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, Margarita León Ramon-Borja (secret.) , Margit Fauser (voc.) Migrants and migrant organisations are civic and political actors of increasing interest in social science and policy forums as well as in governmental and civil society settings. Yet, at the academic level, there is still a theoretical and empirical challenge concerning how to tackle an analysis of the power hierarchies in which migrants are embedded. Indeed, this is particularly the case when considering migrant collective agency within transnational perspectives. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to these debates by analysing to what degree organisations from the same migrant groups have different levels of agency when performing translocally. The thesis shows that tendencies to think about (civic and political) agency as a function of place and policy structures tends to disregard other internal dimensions that affect the collectives. The main questions that this research addresses are: Which institutional factors and migrant assets underpin the agency of migrant associations? How does the agency of migrant associations change across transnational processes? The agency of migrant associations is operationalized as having two dimensions: a) presence: the legitimacy and visibility of migrant associations; and b) weight: the capacity to influence the governance of civic and political affairs. The research adapts power frameworks from development studies to the analysis of migrant agency in order to analyse the relations between structure and agency factors affecting migrants. Thus, while migrant transnational engagement has been looked at in studies of transnational politics, this thesis seeks to contribute to our understanding of the agency of migrants by drawing on concepts of power and agency from development studies. I contend that the agency of migrant associations is an outcome of migrant associations’ assets and (formal and informal) institutions affecting these associations in codevelopment processes.
To answer these main questions, the research draws upon codevelopment processes linking Senegalese migrant associations and localities in Catalonia and Senegal (in Kolda and Dakar). The research focuses on this extreme case to unpack regional variations in policy environment, and differences within the Senegalese community, in order to see how these factors relate to the agency of migrant associations. In accordance with this design, three main arguments guide the research.
First, I argue that policy environments affect how the agency of migrant associations changes across localities within the same region and translocally. Different findings support this argument. Regarding localities in residence, results suggest that even though nurturing codevelopment may be a strategy to overcome more exclusionary local contexts regarding migrant civic engagement, this type of policy approach does not necessarily lead to more visibility of migrant associations. In the context of the country origin, it is found that – consistent with approaches that show awareness of the problems state penetration can have at local levels in Senegal, hometown transnationalism may be 'under the radar' when observing regional and municipal dynamics. Moreover, the findings show contrasting perceptions of the legitimacy of migrant associations in localities of residence or (rural) origin. Overall, migrant associations have less presence in Kolda than in the other localities at the municipal level.
The second argument is that the assets of the migrant associations (human, organisational and financial) influence their presence in origin and residence contexts. The analysis of assets uncovers the civic and political presence of migrant associations in Kolda that remained invisible when analysing formal institutions at municipal and regional levels. The findings support the importance of factors such as level of education or gender for migrant transnationalism. However, research shows how the informal institutions affecting societies in Senegal - such as allegiance/nobility systems, chieftaincy and kin systems - traverse assets and consequently affect the agency of migrant associations.
The third argument of the research is based on an analysis of the relationship between assets and weight of migrant associations in origin. According to the results, I argue that although codevelopment processes do lead to presence of migrant associations in origin - expressed either through more formal or assets-based mechanisms, at different governance levels including the village - it is rare for them to challenge social inequalities.
The theoretical framework helps reveal these dynamics, and opens the possibility of analysing the agency of migrant associations in different groups and contexts. By bridging empowerment and agency frameworks of analysis with structure-agency debates in migration studies, the framework aims to enhance the dialogue between these fields of knowledge.
