Migrations and Transnationalism: Distinctions, Types and Empirical Findings

Over the last 25 years, transnationalism has been a major issue in migration studies. From the original formulation of Glick-Schiller et Al., an international debate has widely discussed achievements, ancestors, limits and problems of this concept: its novelty, precise meaning and utility have been, in this respect, variously criticized. The chapter focuses on the following points: 1) The concept is still useful and important to critically grasp some aspects of migration policies (such as the strong demand of political “loyalty” to receiving States) and migration studies (such as the bias of “methodological nationalism”). 2) Transnationalism can be seen as a relevant aspect of migrants’ agency and networking. 3) Transnationalism can (and should) be seen in connection to globalization and mobility studies: in particular, it needs to be put into the framework of an increasing stratification of mobility rights, and, at the same time, it can be interpreted as a form of “globalization from below”. 4) Convergence and divergence between transnational and diaspora studies will be discussed. 5) A distinction between transnational practices and transnational belongings will also be tackled, leading to identify different forms of transnationalism.