Migrant Transnationalism

The document examines migrant transnationalism—the ties and practices migrants maintain across borders—across economic, sociocultural, and political dimensions. It advocates for a 'transnational lens' to move beyond 'methodological nationalism,' which assumes the nation-state is the only relevant unit of analysis. Key areas of focus include the role of remittances, the impact of digital technologies on 'co-presence,' the dynamics of transnational families, and the interaction between transnational engagement and integration into host societies. The authors argue that transnationalism is not a zero-sum game with integration and can provide significant 'mobility capital' and resources for migrants.

• Migrant transnationalism is defined as the process by which immigrants maintain multi-stranded social relations linking their societies of origin and settlement, encompassing both 'ways of doing' (practices) and 'ways of being' (identifications).
• Remittances are a primary manifestation of economic transnationalism; by 2024, they accounted for at least 3% of GDP in 80 countries and reached $685 billion for low- and middle-income countries.
• The top five absolute recipients of remittances in 2024 were India, Mexico, China, the Philippines, and Pakistan, with India approaching $130 billion.
• Digitalization has transformed transnationalism by enabling 'digital remittances' and 'ambient co-presence,' where real-time communication via smartphones and apps reduces the perceived distance between migrants and their networks.
• Social remittances involve the transfer of ideas, behaviors, identities, and social capital, which can lead to changes in normative structures, systems of practice, and social capital in the home community.
• Transnational families often navigate a 'care circulation' where emotional, practical, and financial support is exchanged across borders, sometimes facilitated by 'digital kinning.'
• Political transnationalism includes activities such as external voting, diaspora engagement policies, and 'political remittances,' where migrants transfer political principles and practices to their home countries.
• The relationship between transnationalism and integration is not a zero-sum game; empirical evidence suggests that successful structural integration (e.g., secure employment) can actually increase a migrant's capacity to engage transnationally.
• 'Reactive transnationalism' occurs when migrants increase their engagement with their home country as a response to experiencing discrimination or exclusion in their country of settlement.
• Methodological nationalism—the assumption that the nation-state is the natural unit of social analysis—creates blind spots in migration research, which a transnational lens helps to remedy by focusing on 'transnational social fields.'
• Transnational living can be an alternative to traditional migration, where individuals maintain 'sustained and similarly significant attachments, interactions and presences in two or more societies.'

APA

Bilgili, Ö., Bivand, M., & Migrant, E. (n.d.). Migrant Transnationalism. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/e0428a9b-b863-46a0-a38d-55b77105f195/Migrant Transnationalism.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Bilgili, Özge, Marta Bivand, and Erdal Migrant. Migrant Transnationalism. Peace Research Institute Oslo, n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/e0428a9b-b863-46a0-a38d-55b77105f195/Migrant Transnationalism.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bilgili |first1=Özge |last2=Bivand |first2=Marta |last3=Migrant |first3=Erdal |title=Migrant Transnationalism |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/e0428a9b-b863-46a0-a38d-55b77105f195/Migrant Transnationalism.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bilgilindmigrant, author = {Bilgili, Özge and Bivand, Marta and Migrant, Erdal}, title = {{Migrant Transnationalism}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/e0428a9b-b863-46a0-a38d-55b77105f195/Migrant Transnationalism.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }