Transcultural capital and emergent identities among migrant youth

The everyday practices and socio-cultural identities of migrant youth have become a focal point of contemporary sociological research in Western countries of immigration. This article engages with the concept of transcultural capital to frame the possibilities and opportunities embodied in young migrants’ multi-layered identities and cross-cultural competencies in the context of an increasingly interconnected and diverse world. By re-conceptualising diversity and difference as agentic, transformational capitals to be valued, fostered and mobilised, this transcultural approach brings to the fore the multitude of skills, networks and knowledge that migrant youth access and develop through multiple cultural repertoires. Drawing on the narratives of migrant youth in Melbourne (Australia), this article argues that access to different – and not necessarily oppositional – cultural systems opens up a space for understanding the ability of migrant youth to instigate, negotiate and maintain valuable socio-cultural connections in ways that recognise, disrupt and transform social hierarchies.

Embodied technology use:

For unaccompanied refugee youth, technology occupies a central role in their lives. It helps them when crossing countries, finding a shelter, and accessing education, or even in negotiating family relations online (e.g., Çelikaksoy & Wadensjö, 2017; Marlowe & Bruns, 2020; Morrice et al., 2020). Research with young refugees shows that social media and smart devices have become essential means to resolve many challenges (Kutscher & Kreß, 2018). The aim of our article is to go beyond a utilitarian view of digital technologies and social media in the lives of migrant youth and show how digital actions can be extensions of bodily communications in relation to, for instance, locating the self within new cities, food, music, and religion. We introduce the concept of the migrant platformed body as a site of struggle for unity that brings past and present into continuous discussion in and through the uses of social media technologies.

The Danger of being a Young Female Migrant: A Case Study Female Refugees in Musina Town in South Africa

Several studies show that international migrants across the globe extremely face challenges upon their arrival in the host countries. This constant influx of international population movement is driven by factors such as escaping from poverty, seeking better livelihoods, or escaping from political upheavals and civil strife, such as wars. There have been several studies in South Africa that generally explored challenges faced by the international migrant youth but not necessarily on the gendered nature of migration. This study argues that migration affects males and females inversely. Thus this study aimed to contextually explore the danger of being a young female migrant by following a qualitative research approach using female refugees in Musina town as a case study. Nine participants were purposively and conveniently selected and semi-structured face-to-face interviews with open-ended questions were followed to collect data that is analysed thematically in this paper. The Nvivo software was used to manage and organise data. Findings reveal that young female migrants face challenges from the cross-bordering where they are at risk of being raped. Findings further show that upon their arrival in South Africa, female young migrants face challenges such as exclusion from basic health care services due to lack of immigration documents, sex work, and exploitation by local citizens as well as victimization by the police. The security at border posts should thus be tightened and the defence forces should jointly work with the police officials to deport female migrant youth who migrate illegally and stakeholders in South Africa should run educational programmes where the illegal immigrants would be educated about the risks of cross-boarding to South Africa without legal immigration permits.

“Our World Is Shaking Because of Corona”: Intersecting Crises and Disrupted Life Transitions among Young People in Ethiopia and Jordan Pre- and Post-COVID-19

Our article explores how intersecting crises, sociocultural norms around gender, age, household and community and broader political and economic shifts are affecting youth transitions. We draw on qualitative virtual research with 138 young people in Ethiopia and Jordan undertaken between April and August 2020. COVID-19 is exacerbating ongoing crises and gender inequalities in Ethiopia and Jordan and foreclosing opportunities for youth transitions. In Ethiopia, the pandemic has compounded the precarity of young people who have migrated from rural to urban areas, often to locations where they are socially marginalised. In Jordan, the confinement of young people affected by forced displacement to their households with extended family during pandemic-related service closures augments existing perceptions of an extended ‘waithood’—both psychosocially and economically. In both contexts, conservative gender norms further entrench the restrictions on adolescent girls’ mobility with consequences for their opportunities and wellbeing. This article makes an important contribution to the literature on gender, migrant youth and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by showing how multiple crises have sharpened the social and political (im)mobilities that already shaped young men and women’s lives in Ethiopia and Jordan and the consequences for their trajectories to adulthood.

Chinese Mobile Youth’s Intentions to Stay in the City

In the new era, the motivation of young migrant white-collar and blue-collar workers to stay in cities is different. Through in-depth interviews, we found out that economic factors have different attraction mechanisms for migrant youth to stay in Shanghai. Income level is the most direct factor for migrant youth’ decision-making, but white-collar workers still pay more attention to the prospects of urban development. Social integration has different effects on the retention mentality of migrant youth as well. High-quality urban integration promotes the willingness of white-collar workers to stay in the city, and the weak sense of urban belonging of blue-collar workers does not hinder their urban retention decision-making. Living conditions have different push and pull effects on migrant youth staying in cities. White collar workers have better living conditions and can purchase real estate, so as to complete the process of citizenization*. Blue collar workers cannot buy real estate and have poor living conditions, so it is easy to push them out of the city. Policy factors also have different bonding effects on migrant youth’s residence. The policy has bonded high-quality white-collar workers and promoted their strong willingness to stay. However, it has squeezed blue collar workers to a certain extent, but it has no obvious effect on their decision-making and willingness to stay. Migrant young white-collar workers comprehensively measure various factors to determine whether to stay, while migrant young blue-collar workers mainly decide whether to stay based on income level. The decision-making and willingness of the new generation of migrant youth to stay in cities have tended to be reasonable. Based on this, this paper puts forward the idea of ‘tripartite promotion’ to promote the rational flow of youth.

‘It depends on us’: The experiences of fifteen young Burmese migrants living in the border town of Mae Sot, Thailand

<p>The Burmese diaspora in Thailand attracts significant academic attention. However, the voices of migrant Burmese children are largely unexplored and often ignored altogether. On arriving in Thailand young migrants find themselves located within a new cultural, social, and linguistically different geographic space. Underpinned by the recognition that migrant youth actively engage with the world around them, this study challenges the idea that young migrants are passive bearers of circumstance. Rather, as they seek education in Thailand they exercise their agency in unique ways by performing their cultural traditions, creating their ‘own place’, navigating opportunities, voicing critical political opinions, displaying resilience and setting future goals. Using the participatory method of ‘photo-voice’ this research explores the everyday experiences and stories of fifteen Burmese migrant children living in Thailand as they present them through photography. The participants, most of whom crossed the border unaccompanied, have assessed the relative opportunities available to them in Burma and Thailand. They have chosen to endure the hardships associated with living in a marginalised space away from their parents, culture and country in order to gain an education in Thailand. Technically considered ‘illegal’, these young migrants are facing their present challenges, setting life goals and bending the rules in order to receive an education and establish successful futures.</p>