The transnationalized social question and immigration policies: three comments and one question in regard to an outstanding study

The intervention finds three relevant points in Faist’s book. The first is the increasing selectivity of migration policies, highlighted by the “mobility paradox”, namely the tension between aspirations to find a better life abroad and political opportunities to migrate to the global North. The second point is the vision of social protection across borders, centred around four actors – state, market, household, civil society – at both sides of migratory movements. The author essentially elaborates the concept of “civil society” to refer to two subjects. The first regards migrants’ hometown associations, or more widely diasporic groups. NGOs or other actors in receiving countries which take charge of various migrants’ necessities are the second subject. I underline the necessity of recognizing, on the whole, their effort to establish a “debordering solidarity” against nationalist claims. The third point refers to the public role of intellectuals. I agree with his view that social scientific knowledge plays a crucial role in producing orientation and meaning