Commemorative coin, Italian migration to Brazil

Monument to transnational

migration 1996 - Italy

methodological and methodological and conceptual issuesconceptual issues

1. from MIGRATION to 1. from MIGRATION to TRANSNATIONALISM frameTRANSNATIONALISM frame

Monument to migration l’incontro (reunion) 1985 Italy

Key methodological considerations Key methodological considerations 2. creating [and documenting] 2. creating [and documenting]

transnational lives: transnational lives: researching researching co-presence in family and co-presence in family and

working livesworking lives

TRANSNATIONAL FAMILIES: Families that live some or most of the time separated from each other, yet hold together and create something that can be seen as a feeling of collective welfare and unity, namely ‘familyhood’, even across national borders (Bryceson & Vuorela 2002:18)

TRANSNATIONAL WORKING LIVESbrain circulation (Agunias 2006)Skill and knowledge transfer (e.g uses of new technologies)

Ireland

PERTH

Singapore

Netherlands

Italy

Transnational Caregiving project (ARC funded)

Iran

New Zealand

Method: approx 200 ethnographic/life-history interviews and participant observation with migrants in Perth, Western Australia, and their parents abroad

Key methodological considerations Key methodological considerations

3. Both home and host perspectives 3. Both home and host perspectives

4. The role of extended kin, community and 4. The role of extended kin, community and work networks work networks

5. Life-cycle approach 5. Life-cycle approach

Group of second generation Italian AustraliansMonument to the Italian migrant, Italy

• Key methodological considerations Key methodological considerations

6. Trace transnational social fields and virtual 6. Trace transnational social fields and virtual (and other) forms of co-presence (and other) forms of co-presence

Commemorative coinItalian migrationTrevisani Nel Mondo Association

• Key Key methodological methodological considerations considerations

7.7. The The importance of importance of various levels of various levels of social life social life including including individual, family, individual, family, community, nationcommunity, nation

Situated transnationalismsSituated transnationalismsRegimes: e.g. welfare, Regimes: e.g. welfare, employment, care, migration, employment, care, migration, (Kilkey & Merla 2012)(Kilkey & Merla 2012)

1

A Lady Reading a Letter Gerrit ter Borch, 1660s

Virtual kiss, 2010s

Communication technologies - offer the potential, for the first time in history, to control when and how we care across distance

Mobilities and technologies as a new paradigm for understanding ‘new’ migration

• Key methodological Key methodological considerations considerations

8. The profound 8. The profound impact of the social impact of the social uses of new uses of new technologies technologies

Irish parent:Irish parent:In the old days (1900s-1950s) when In the old days (1900s-1950s) when people migrated to Australia they people migrated to Australia they would hold a wake, it was like we’re would hold a wake, it was like we’re never going to see you again, you’re never going to see you again, you’re gone forever! gone forever!

These days (2000s--), if your child These days (2000s--), if your child moves to Australia, it is more likely moves to Australia, it is more likely to inspire the purchase of a new to inspire the purchase of a new computer. computer.

Thumb kiss iphone app(couple apps)Virtual touch

Second generation ‘return’

• Key methodological considerations Key methodological considerations

9. Methodological Nationalism9. Methodological Nationalismthe false assumption that particular the false assumption that particular

cultural traits or processes are “unitary cultural traits or processes are “unitary and organically related to, and fixed and organically related to, and fixed within, [geographic] territories”within, [geographic] territories”

cf. Wimmer & Glick Schiller 2002:305cf. Wimmer & Glick Schiller 2002:305

• Key methodological Key methodological considerations considerations

10. The issues of trust 10. The issues of trust and ethics in and ethics in qualitative researchqualitative research

and inability to ‘leave and inability to ‘leave the field’the field’