Abstract
Transit migration is generally defined by migrants having the intention to move onwards to a third country. Based on an empirical investigation in Izmir, a transit migration hub in Turkey, this paper critically discusses intentionality as a valid dimension in conceptualisations of transit migration. The study found that migrants' intentions in this transit migration hub are highly fluctuating because of their embeddedness in socio-institutional environments, which continuously affect migrants' social capital, risk perceptions and coping strategies, causing new migration intentions to arise. The study argues that intention is a problematic criterion in conceptualising transit migration, due to a conceptual fallacy where transit migration flows are taken as the unit of analysis whereas intentions are individual attributes.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1087-1105 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies |
Volume | 39 |
Issue number | 7 |
Early online date | 11 Jun 2013 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Aug 2013 |
Keywords
- Asylum
- BEHAVIOR
- Migration Intentions
- Social Networks
- Transit Migration
- Turkey