Transnational mobilities and Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transnational mobilities and Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre for Social Sciences Reproduction of Social Inequalities: Mobile families, children in Hungary Vera Messing, PhD (joint project with Zs. Arendas and N. Katona) Hungarian Academy
Vera Messing, PhD (joint project with Zs. Arendas and N. Katona)
Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Sociology Institute; Central European University (CEU), Budapest, Centre for Policy Studies-.
Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre for Social Sciences
DIW, Brown Bag Seminar, 13th March, 2019, Berlin
Really recent focus. Prior to 2015 migration has been of minor
manipulative political propaganda of the governing party put migration as a key topic in the agenda, in a negative way. 2015 came as a shock, with several hundred thousand refugees reaching and entering the country. Hungary was unable (and unwilling?) to manage the inflow of refugees. Immigration is historically minor; always below 2%, the majority ethnic Hungarians from neighbouring countries. Hu is mainly a mono-cultural, mono-ethnic (with the exception of Roma/Gypsy and Jewish minority) and religiously also rather homogeneous society. Immigration is still minor, only 1,6% of the total population (2017), ¾ ethnic Hungarians from neighboring states.
Difficulties of defining who is an emigrant (are circular migrant, those who spend less than 12 month, those who commute?) Outgoing migration: insignificant after 1989 and – contrary to
More recently, Hungary catches up with other CEE countries landmarks- 2008 world economic crisis and its effects inside Hu, 2011 removal of restrictions on the German and Austrian labor markets and narrowing political freedom. Appr. 350 000 worked abroad in 2016 (Hárs- Simon 2017), but
higher number of emigrants reaching 0,5 million. Major target countries: Germany (32%), Austria (27%), Uk (17%). Political and public discrouse is minor about the phenomenon inspite its great impact on the economy and society
Number of Hungarians moving abroad by year (flow data) Data by HSO and the mirror statistics
Source: Lakatos 2015, based on the German Labour Office statistics 2014 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 % of change Poland 125 140 201 241 291 133% Hungary 17 19 33 49 65 282% Romania 46 55 71 89 132 187% Bulgaria 19 22 28 35 54 184%
Number of foreign employees (in thousand) 2010-14 in Germany and the extent of change
Circular migrants and emigrants from Hungary, overrepresentation of man leaving behind families (physical workers, transport, construction). Young, Highly educated (the odds of a person with tertiary education is 4 compared to elementary educated) and those with certain vocational training (i.e. construction industry) Women, working in care-work (typically in Austria, Germany, or Italy) in informal care sector: these women are typically single and young or elderly, and passed the stage of raising children, though may have family-members left behind (husband, grandchildren). The number of families migrating, mainly within EU, is on a rise in the past 5-6 years. There is little research on this phenomenon, yet. Increasing difficulties in the home country:
Lack of workforce (it is estimated that appr. 300th open positions are not filled) especially in high skilled jobs (medicine, engineers) and construction. Affect on families and children.
Focus on how migration affects children and their families. This is a new research terrain in Hungary. Aim: to study changing family models, gender roles, perceptions
those involved. Aim: to study how migration affects children and how institutions
children´s integration. Research antecedent locally:
Judit Durst, TündeVirág on Roma`s migration, Attila Melegh on care-work, gendered migration and changing form
Nemeth on ‚Child voice’, transnational experience of children, changing forms and norms
Negative consequences of migration on left behind children (Hochschild); well-being of children and families approach Social stigmatization of women leaving behind children (Sorensen-Vammen) ‚social field’ (Levitt and Glick Schiller, 2004)- social relations connecting people and places, complexity: multiple attachments, parallel identities between sending and receiving contexts Analysis of power relations and hierarchies Transnational habitus (Vertovec) based on Bourdieu’s habitus concept A kind of behaviour which helps in adopting to different lifestyles, places, contexts, and people (Werbner 1999, 2008)
Research in Romania, 85 thousand such children in 2011, 16-18%
educational attainment of children Polish data 2014, 20% of age-group 10-19 has parents working abroad (‚Euro orphans’) UK research (Zeitl and Mand, 2012) two schools in London, innovative methods, involved in childrens’ activities REF research: how Roma children migrating from the Czech Republic integrated in the UK school system. (institutional response) Child-focused, new perspectives (Nemeth, 2017)
Three level research: macro-, mezo-, and microlevel. 1. Quantitative analysis of available data sources:
Analysis of micro-census data (Hungarian Statistical Office, 2016) about migration trends and characteristics of population affected; Analysis of data at receiving countries i.e. Germany (SOEP), and maybe GB at a later stage about migrant families’ socio-economic, labor market, housing status and the children’s well-being; about attitudes and values, where available.
2. School survey: about the extent of migration as recognized by schools; how do schools respond to the challenges posed by immigration, circular migration and returning migrant children. 3. Qualitative methods: interviews with families; innovative methods to hear the child’s voice; interviews with schools and
children
Starting point: schools, where migrant and returning children are
In the pilot phase we approached several schools, but were able to conduct interviews in three school: in Budapest, in Pecs (SW of Hungary) and in the North Easter city of Miskolc over two months. Highly diverse settings: Budapest school: bi-lingual middle class school hosting a large number of migrant children (mostly Chinese and Vietnamese) and returning Hungarian children from middle class families. Pecs: low SES school in a low-middle class part of the city, serving a heterogeneous student community. Miskolc school: segregated school for children of marginalized, mostly Roma families. The lowest SES families living in dire
Interviews with teachers and headmasters. Interviews with childen
Bilingual school (Hungarian- English), mixed but mainly middle class school with a high presence of mobile children and left behind children, also with kids of foreign migrant background (Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic, Armenian…) Mobile children: Hungarian return migrants from the US, Canada, Asia. Upper-middle class children, parents working in diplomacy, or children with high cultural capital (univ teacher parent) Left-behind children: Lower-middle class, father works in health care in the UK, breaking up families, divorces Problems from a teacher perspective: mismatch of the curriculum, lexical knowledge demanded in the HU education system vs project-based creative teaching in W Europe. No systematic methods or pedagogical tools either for the social inclusion of migrant or returning migrant children, nor for catching up in the curriculum. ‚each child is different’ approach still, diversity remains unreflected. Social reintegration of children: left on their own, ‚depends on their own personality’
Migration brought about gains for most of the children: i.e. proficiency in a foreign language, improvement of multicultural skills, better adaptation skills, improved autonomy and self- confidence. “… we see things differently than others; from a different perspective.” (student in 7th grade) “I respect all people in a way. I see that they are also humans” (student in the 6th grade) Different attitudes towards ethnic and religious diversity compared to those without migration experience. Teachers mainly neutral to migration: such experience is not represented as a gain or a loss either on individual level (how such kids know more/know something differently) or on school level. Teachers don´t incorporate the knowledge these kids bring in into the classroom and teaching.
Elementary school, maintained by the Baptist Church (after the state withdrew from service provision in this part of the city) Serves a highly marginalized neighbourhood (former heavy industry factory) + an outskirts ghetto of the city (Lyukóbanya), where Roma families were evicted from the city. Very difficult SES and family background of children: many traumatized children, living in scattered families among desperate poverty School is open to all “we accept anybody, don´t select”; Application of various innovative methods – project, cooperative. Emphasis on music and physical education. Minimize traditional, lexical knowledge transfer. School is safe place to children: heating, food and attention. Many families are split; one or both parents try to work abroad (frequently in unreported, or even illegal work). Children either left behind or taken with them.
Teachers: migration of families is an emerging and increasing phenomenon; many families and children are involved (appr. 3-5 children in each class). Teachers do not receive any support – either pedagogical or financial or HR - to manage returning children- Target countries: Canada (asking for asylum) and UK. While abroad, many did not attend school, only some kind of day activity center – at return they lag behind greatly and don´t even learn the language; Some do integrate in the receiving society and its institutions (school) and profit from migration, but this is the minority (most
Narratives of teachers explain migration mostly in terms of losses:
families falling apart; amount and nature of curriculum children has to catch up with; Difficulties of (re)integration
Impact of migration on families and children is highly dependent
migration; Migration further increases the socio-economic gap as well as future opportunities of children involved:
marginalized children, in families lacking social network and financial capital loose by circular migration and can reintegrate with significant losses (of school years as well as social skills). Children of these families often drop-out of the school. Upper middle class children gain. Social and financial capital of the parents support that children take advantage of the chances offered by migration; Children left behind by migrating parents stay invisible to both the school and authorities. The situation, especially if children are not supported, is greatly traumatizing.
Analyzing data of migrants from Hungary: who are they in terms
altogether; if those with a family are selected it will be too small for analysis). Possible solution: include other, similar countries (Pl = 938, Sk=47, and Cz=75) OR include other years? Which do you suggest? Any other suggestions? Analyze the socio-economic and LM situation of the family, children´s schooling and performance (is that possible?) Analyze social embeddedness (interpersonal relations), attitudes and values of migrant (including youth); Compare it with ESS data for HU. A longer term project: analyze how attitudes and values change in the course of migration. Interviews with children suggest they do change.
Contact: messing.vera@tk.mta.hu messingv@ceu.edu
Messing, V. and Ságvári, B (forthcoming 2019): Still divided, but more open. Mapping European Attitudes towards migration before and after the migration
Messing, V. (2019) Conceptual and methodological challenges of researching Roma
European Narratives and Local Governance. Springer Publ. Árendás, Z., Messing, V., & Zentai, V. (2018) With Eyes Wide Shut. Job Searching Qualified Roma and Employee Seeking Companies. Intersections EEJSP 4(1) 66-88 Messing, V. (2017) Differentiation in the making: consequences of school integration of Roma in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. Journal of European Education. 49:1, 89-103, DOI: 10.1080/10564934.2017.1280336 Tremlett, A. Messing, V. and Kóczé A. (2017) Romaphobia and the media: mechanisms of power and the politics of representations. Introduction to the Special Issue ‘Romaphobia and the media’. Identities 24(6), 641-649 Messing, V. And Bernáth G. (2017) Disempowered by the media: causes and consequences of the lack of media voice of Roma communities. Identities 24(6), 650-667.