Grasping Kiflu’s Fear – Informality and Existentialism in Migration from North-East Africa
Five decades after sociologist Everett Lee published his universal ‘Theory of Migration’, rationalising etic explanations of praxis in unprivileged migration still prevail. In this article I critically discuss commonly used concepts such as coping strategy, agency and creativity that have been widel...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Hradec Králové
2014-05-01
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| Series: | Modern Africa |
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| Online Access: | https://195.113.118.27/modernafrica/article/view/27 |
| _version_ | 1797202572658868224 |
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| author | Magnus Treiber |
| author_facet | Magnus Treiber |
| author_sort | Magnus Treiber |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Five decades after sociologist Everett Lee published his universal ‘Theory of Migration’, rationalising etic explanations of praxis in unprivileged migration still prevail. In this article I critically discuss commonly used concepts such as coping strategy, agency and creativity that have been widely derived from the study of uncertainty in urban and rural Africa. Subsequently I suggest reassessing the concept of informality within the context of migration, where it evolves alongside migration’s informal/formal divide. Informality then includes migration’s specific existential dimension and can be understood as a typical mode of action in unprivileged migration. Informality potentially bridges the gap between ‘acting’ and ‘being acted upon’ (Jackson 2005), it renders active where otherwise passivity and exclusion have to be faced and thus feeds imaginations of a better life elsewhere. Informality, however, also shapes people and their view of the world. This is explicated exemplarily with reference to my own fieldwork with migrants from Eritrea and Ethiopia. I argue that migrants’ agency should not be simply alleged from above, but conceptualised from empirical research. The study of migrants’ informal praxis can not only contribute to theoretical debates in migration studies but also refers to a global perspective.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T20:07:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e3f2490868d14f188e595a528ffa881a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2336-3274 2570-7558 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T08:05:34Z |
| publishDate | 2014-05-01 |
| publisher | University of Hradec Králové |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Modern Africa |
| spelling | doaj.art-e3f2490868d14f188e595a528ffa881a2024-04-17T11:01:51ZengUniversity of Hradec KrálovéModern Africa2336-32742570-75582014-05-0112Grasping Kiflu’s Fear – Informality and Existentialism in Migration from North-East AfricaMagnus Treiber0Bayreuth University and Felsberg InstituteFive decades after sociologist Everett Lee published his universal ‘Theory of Migration’, rationalising etic explanations of praxis in unprivileged migration still prevail. In this article I critically discuss commonly used concepts such as coping strategy, agency and creativity that have been widely derived from the study of uncertainty in urban and rural Africa. Subsequently I suggest reassessing the concept of informality within the context of migration, where it evolves alongside migration’s informal/formal divide. Informality then includes migration’s specific existential dimension and can be understood as a typical mode of action in unprivileged migration. Informality potentially bridges the gap between ‘acting’ and ‘being acted upon’ (Jackson 2005), it renders active where otherwise passivity and exclusion have to be faced and thus feeds imaginations of a better life elsewhere. Informality, however, also shapes people and their view of the world. This is explicated exemplarily with reference to my own fieldwork with migrants from Eritrea and Ethiopia. I argue that migrants’ agency should not be simply alleged from above, but conceptualised from empirical research. The study of migrants’ informal praxis can not only contribute to theoretical debates in migration studies but also refers to a global perspective. https://195.113.118.27/modernafrica/article/view/27EritreaEhiopiamigrationSudanTheory of praxis |
| spellingShingle | Magnus Treiber Grasping Kiflu’s Fear – Informality and Existentialism in Migration from North-East Africa Modern Africa Eritrea Ehiopia migration Sudan Theory of praxis |
| title | Grasping Kiflu’s Fear – Informality and Existentialism in Migration from North-East Africa |
| title_full | Grasping Kiflu’s Fear – Informality and Existentialism in Migration from North-East Africa |
| title_fullStr | Grasping Kiflu’s Fear – Informality and Existentialism in Migration from North-East Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Grasping Kiflu’s Fear – Informality and Existentialism in Migration from North-East Africa |
| title_short | Grasping Kiflu’s Fear – Informality and Existentialism in Migration from North-East Africa |
| title_sort | grasping kiflu s fear informality and existentialism in migration from north east africa |
| topic | Eritrea Ehiopia migration Sudan Theory of praxis |
| url | https://195.113.118.27/modernafrica/article/view/27 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT magnustreiber graspingkiflusfearinformalityandexistentialisminmigrationfromnortheastafrica |