CHANTIERS’URBAINS
Partager de méthodes d’enquêtes sur les situations migratoires dans les villes africaines:
Cas de Saint-Louis du Sénégal

Gaston Berger University, Saint-Louis, Senegal

La migration internationale depuis l’Afrique de l’Ouest vers l’Europe fait l’objet depuis plus de vingt ans de toutes les attentions médiatiques et politiques, la focale des financements et des programmes étant mise sur l’actualité, dans le but de donner des clefs pour appréhender les processus les plus immédiats. Dans cet atelier, nous nous appuierons sur les recherches en sciences sociales qui rappellent la profondeur historique des mobilités sur le continent africain ainsi que l’importance des circulations Sud-Sud.

La tenue de l’atelier à l’Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis sera l’occasion de revenir, entre autres, sur la configuration de la Vallée du Fleuve Sénégal comme espace de mobilité dans la longue durée, qui a connu de multiples reconfigurations. Plus particulièrement, ces journées ont pour objectif de considérer les spatialités et les temporalités de la réception et de l’installation des migrants dans la ville de Saint-Louis.

Il s’agira de relever les pratiques urbaines quotidiennes ordinaires des populations migrantes arrivées à Saint-Louis, leurs sociabilités mais aussi les formes de leur engagement citoyen au niveau local, voire transnational et qui participe à la construction d’une légitimité sociale à l’échelle locale.

Les chercheurs, anthropologues et sociologues, interrogeront les formes et les modalités multiples de participation quotidienne des populations migrantes à Saint-Louis, notamment dans leurs interactions aux politiques publiques qui leurs sont destinées.

Programme

• Jour 1: Échanges autour des méthodes utilisées dans les enquêtes dans le domaine des migrations
  • • Comment l’accueil des populations migrantes se déroule-t-il ? De quelles manières interagissent-elles avec la société urbaine, dans quels lieux, par quels réseaux ? Qu’est-ce qui concrétise l’accueil ? Comment des formes d’hospitalité autres que celles de l’État sont-elles déployées, qui viennent justement mettre en tension la gestion des populations migrantes par la force publique ?
    • Quels sont les lieux de passage et points d’ancrage des populations migrantes ? Quelles compétences déploient-elles, quelles ressources mobilisent-elles pour se déplacer et s’ancrer dans la ville ? En quoi l’étude de ces trajectoires et de ces lieux donne à voir la manière dont les migrants peuvent prendre part à la ville ?
    • Comment observer l’insertion des populations migrantes dans l’espace urbain ? Comment identifier les permanences et les ruptures dans l’inscription territoriale des populations migrantes dans les villes ? Comment, par leurs mobilités, leurs pratiques spatiales et leurs relations avec les « autochtones », participent-ils à fabriquer la ville ? Comment l’étude de ces dynamiques migratoires et urbaines permet-elle d’éclairer d’autres processus et mécanismes sociaux ?
• Jours 2 et 3: Chantiers urbains & Ateliers avec des binômes doctorant.es/ chercheuses/chercheurs
  • • Quelques lieux de collecte : gares routières, marchés/supermarchés, restaurants, quartiers, etc.
• Jour 4 : Restitution et pistes d’échanges 
  • • Nous discuterons de la pertinence des modèles de localisation des immigrés et de ce que l’on appelle les “enclaves communautaires”, afin de comprendre à la fois la migration et les villes contemporaines africaines de manière générale. Nous dériverons les principaux défis méthodologiques liés à l’identification de ces “enclaves communautaires” et la manière dont ces questions sont abordées dans le cadre de ce projet. Nous présenterons les résultats de l’étude, à savoir la localisation et la composition sociodémographique des principaux espaces multiethniques.

Participants :

• GERM – UGB, Sénégal : Aly Tandian, Sociologue – Pape Elimane Sakho, Géographe, UCAD – Abdou Khadre Sano, Sociologue – Serigne Sylla, Sociologue – Ndèye Coumba Diouf, Sociologue – Fatoumata Zahra Ndiaye, Sociologue – Souleymane Sow, Sociologue – Racky Diouf, Sociologue – Rokhaya Ndione, Sociologue – Hélène Nguigue – Babacar Faye
• CNRS, France : Stefan Le Courant, Anthropologue, CNRS – Laura Guérin, post-doctorante, Sociologue, CNRS – Aïssatou Mbodj-Pouye, Anthropologue,

Cette proposition d’atelier est formulée avec l’appui du programme ReROOT (Arrival infrastructures as sites of integration for recent newcomers, H2020, consortium de recherche européen porté par l’Université Catholique de Louvain, agreement number 101004704 ). Aïssatou Mbodj-Pouye coordonne une équipe de ce programme à l’Institut des mondes africains (Aubervilliers). Lors de l’atelier, l’équipe parisienne introduira brièvement l’approche de situations migratoires par les infrastructures d’arrivée. Loin de présumer que cette approche, testée pour l’instant sur des terrains européens, soit transposable à d’autres contextes, il s’agira d’ouvrir nos boîtes à outils et d’apprendre auprès de collègues sénégalais, dans un esprit de partage des concepts et méthodes.

INTERSECTIONS OF HOUSING AND NON-VOLUNTARY MOBILITIES IN THE
UK: DEFINING A RESEARCH AGENDA

Brady Arts and Community Centre, 192-196 Hanbury Street, London E1 5HU
Mon 9 – Tue 10 October 2023

This workshop aims to connect insights from research, professional practice or lived experience, to shed light on how systems and processes – some aiming to support, others to control – subject various groups of UK residents to forms of mobility over which they have limited or no choice. These mobilities are often intimately related to housing dynamics and fiscal austerity in the UK. This workshop seeks to understand the state of knowledge on such non-voluntary mobilities, and the future research needed to advance it. It takes inspiration from two emerging directions in scholarship.

First, there is an emerging scholarship examining how forms of urban displacement affect a range of subjects, moving our understanding of mobility beyond the statist dichotomy of “migrants” and “citizens”. The term “evictability”, for instance, captures a common vulnerability to being removed from a sheltering place (Van Baar 2017; De Genova et al., 2021). Both migrants and some formal citizens can be affected by “enforced” or “unfree” mobility within the UK, whether through involuntary asylum dispersal (Darling 2016; 2022), estate regeneration, evictions (Watt 2018; 2022; Nowicki 2023) or other mechanisms such as internal displacement of individuals and families into temporary accommodation as a result of domestic violence (Bowstead 2020; 2022).

Second, there is an emerging recognition within migration studies that common mechanisms of marginalisation exist between social groups that are conventionally studied in siloes. This recognition makes space for the emergence of new solidarities across such categories as citizen and non-citizen, migration and class (Anderson 2013; Vickers 2020). It offers potential to unite precarious citizens and immigrants in a common struggle for social justice, in the face of national governments that polarise these groups through scapegoating and discourses of deservingness.

By exploring commonalities in the experience of non-voluntary, and often structurally imposed, mobilities at the sub-national level, we hope to reveal fresh perspectives and directions for research, policy and practice in the UK, with potential to avert the marginalization of those who find themselves moved by systems and processes beyond their control. This is particularly important as policymakers and practitioners seek to respond more effectively to a range of vulnerable arrivals in local areas and to foster inclusion and equality among residents, in a context constrained by austerity, neoliberal logics and a changing array of policy and fiscal directives.

Organisers

This workshop is organised by Prof Susanne Wessendorf and Dr Tamlyn Monson as part of the Horizon-funded ReROOT project. It is co-hosted by the Centre for Trust Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University.

For more information, please contact:
Dr Tamlyn Monson

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, ReROOT project Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University

tamlyn.monson@coventry.ac.uk

Migration and Arrival in Turkey: Urban and spatial approaches

30 September 2023

Istanbul, Turkey

Scholars studying the intersections of migration and the city have long been interested in the notion of urban arrival spaces, which essentially refer to urban localities that cater necessary information, and provide (affordable) accommodation, employment, and networks to newcomer migrants (Hanhörster and Wessendorf 2020; Hans and Hanhörster 2020; Schillebeeckx, Oosterlynck, and De Decker 2019). This interest goes back as far as the Chicago School on Urban Sociology (Park, Burgess and McKenzie 1925) which developed the idea of  “transition zones” as ports of first entry from where migrant newcomers transition to other neighborhoods. Doug Saunders’s now popular book Arrival City (2011) revived these debates on arrival conditions and integration processes of migrant newcomers. Today many arrival areas are characterized as socioeconomically disadvantaged urban neighborhoods with high concentrations of migrants and high rates of fluctuations. They function as hubs within cities where the aggregation of resources, services, and networks for new arrivals can be found. In the more recent decade, scholars have also started talking about the concept of arrival infrastructures, taking again a similar spatial approach while also emphasizing the role of different actors (e.g. long established local residents, brokers, civil society actors, public authorities) and institutions (e.g. small businesses, religious institutions, leisure organizations) in facilitating the urban incorporation of relatively newly arrived migrants (Hanhörster and Wessendorf 2020; Meeus, Arnaut, and van Heur 2019).  Overall, these approaches push scholars to explore the relationship between arrival spaces and broader national and/or urban integration frameworks from a more critical lens (ibid.).

Turkey presents an apt case for exploring these various dimensions, although there has been limited academic debate on this topic to date. Across Turkey’s different cities, there are urban areas that have served as arrival destinations for different and successive internal and international migration flows over several decades, some even with a history extending into the Ottoman period. The arrival of a high number of Syrian refugees over the last decade has also led to the emergence of entirely new arrival spaces in cities with little previous migration histories. With the dramatic changes in Turkey’s role as a migrant-receiving country, there are increasing efforts to govern the spatial distribution of migrant and refugee populations. A notable example is the dispersion policy that was introduced by the Presidency of Migration Management in Turkey starting in 2021, which today has halted the registration of foreign nationals in 1,169 neighborhoods across Turkey. This state-initiated intervention noticeably targets arrival areas, opening the question of how this policy is impacting the urban incorporation processes of newcomer migrants.

In this one-day workshop, we will discuss the emergence and transformation of arrival areas in Turkey and will explore the following questions:

• How are old arrival areas in Turkey being transformed through recent migrations?
• What new arrival areas (including non-urban areas such as small towns and rural areas) and infrastructures do we see emerging across Turkey?
• How do different actors shape arrival?
• How have recent changes (social, legal, technological) and crises (pandemics, wars, natural disasters such as earthquakes) shaped arrival in Turkey?
• What are the methodological and ethical challenges, opportunities, and limitations in analyzing arrival from below and through an everyday lens?

Within this workshop, there is also a scope to move beyond these themes/questions, providing additional perspectives and critiques on the notion of ‘arrival’ in itself as a term within and outside the boundaries of urban spaces. We hope this workshop fosters open and diverse dialogue with scholars across disciplines, career levels, and localities. We aspire to move this dialogue beyond Western-centric conceptions of arrival and bring in empirically rich, theoretically substantial, and methodologically innovative research discussion.

This workshop is funded by EU Horizon 2020 project ReROOT: Arrival Infrastructures as Sites of Integration for the Newcomers (https://rerootproject.eu) and organized in collaboration with the Association for Migration Research (Göç Araştırmaları Derneği https://gocarastirmalaridernegi.org/en/ ).

The workshop will be held in a hybrid format. There will be simultaneous (English-Turkish) translation.

The Laboratory of Economic Policy and Strategic Planning of the Department of Economics of the University of Thessaly, in collaboration with local stakeholders of the city of Katerini, organized a Workshop & Round Table on the topic:

The labor market as an ‘arrival infrastructure’ for newcomers. The role of local communities. 

The action carried out under the research project “ReROOT: Arrival Infrastructures as Sites of Integration for Recent Newcomers” (https://rerootproject.eu/), which is funded by Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program of the European Union.

The event took place at the premises of the NGO “Perichoresis” (31 Nikomidias street, Social Grocery Building of the Evangelical Church, in Katerini) on Tuesday, June 20th, 2023 (World Refugee Day) from 17:00 to 21:30.

The event started with a presentation of the ReROOT project, where its objectives and structure were outlined, and then the participants were informed about the scope, purpose, organization and conduct of the specific meeting. This was followed by the workshop which took the form of multiple discussions on issues related to:

• The labour market, focusing on the local needs and employment opportunities for recent migrants and refugees.
• The possibilities for networking and integration of these people with reference multiple contexts (such as the labour market, social life, education) and groups (particularly, “natives” and former migrants).

The event was concluded with a round table discussion where the main points arising from the discussions were presented and discussed on the whole.

The event was co-organised with two key stakeholders actively engaged in the issue of migration in Katerini, the Perichoresis NGO and the grassroots Voluntary Action Group “My place” – “Kapnikos Stathmos”. Apart from them the meeting was participated by other key actors involved in migrants’ integration, including: members of the Migrant and Refugee Integration Council (ΣΕΜΠ) of the Municipality of Katerini, a representative from the Labour Centre of Katerini and residents from the immigrant communities.

It is important to note that representatives of the Development Agency of the Municipality of Karditsa (ANKA), which has a central role in the integration of immigrants and refugees in the city of Karditsa, also participated, transferring the experiences, knowledge and good practices that have been developed in Karditsa regarding “newcomers”.

Preliminary Results & Conclusions

The first thematic module of the workshop focused on the labour market in the region of Katerini. The main research question concerned the needs of the local labour market and the level of its interconnection with the newcomers and immigrants in general. The issues discussed concerned the gaps in the labour supply, their size and in which sectors/industries they are located, the form of employment (part-time, seasonal, etc.) and the specific employee characteristics required to fill these gaps (e.g. age, specialization, competences, skills) and whether they can be filled by new migrants and refugees. In addition, the participants discussed about the business activities in the city and shared their views on the existence of market opportunities – gaps in the market for newcomers to start a business venture. On this particular issue, the experience of Karditsa was particularly useful, where the representatives of ANKA presented how ANKA supports immigrants/refugees with counselling and other services in their efforts to set up a business.

The second module of the workshop dealt with the issue of networking and integration of newcomers, exploring the kind of interface that exists between newcomers and the local society and who is considered to be “integratable“. The discussion focused on issues related to formal aspects of integration, such as the oportunities and weaknesses of the institutional and legal framework, but also about the existing, old established or newly emerged stereotypes regarding newcomers. Furthermore, the discussion explored issues related to the general socio- economic profile of the natives, the personal experiences of participants in their contact with newcomers, and the existence (or lack) of organized procedures – “infrastructures” for the integration of newcomers in Katerini.

The meeting concluded with a discussion on the potential of the labour market to provide an interface, a channel το bring the local society and the newcomers closer together, facilitating the development of a more holistic, cooperative and integrative perspective.

Closing it should be noted that the specific action was a step in this direction, initiating the development of a platform where immigration stakeholders can connect, share experiences and knowledge, collaborate and support one another. Indeed, the action succeeded to get in touch different actors and interested parties in the city of Katerini, who although deeply involved in migration and refugee issues are hardly aware of each other’s work, giving them the opportunity to exchange views and experiences and explore avenues of cooperation. Furthermore, the action facilitated to bring in contact the cities of Karditsa and Katerini, highlighting the fact that they face the same challenges but approach them from different perspectives, and that sharing experiences would be beneficial for both of them.

In the light of the success of the meeting, all attendees committed to meet again in early autumn, in order to continue the discussion scaling it up with the participation of more stakeholders and actors from the local society.

On behalf of the research team Professor Paschalis Arvanitidis

Director of the Economic Policy and Strategic Planning Laboratory 

Department of Economics, University of Thessaly