42 – Exploring international Migration in South Asia: a socio-cultural approach
Migration has been a longstanding feature of people in the Bengal Delta. Records of migrating to the adjacent areas in the subcontinent and far away countries in the South Pacific and West Indies islands are available since the British colonial administration in the early 19th century. So, it is unsurprising that Bangladesh – the independent country comprising the largest share of geography and population in the Bengal Delta – has emerged as a significant source of international migration and a top remittances-receiving country in the contemporary world. This session explores migration in South Asia by looking at the Bengal region in general and Bangladesh in particular.
While a discussion of the causes and consequences of migration in the Bengal Delta and South Asia will be covered, this session will primarily focus on the non-economic dimensions of migration. Keeping up with the growing interest in understanding migration by going beyond an economist bias, this session invites papers that explore, for example, how the governments in South Asia approach migration, how the native population treats non-citizens (including racialization, discrimination, etc.) in the receiving countries and cities within countries, how migrants experience the state and society in their destination countries, how migrants engage in transnationalism, what role does the media and communication technologies play in shaping migration in this region.
Besides the regional focus, this panel invites papers on the positionality of the researchers to understand knowledge production about migration in and from South Asia.
