.2024.2346179
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85193021603
SN - 1369-183X
VL - 50
SP - 5127
EP - 5146
JO - Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
JF - Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
IS - 20
ER -