Onward Migration: the Transnational Trajectories of Iranians Leaving Sweden
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Geographica 1 Onward Migration The Transnational Trajectories of Iranians Leaving Sweden Melissa Kelly Dissertation presented at Uppsala University to be publicly examined in Universitetshuset Room IV, Biskopsgatan 3, Uppsala, Friday, May 17, 2013 at 10:00 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The examination will be conducted in English. Abstract Kelly, M. 2013. Onward Migration: The Transnational Trajectories of Iranians Leaving Sweden. Department of Social and Economic Geography. Geographica 1. 334 pp. Uppsala. ISBN 978-91-506-2341-3. Onward migration is an understudied process whereby people leave their country of origin, settle in a second country for a period of time, and then migrate on to a third country. This dissertation explores the transnational trajectories of one specific group of onward migrants. These are highly educated people who moved from Iran to Sweden as refugees following the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Then, after settling in Sweden for a period of time they subsequently moved on to London, England. Melissa Kelly explores how people live their lives across places. Using life history interviews conducted with individual onward migrants, Kelly draws out and contex- tualizes the individual and shared experiences of these migrants in specific space-time contexts, and highlights the meaning of both settlement and mobility in their lives. In doing so, she explores the circumstances that underlie the onward migration phe- nomenon, drawing attention to different geographical levels of scale, and linking social, economic and cultural perspectives. The main argument of the dissertation is that while place continues to be of sig- nificance, a broader understanding of migrant integration processes is required. Onward migration disrupts the categories usually used to comprehend the integration of migrants in narrowly defined nation state contexts, and encourages a more nu- anced understanding of how we conceptualize both migration and settlement. Keywords: Onward migration; Transnationalism; Iranian Diaspora; Mobility and Settlement; European Welfare State; Sweden; London; Highly Educated Migrants; EU mobility; Cosmopolitanism; Class and Culture; Life Course Research; Narrative Research. Melissa Kelly, Uppsala University, Department of Social and Economic Geography, Box 513, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden. © Melissa Kelly 2013 ISSN 0431-2023 ISBN 978-91-506-2341-3 urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-198099 (http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-198099) Printed in Sweden by Elanders Sverige AB, 2013 Acknowledgements Pursuing this project was an extremely enjoyable journey, but not one that I could have completed alone. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to say thank you to just some of the people who have helped me along the way. To begin with, I would like to thank the study participants, who generously volunteered their life stories. Although I will not state their names here, I would like to acknowledge that without them this research would not have been possible and I am truly grateful for all the time these people so willingly put aside to help me complete the project. Thanks are also due to the multiple Iranian-focused associa- tions who took part in this study. All have made a valuable contribu- tion, and I am most grateful for all the hospitality I received! There were also several individuals who assisted me in finding participants, or provided otherwise interesting information for this research, and I would like to express my gratitude to all of them. My supervisors, Roger Andersson and Aida Aragao-Lagergren, have played a very important role in my life for the last four years, and I would like to thank them both for the support, guidance and feedback. Both made sure that I had everything I needed to complete this project, and encouraged me to pursue my work with confidence. I would also like to express my appreciation to Irene Molina, Aina Tollefsen and John Östh, for reading the first complete draft of the dissertation, and for providing very helpful feedback. The comments and suggestions I received played an essential part in getting this pro- ject to the finish line. More generally, I am deeply grateful to the Department of Social and Economic Geography at Uppsala University, for giving me the chance to pursue my studies in Sweden, and also for providing me with such an outstanding work environment! It was truly a privilege to be a student here! Special thanks to Kerstin Edlund and Karin Beckman for providing outstanding administrative support, and to all my colleagues for making Uppsala a great place to be. I am also grateful to the Institute for Urban and Housing Research (IBF), for giving me the possibility to collaborate with an outstanding group of migration researchers over the years, and especially during the final months of my stay in Sweden. In 2007-2008 I was a grad student at the Geography Department at York University in Toronto. Intellectually, this was an important learning period for me. I am therefore grateful to Valerie Preston, for getting me on the right track, for providing ongoing support and for being a wonderful role model. I would also like to thank Bryn Greer- Wootten, my mentor extraordinaire, for numerous thoughtful con- versations and encouraging comments! Finally, I would like to acknowledge Phillip Kelly and Tricia Wood for inspiring the direction of this project in a number of important ways. In 2010-2011, I spent a period of time at University College Lon- don, where Claire Dwyer provided expert guidance and support that I could not have done without. The time spent at UCL was extremely special, and it would not have been possible without Claire! My fieldwork was funded by the Rektors resebidrag från Wallen- bergstiftelsen and the Anna Maria Lundins Resestipendier. I am grateful to both Uppsala University and Smålands Nation for making it possible for me to carry out international fieldwork and attend several conferences. I would also like to extend my warmest gratitude to the Graduate School in Population Dynamics and Public Policy at Umeå University, for providing additional resources and for enriching my academic experience in general. During my time as a PhD student, I have benefited immensely from collaborating with Jill Ahrens, Ilse van Liempt, and Hassan Hosseini-Kaladjahi. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work with these wonderful researchers. Over the years we have shared many ideas, all of which have helped me to write this dissertation! I would like to acknowledge the generous support I received from Lina Hedman who provided me with statistical data, Will Strum who used his GIS skills to help me on short notice, and Chiara Valli who designed the dissertation cover. I am extremely grateful for these contributions and the dissertation would not be the same without them. The PhD students at the Department of Social and Economic Geography have offered ongoing support and friendship over the years. My former office partner Ann Rodenstedt brightened up some of the more challenging days at work, and Erika Sigvardsdotter guid- ed me through the entire PhD program from start to finish! Special thanks also to Sara Lång and Pepijn Olders, who provided valuable feedback on two of my texts. I would also like to thank my friends outside of the department, for being so patient with me throughout this whole process, and for reminding me that there is more to life than work! Writing can be an isolating process, and I am therefore especially grateful to Enrico, for following me on this adventure from beginning to end, and for checking on me on a daily basis. I don’t know what I would have done without you! Finally, I would like to thank my parents for supporting me in eve- ry possible way. They have both been very involved in this project, listening to my ideas, providing suggestions for my cover design, giving feedback on my title and even proofreading my texts. Thanks, mom and dad, for your patience, love and encouragement. Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................... v Chapter 1 Locating the Study of Onward Migration........................... 13 Research Goals and Objectives .......................................................... 15 The Onward Migration of Iranians from Sweden: Trends and Characteristics ................................................................................ 16 Previous Research on Onward Migration ......................................... 24 Onward Migration in Broader Perspective ....................................... 27 Onward Migrants as Skilled and/or Highly Educated Migrants ............................................................................................. 27 Onward Migration in Relation to the Study of Emigration or Return ........................................................................................... 30 Onward Migrants as EU Movers .................................................. 32 Approaching the Study of Migration ................................................. 34 A Transnational Social Field Approach ....................................... 36 Migration and Everyday Life ......................................................... 37 Outline of the Dissertation .................................................................. 39 Chapter 2 Situating Onward Migrants in Social Space ........................ 42 Transnational Social Fields .................................................................. 45 Assimilation, Integration,