Date: 2022
Type: Article
Embracing uncertainty : rethinking migration policy through pastoralists’ experiences
Comparative migration studies, 2022, Vol. 10, No. 5, pp. 1-18
MARU, Natasha, NORI, Michele, SCOONES, Ian, SEMPLICI, Greta, TRIANDAFYLLIDOU, Anna, Embracing uncertainty : rethinking migration policy through pastoralists’ experiences, Comparative migration studies, 2022, Vol. 10, No. 5, pp. 1-18
- https://hdl.handle.net/1814/73868
Retrieved from Cadmus, EUI Research Repository
Today there is a disjuncture between migration flows that are complex, mixed and constantly evolving and the emerging global migration governance paradigm that seeks to impose clarity, certainty, regularity and order. Addressing the gap between policies and realities, this article explores lessons for migration policy and governance from mobile pastoralists’ experience. Using examples from human migration flows within and between Europe and Africa and insights from pastoral systems from India, Italy and Kenya, the article identifies important similarities between international migration and pastoral mobility. We focus on four interconnections: both international migration and pastoral mobility show multi-directional and fragmented patterns; both involve multiple, intersecting socio-economic, political, cultural and environmental drivers; both must respond to non-linear systems, where critical junctures and tipping points undermine clear prediction and forecasts, making social navigation and reliability management more useful concepts than risk-based prediction and control and finally for both uncertainty is not conceived of as a state of crisis but an inherent feature, pregnant with possibility and hope. Building on these four points, and drawing from pastoralists’ experiences, we propose some methodological, practical and policy reflections for bridging the disjuncture between migration realities on the ground and global migration governance policies and discourses.
Additional information:
Published online: 21 January 2022
Cadmus permanent link: https://hdl.handle.net/1814/73868
Full-text via DOI: 10.1186/s40878-022-00277-1
ISSN: 2214-594X
Publisher: Springer
Sponsorship and Funder information:
This paper has emerged out of conversations generated by the PASTRES project (pastoralism, uncertainty, resilience: lessons from the margins; pastres.org), which all authors are affiliated with. The PASTRES project is supported by an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (PASTRES (Pastoralism, Uncertainty, Resilience: Lessons from the Margins, pastres.org, Grant number 740342). Additional support for the work came from the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration (CERC migration), at Ryerson University, where the corresponding author is based. The PASTRES project has supported the collection and analysis of the data that are presented and discussed in Sect. 3. The PASTRES project and the CERC migration programme supported the working time dedicated to the analytical reflections and writing up presented in section.
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