Migrants in Europe: The Role of Family, Labor, and Politics

Although studies have been made of individual aspects of the problem, this volume is the first to provide a comprehensive overview of both the theoretical issues and the scope and variety of present-day migratory movements in Europe, together with their historical antecedents. In his introduction, Hans Buechler reviews significant previous research and outlines the theoretical framework of the present volume. The primary focus of the chapters that follow is the experience of migrants and of household members who remain at home, analyzed within the total context of migration in both host and sender countries. The effects of migration on family economy and kin relationships are examined in detail. Among the issues explored are economic decision-making processes in migrant households, the implications of migration for family landholding, ties between migrants and family left behind, and kin, friendship, and neighborhood networks. Other topics considered are the working and social environment experienced by migrants; labor policies and restrictions relating to employment, work permits, and workers' families; and the problems connected with returning home. The final section, a bibliographic essay by Judith-Maria Buechler, helps to put the various individual contributions in a wider perspective.