Mobility + Informality | nccr – on the move

The Importance of Informal Interactions in the UK Syrian Refugee Resettlement

Caroline Blunt — Tue, 25 May 2021 07:30:00 +0000

Syrian refugees in the UK have differing experiences of the Syrian Vulnerable Person’s Resettlement Scheme (SVPRS), depending on the locality of placement. As one participant to research on community integration put it, ‘Other Syrian people feel more comfortable, more confident, they’re living a different life.’ Contrasting his experience with that

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Smugglers and Estate Agents: Syrian Refugee Views on Informality in Germany

Hilal Alkan — Fri, 21 May 2021 09:43:52 +0000

During the Syrian conflict that sparked after the insurgency in 2011, 5,6 million Syrians sought refuge in other countries. During their life-changing journeys, in order to achieve mobility, Syrians have had to seek illegal services of some intermediaries. These professionals, whom Syrians call “simsar,” are brokers of mobility, across borders

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Refugees in Exile in Berlin: Finding Informal Means to Survive

Fazila Bhimji — Wed, 19 May 2021 07:30:00 +0000

Homeless refugees in Berlin face systemic inequalities. Their support network, which consists of German citizens and other refugees, tries to challenge these conditions by assisting the homeless in accessing private and public shelters informally. It seems relevant, therefore, to look at how informal systems can help undo some of the

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Seeking Asylum in Europe? Informality is the Path to Legality

Romm Lewkowicz — Thu, 06 May 2021 07:30:00 +0000

Refugees are vilified for using illegal practices. But illegality is deeply embedded in Europe’s asylum system: hotspots formalize smuggling routes as a precondition for asylum; illegal ‘push-backs’ push migrants to destroy papers; and overburdened states pressure refugees to move to more prosperous ones, illegally. There is a clear shift in

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Translocal Care Work of Estonian Families

Pihla Maria Simm — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 07:30:00 +0000

Family responsibilities do not disappear with geographical distance. The possibility to provide care across national borders may therefore affect people’s decisions to move. However, the social policies framing care are still predominantly national. How are the everyday care practices from the point of view of Estonian families, whose members live

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Informal Automobilities

Ignacio Fradejas-Garcia — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 11:45:00 +0000

The interplay between informality and mobility has remained so far a virtually unexplored subject. It is difficult to predict how a world without cars would impact people for whom a private vehicle is vital for economic survival, as well as for geographical and social mobility. Understanding how cars are used

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The Informal Practices of Transnational Migrant Entrepreneurs in Barcelona: Three Contrasting Cases

Laure Sandoz — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 07:30:00 +0000

In recent academic literature, transnational migrant entrepreneurs are represented as active agents capable of mobilizing resources situated in different countries to develop businesses. Mobility, however, is an unequally distributed resource, and restrictive migration regimes limit the possibilities of individuals to become entrepreneurs. An ethnographic study in Barcelona highlights the obstacles

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Informality and Transnational (Im)Mobilities in Europe – Introduction

Ignacio Fradejas-Garcia — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 07:30:00 +0000

People worldwide rely on informal practices to resist, survive, care, and relate to each other beyond the control and coercive presence of states and formal institutions. This blog series introduces a recently published special issue of Migration Letters that ethnographically explores how mobilities and informality are entangled in responding to

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