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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Children's mobility and immobility in Cape Verdean transnational families
| Panel |
28. Generations of Migrants in West Africa
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| Paper ID | 287 |
| Author(s) |
Carling, Jorgen
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| Paper |
View paper (PDF)
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| Abstract | The intensity of emigration from Cape Verde is unparalleled in West Africa. The diaspora probably outnumbers the resident population, and more than a quarter of Cape Verdeans have their spouse, children or parents abroad. This paper specifically addresses the position of children in such transnational families. It draws upon extensive fieldwork in Cape Verde and among Cape Verdeans in Europe. The paper is framed in terms of experiences of mobility and immobility, and on a theoretical deconstruction of this binary. The trajectories of transnational families may include the spatial mobility of children, either away from the country of origin, between different destination countries, or back to the country of origin. In addition, children often experience mobility within structures of care and custody through the spatial mobility of others, even if the children are spatially immobile. This form of mobility is rendered more complex by the malleability of roles in care structures. For instance, children may experience the departure of their mother as a rupture in their lives, and re-experience rupture if a later reunification with the mother tears them away from an aunt or grandmother who has assumed de facto motherhood. The paper addresses how children’s trajectories in relation to these different forms of mobility are shaped by the interplay of migration policies and the strategies of individuals and families. Attention is drawn to the ways in which characteristics of Cape Verdean kinship and family structures contrast with notions of family reflected in legislation and policy. The empirical analysis is based on records of family migration histories. A graphic tool has been developed for this purpose, based on the models of time-geography and the context of semi-structured interviews. This will be accounted for in the paper. The paper is based on research within the three-year project Informal Child Migration in Europe, which includes ten Norwegian researchers and fieldwork in eight countries. In addition to the Cape Verdean case study, migration from Africa is covered by a case study of Angolans. The analysis is based upon work in progress and will benefit from input from participants at the AEGIS conference.
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