The article analyses the relation between social remittances and migrant fami-lies through the perspective of migrant elites’ politics of identity in sending contexts. It argues for the importance of looking historically at how competing engagements with migration have led people to morally evaluate the suitability of remittances for kinship well-being. Migrant elites' conceptions of remittanc-es are underpinned by a double meaning associated with ‘foreign money’, which is in turn highly influenced by local perceptions of different migrant des-tinations. On the one hand, money (as other goods) symbolizes loyalty towards the family and the community. On the other, money becomes the visible mani-festation of distance between kin, and is locally judged insofar as it is not able to replace the lack of family care and affection. In the process, remittances emerge not only as a medium of family care, but also a social phenomenon through which the morality and possibility of kinship solidarity is questioned, if not invalidated.

Migrants and their money are not all the same: migration, remittances and family morality in rural South India / Gallo, Ester. - In: MIGRATION LETTERS. - ISSN 1741-8984. - STAMPA. - 2013 Volume 10:1(2013), pp. 33-46.

Migrants and their money are not all the same: migration, remittances and family morality in rural South India

Gallo, Ester
2013-01-01

Abstract

The article analyses the relation between social remittances and migrant fami-lies through the perspective of migrant elites’ politics of identity in sending contexts. It argues for the importance of looking historically at how competing engagements with migration have led people to morally evaluate the suitability of remittances for kinship well-being. Migrant elites' conceptions of remittanc-es are underpinned by a double meaning associated with ‘foreign money’, which is in turn highly influenced by local perceptions of different migrant des-tinations. On the one hand, money (as other goods) symbolizes loyalty towards the family and the community. On the other, money becomes the visible mani-festation of distance between kin, and is locally judged insofar as it is not able to replace the lack of family care and affection. In the process, remittances emerge not only as a medium of family care, but also a social phenomenon through which the morality and possibility of kinship solidarity is questioned, if not invalidated.
2013
1
Gallo, Ester
Migrants and their money are not all the same: migration, remittances and family morality in rural South India / Gallo, Ester. - In: MIGRATION LETTERS. - ISSN 1741-8984. - STAMPA. - 2013 Volume 10:1(2013), pp. 33-46.
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
A4 Article.pdf

Solo gestori archivio

Tipologia: Versione editoriale (Publisher’s layout)
Licenza: Tutti i diritti riservati (All rights reserved)
Dimensione 307.6 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
307.6 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11572/160280
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact