Migration Matters
An Analysis of Liminality in the Context of Irish Migrant Women
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Aisling Keavey
This paper presents research on Irish diaspora identity and focuses on the liminal space of Irish diaspora women in England. Keri E Smith puts forth the reasoning for the emergence of the hybrid identity in diasporic communities (Smith, 2008). There have been a number of theorists dealing with identity and diaspora, among them, Homi K Bhabha. Bhabha defines hybridity of identity as “a form of in-between space”, namely a “’third space’, a space inherently critical of uniqueness or purity of original culture”. (Bhabha, 1991) Diaspora as a term suggests a dispersal or migration to more than one destination and links formed between different populations of migrants across distances. (Butler, 2001) A precondition of diaspora is a continuing sense of connectedness to the homeland and a liminal status in the country of settlement. (Butler, 2001) Avtar Brah argues that migrants have a “homing identity”, an identity that acknowledges that ‘home’ is in the new setting of residence, alongside a concurrent imagined ‘home’ that has been left behind. (Brah, 1996) The practical element of this research centeres around photographing Irish women who have emigrated to London. Through portraits of Irish immigrant women and interview texts centered around the immigrant experience, this project uses the sentimental object as a method of loci, to enhance memories of the homeland and the diasporic journey. The research methodology employed ethnographic techniques, with fieldwork interview questions concerned with Irish identity post-Brexit and also the notion of hybrid identities.
Pursuing Freedom - the Social Implications of American Expats in Tijuana, BC, Mexico : How Americans Living in Tijuana Create "Asymmetric Borders" and Social Boundaries amongst Themselves and Others View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kathryn Garcia
The social impacts that immigrants face in their daily lives in host communities as well as the reverse influence that immigrants have on communities when relocating is a widely studied phenomenon. However, while recent studies mainly focus on forcibly displaced populations in border cities such as Tijuana, little research has been conducted on the social and community impacts of American immigrants in Tijuana. My main research question is: How does liminality, or experiences of living betwixt and between, emerge from comings and goings of two different immigrant populations (American expats and asylum seekers from other parts of Mexico, Central America, and South America) impact daily cross-group interactions in the city of Tijuana, Mexico?
Demographic Shifts and Eurasian Integration: Implications of Unequal Cohort Integration View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jacek Kugler
China and the United States are contesting for global leadership. Their long-term status depends on population size and productivity. As China's active population declines sharply India's active population will continue to rise beyond 2075. By moving from confrontation to integration, both countries could extend the demographic window of opportunity that propelled China's growth and increased technological transfers. Analysis of the difference in values between India and China is only marginally more significant than that between India and the US-EU. Serious obstacles to such an integration persist. The territorial dispute along the Himalayan border is escalating. India still severely excuses women from the workforce, restricting potential growth. Yet, the potential economic payoffs from an Asia integration may prompt both nations to take plosive steps to achieve what the EU has accomplished. The analysis uses UN, World Value Surveys and Political Performance data with forecasts through 2075.
