Abstract
The application of a transnational optic for analyzing migration phenomena invites us to take into account the complex interplay and social dynamics between nations, states, and diasporas, which have been formed and shaped by globalization, while at the same time the increasing state border control reshapes modes of identity and transnational belonging. Based on anthropological research in Cape Verde, this chapter deals with the fact that the expulsion and forced return of migrant non-citizens constitutes an important element in connecting societies and state practices, situated mainly in Europe or North America, with livelihoods in the so-called global south. While some these deported migrants had only remained in countries of destination for some months or years before being returned by state force, many had spent their formative lifetime abroad. Hence, their alleged home countries on the day of their arrival appeared as foreign places with unfamiliar languages, codes of social behavior, and habits of consumption.
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Notes
- 1.
To protect the privacy of the individuals included into the research, I have used common names as pseudonyms.
- 2.
Despite the transnationalization of migration studies, the terms “home” or “sending” country on the one hand and “destination” or “receiving” country on the other are still appropriate for describing the conditionality and spatial direction of migration. However, in the context of deportation, these terms are inverted, “home” rather naming the former country of destination and “receiving” country becoming the former country of origin.
- 3.
Only a minority of deportees get registered at the moment of their entry into Cape Verde. Deportation rates have been a part of the governmental Cape Verdean statistics since 2002 and include more detailed information such as the proportions of deporting countries, reasons for migration, gender balances, etc. Since 2007, according to the numbers provided by the Instituto das Comunidades (part of the Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros, Cooperação e Comunidades de Cabo Verde), deportation rates have increased annually, beginning with five in 1992 and reaching a peak in 2007 with 128 officially recorded deportees. Until 2002, Portugal was the country sending back the largest contingent, but since 2002, the majority has been sent back from the United States. In 2007, 50% of all deportees were sent back from the United States, 33% came from Portugal, 8% from France, and the rest from Spain, Luxembourg, Germany, and Brazil. Of those returning to Brava, 100% came back from the United States. The ratio of female deportees has always been below 5% (Instituto das Comunidades 2008).
- 4.
See also Drotbohm (2011b) for an analysis of the perception of deportation among the Haitian community in Montreal, Canada.
- 5.
Depending on the circumstances of deportation, those who have been convicted of criminal offences are not eligible to re-enter the country which deported them (“ban to return”).
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Drotbohm, H. (2012). “It’s Like Belonging to a Place That Has Never Been Yours.” Deportees Negotiating Involuntary Immobility and Conditions of Return in Cape Verde. In: Messer, M., Schroeder, R., Wodak, R. (eds) Migrations: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-0950-2_12
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