Migration and language
- 1. Course: Migration and development nexus Group-1: Assignment Language, diversity and identity issues Members Migration and development Kalkidan Bekele Abdulaziz Abrar Mebrahtu Beyene Hamze Abubeker Seid Webi
- 2. Language, diversity and identity issues on migration 24 March, 2022
- 3. Introduction At the end of this presentation the class is expected to understand about the following issues The role of language in international migration. The impact of migration in identity of migrants. The relationship between international migration and diversity. Challenges of immigrants regarding the issues
- 4. Language Both fluency in the language of the destination country and the ability to learn it quickly play a key role in the transfer of existing human capital to foreign countries and Generally boost immigrant’s success in destination countries’ labor markets. (Kossoudji 1988) Bleakley and Chin (2004) linguistic competence is a key variable to explain immigrant’s disparities in terms of educational attainment, earnings and social outcomes. The role of language in shaping international migration:
- 5. According to the study of (Adsera and Pytlikova 2012) Migration flows to a country with the same first official language as opposed to one with the most distant language are around 20% higher in models that include a large set of socio-economic and genetic distance controls as well as time and country models. Cont.
- 7. Language as a pull and push factor Immigrants are more likely to move to destinations where those languages are spoken in order to lower the costs associated with skill transferability. People sharing common language would more likely to migrate from one another. E.g. We can see the Eritreans, Somali, South Sudanese people migration patterns to Ethiopia. Potential migrants prefer a destination with a “widely spoken” language, such as English, as its local language Belot and Ederveen (2012)
- 9. Example 2: As IOM 2020, Ethiopia hosted approximately 149,000 registered Eritrean refugees. Many were in the northern Tigray region, bordering Eritrea, in four camps, with approximately… 20,000 in Hintsats and Shimelba 31,000 in Mai Aini and Adi Harush camps in southern Tigray.
- 10. Cont. Stricter linguistic requirements for naturalization deter migration flows whereas larger communities with similar linguistic background at destination encourage more migrants to move. On the other hand, the polarization because of speaking a particular language at the origin country can also presented as a potential push factor people to migrate. What if a certain ethnic group discouraged to speak its native language in Ethiopia or ells where? Don't you think it can be as a push factor to leave the country? Thus, learning and practicing “widely spoken” languages in destination countries may serve as a pull factor especially for temporary migrants.
- 11. Effects of language in migration Labour market: foreign language proficiency may be valued in the labor market of the source country. Thus language as essential tool. E.g. European Commission (2002) on language proficiency as an essential skill for finding a job in home countries. Development: the fluency and easy to learn of the language at the destination also a role to the development and easy life of the immigrants. It has a robust effect on employment and earnings because of the comparative advantage to communicate. Thus, migrants may remain unemployed until they capable of the language, the vise versa would be true.
- 12. Cont. Decision making: language proximity and the ability to speak the native language at the destination (foreign language) seen as important factor in the potential migrants decision making. Potential migrants may aware of where they should go and selective of their future settlement. Integration and assimilation: better language proficiency in international migrants means easier assimilation and integration in the host country and greater return to… human capital, socialization and acculturation job opportunity and job much, access to education, facility and healthcare among others
- 13. language barrier and challenges of migrants There are a number of challenges migrants could face as a result of language barriers. For instance, they might feel.. Isolated ( difficulties in making friends) Hopeless ( functionality could declined) Seen as anti social Often leads to depression and other related psycho-social problems.
- 15. Diversity The massive extension of global international migration for a greater number of destination and origin countries has an implications for diversity. In fact, migrants increase the diversity of society (Collier, 2013). Ethnic heterogeneity in modern society is largely driven by the mounting wave of immigration.
- 16. Diversity is about to address a large number of issues: Age, race, ethnicity, cultural background, gender, sexual orientation, and religion, educational background, managerial experience, and even personality traits.
- 17. Cont. Recent work undertaken in the OECD nations indicates that in 2000 there were enumerated 106.8 million foreign-born persons. Of these over a (23.9 million) came from other OECD nations in North America, Europe and Oceania. This compares to 16.8 million from Asia, 15.6 million from Latin America, 12.1 million from elsewhere in Europe, 7.1 million from Africa and 5.2 million from the Caribbean.
- 19. Cont. In addition, as US Census Bureau 2002 estimates the size of the diaspora of some national populations of MDCs and LDCs and it can be seen that they are substantial in size.
- 20. The United Nations (2002), estimates that around 56 percent of population growth in more developed nations between 1990 and 2000 was due to net migration gains from less developed areas. In the European Union nations as a whole, net migration has contributed more to population growth than natural increase since the late 1980s (OECD 2003). Diversity through migration as a new phenomena
- 21. Multicultural diversity formed by the new migration is a new phenomenon. In the contemporary migration scene where also show as there is extensive and increasing involvement of women. E.g. A large number of female labor migrants work in the domestic service in Asian nations or the Middle East. The significance of the unprecedented rapid growth of a second generation in 1% from a different cultural ethnic background also increasingly important in discussing policies to cope with increased diversity.
- 23. Immigrants Expand Culture by Introducing New Ideas and Customs. … In reality, immigrants change culture for the better by introducing new ideas, expertise, customs, cooking, and art. Far from erasing the existing culture, they expand it. In fact, not only culture but issues like innovation, labor market, government policy, and so on can be highly influenced. How does immigration affect cultural diversity?
- 24. Identity However, a little attention has been devoted to the influence of migration on identity formation and transformation. The fact of being who or what a person is (Oxford) Identity better described as something that individuals “do” rather than something that they “have” (Jenkins 2008).
- 25. A number of studies have shown that the patterns of identification among migrants vary greatly, ranging from identification with one’s country of origin, religion or mother tongue to receiving country, neither or both (Roccas and Brewer 2002). Migration sometimes requires the complete (re)construction of identity. Indeed, leaving their country of origin, migrants lose their social status, family, and social networks.
- 26. In the receiving country, they find themselves without a history and without an image. Faced with an unknown universe of meanings, migrants feel lost, alone, and with-out reference points. As much as they strive to become integrated, migrants remain strangers. The harsh reality of exclusion is differ from the fantasy of the receiving country as a place to better one’s life that originally drives migrants to leave their country of origin. Cont.
- 27. The effect of migration on identity Stress: Individuals who migrate experience multiple stresses that can impact their mental well-being, including Loss of cultural norms, Religious customs, and social support systems, Adjustment to a new culture and Changes in identity and concept of self. Cultural bereavement (loss of one's social structure and culture) can cause a grief reaction (Eisenbruch, 1991). Identity crisis: Migration involves the loss of the familiar language (especially conversation and dialect), attitudes, values, social structures and support networks.
- 28. Migrants in Europe are still the most marginalized Others (Aldbi Sibai Sirin 2012). The supposed anti-modernity of Islam is considered to be incompatible with a democratic, secular, and progressive Europe. Stereotypical images of Muslim women and patriarchal societies are repeatedly used in the media as passive victims of their religion who are oppressed. The hegemonic public discourse essentially regards Muslim women as inferior, uneducated, backward, and victims of their culture.
- 29. Example 1: Hijab is considered as a sign of their unwillingness to integrate into European society. Some one who with a long beard seen as a terrorist.
- 30. African migrants want to retain their cultural values abroad (The Africa Renewal 2019) There were about 2.1 million African immigrants living in the US in 2015, like many immigrant groups, Africans are keen to preserve their cultural identity and ensure their children do not replace their traditional values with foreign ideas.
- 31. The process of identity construction of migrants can be analyzed as the products of the social locations of the subjects as well as the products of the institutional framework, such as migration policies, citizenship regimes, hegemonic cultural norms, values and categories of both the receiving countries and the countries of origin. Cont.