Emigration and the care of older people ‘left behind’: the changing role of neighbourhood networks, ethnicity and civil society
Emigration and the care of older people ‘left behind’: the changing role of neighbourhood networks, ethnicity and civil society
Rapid population ageing and international migration are demographic trends which intersect and contribute to far-reaching transformations of local networks and communities. Academic literature has often focused on the impact of migration on receiving communities or narrowly on ‘left behind’ individuals and households. Less consideration has been given to impacts on wider neighbourhood networks and social relationships in sending countries, or the agency of non-migrants in transforming and re-creating networks disrupted by emigration. This article draws on qualitative interviews among a German-speaking minority in Romania which experienced dramatic outmigration to Germany in 1990. The evidence shows that local networks adjusted to outmigration by bringing in new actors previously not involved in support provision; in this case, neighbours belonging to different ethnic groups with whom relations were previously distant. In addition, existing civil society institutions, such as the church, intensified and extended their role to offer practical support and physical care. By examining these transformations through the prism of care in later life, the depth of social transformations ensuant on migration can be brought into sharp relief.
Migration, inter-ethnic relations, neighbours, old-age care, religion
3561-3579
Schroeder-Butterfill, Elisabeth
b10e106a-4d5d-4f41-a7d2-9549ba425711
6 December 2021
Schroeder-Butterfill, Elisabeth
b10e106a-4d5d-4f41-a7d2-9549ba425711
Schroeder-Butterfill, Elisabeth
(2021)
Emigration and the care of older people ‘left behind’: the changing role of neighbourhood networks, ethnicity and civil society.
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 48 (15), .
(doi:10.1080/1369183X.2021.2009783).
Abstract
Rapid population ageing and international migration are demographic trends which intersect and contribute to far-reaching transformations of local networks and communities. Academic literature has often focused on the impact of migration on receiving communities or narrowly on ‘left behind’ individuals and households. Less consideration has been given to impacts on wider neighbourhood networks and social relationships in sending countries, or the agency of non-migrants in transforming and re-creating networks disrupted by emigration. This article draws on qualitative interviews among a German-speaking minority in Romania which experienced dramatic outmigration to Germany in 1990. The evidence shows that local networks adjusted to outmigration by bringing in new actors previously not involved in support provision; in this case, neighbours belonging to different ethnic groups with whom relations were previously distant. In addition, existing civil society institutions, such as the church, intensified and extended their role to offer practical support and physical care. By examining these transformations through the prism of care in later life, the depth of social transformations ensuant on migration can be brought into sharp relief.
Text
Emigration and the care of older people 'left behind'
- Accepted Manuscript
Text
Emigration and the care of older people left behind the changing role of neighbourhood networks ethnicity and civil society (2)
- Version of Record
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 18 November 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 6 December 2021
Published date: 6 December 2021
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
I gratefully acknowledge the funding by the University of Southampton for this research. Ethics approval was obtained from the University of Southampton (ERGO15584) and Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu. I am indebted to Dr Julia Schonheinz for data collection, discussion and inspiration and the many people in Transylvania who talked to us with openness and warmth.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Keywords:
Migration, inter-ethnic relations, neighbours, old-age care, religion
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 456361
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/456361
ISSN: 1369-183X
PURE UUID: cee8ffd5-3128-4796-bbd7-b7b1c18100bd
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 27 Apr 2022 09:26
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:08
Export record
Altmetrics
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
