Friction in mobilities: Migrating to escape

Nguyen Hong Chi

doi:10.46223/HCMCOUJS.econ.en.9.1.173.2019

Abstract

This study investigates professional migration from Vietnam to Australia and discusses one set of migration decisions previously published by Nguyen (2015). By analysing the migration decisions made by 15 Vietnamese migrant students under multiple intersecting influences, the study conceptualizes decision-making processes using Heideggerian terms friction and possibilities. This paper contributes to findings by previous research in that migration decisions are neither formed by pushes from the sending country nor pulls from the receiving country. Instead, migrants are regarded as active agents striving to manoeuvre their ontological beings by realizing interrelated possibilities out of constraints caused by their encounters with political, economic, social and familial structures that shape their aspirations for migration.

Keywords

friction; Heideggerian phenomenology; migration decisions; possibilities; skilled migration

Full Text:

PDF

References

Avery, D. R. (1993). Vietnam in 1992: Win some; lose some. Asian Survey, 33(1), 67-74. doi:10.2307/2645288

Balaz, V., & Williams, A. M. (2004). “Been there, done that”: International student migration and human capital transfers from the UK to Slovakia. Population, Space and Place, 10(3), 217-237. doi:10.1002/psp.316

Castles, S. (2010). Understanding global migration: A social transformation perspective. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 36(10), 1565-1586. doi:10.1080/1369183X.2010.489381

Cope, J. (2011). Entrepreneurial learning from failure: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of Business Venturing, 26(6), 604-623. doi:10.1016/j.jbusvent.2010.06.002

Cresswell, T. (2013, November). Friction. Paper presented at Theorizing mobilities in/from Asia Conference, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore.

Dall’Alba, G. (2009). Learning professional ways of being: Ambiguities of becoming. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 41(1), 34-45. doi:10.1111/j.1469-5812.2008.00475.x

Dang, A. N. (2007, May). Labour export from Vietnam: Issues of policy and practice. Paper presented at the 8th International Conference of Asia Pacific Migration Research Network (APMRN), Fuzhou, China.

Dang, A. N., Tacoli, C., & Hoang, T. X. (2003, December). Migration in Vietnam: A review of information on current trends and patterns, and their policy implications. Paper presented at the Regional Conference on Migration, Development and Pro-Poor Policy Choices in Asia, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Dang, A. N., Tran, T. B., Nguyen, N. Q., & Dao, T. S. (2010). Development on the move – Measuring and optimizing migration’s economic and social impacts in Vietnam (Country Report, Global Development Network). Retrieved March 20, 2018, from https://eccovietnam.wordpress.com/2010/04/03/development-on-the-move-measuring-and-optimizing-migration%e2%80%99s-economic-and-social-impacts/

Dukes, S. (1984). Phenomenological methodology in the human sciences. Journal of Religion and Health, 23(3), 197-203. doi:10.1007/BF00990785

Favell, A., Feldblum, M., & Smith, M. P. (2007). The human face of global mobility: A research agenda. Society, 44(2), 15-25. doi:10.1007/BF02819922

Fforde, A. (2013). Vietnam in 2012: The end of the party. Asian Survey, 53(1), 101-108. doi:10.1525/as.2013.53.1.101

Glaser, W. A. (1978). The brain drain: Emigration and return. Oxford, UK: Pergamon Press.

Glick-Schiller, N., Basch, L., & Blanc-Szanton, C. (1999). Transnationalism: A new analytical framework for understanding migration. In S. Vertovec, & R. Cohen, (Eds.), Migration, diaspora and transnationalism (pp. 26-49). Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1992.tb33484.x

Gribble, C. (2011). National policies on skilled labour and the cross-border student market, with a focus on Vietnam. In S. Marginson, S. Kaur, & E. Sawir (Eds.), Higher education in the Asia-Pacific: Strategic responses to globalization (pp. 291-307). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-1500-4_15

Hanifi, S. M. (2006). Material and social remittances to Afghanistan. In C. G. Wescott, & J. M. Brinkerhoff, (Eds.), Converting migration drains into gains: Harnessing the resources of overseas professionals (pp. 98-126). Manila, Philippines: Asian Development Bank.

Hazen, H. D., & Alberts, H. C. (2006). Visitors or immigrants? International students in the United States. Population, Space and Place, 12(3), 201-216. doi:10.1002/psp.409

Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and time (J. Macquarrie, & E. Robinson, Trans.). London, UK: SCM Press.

Hoy, D. C. (1993). Heidegger and the hermeneutic turn. In C. B. Guignon (Ed.), The Cambridge companion to Heidegger (pp. 170-194). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Hunger, U. (2002). The brain gain hypothesis: Third world elites in industrialized countries and socioeconomic development in their home country. San Diego, CA: The Centre for Comparative Immigration Studies, The University of California.

Jazayery, L. (2002). The migration-development nexus: Afghanistan case study. International Migration, 40(5), 231-254. doi:10.1111/1468-2435.00218

Kaufman, D., & Wei, S.-J. (1999). Does “grease money” speed up the wheels of commerce? NBER Working Paper No. 7093. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.

Kindleberger, C. P. (1968). Study abroad and emigration. In W. Adams (Ed.), The brain drain (pp.135-155) . New York, NY: Macmillan.

Le, H. H. (2012, November 6). Vietnam’s fight against corruption: A self-defeating effort? East Asia Forum. Retrieved April 20, 2018, from East Asia Forum website: https://www.eastasiaforum.org/ 2012/11/06/vietnams-fight-against-corruption-a-self-defeating-effort/

Ley, D., & Kobayashi, A. (2005). Back to Hong Kong: Return migration or transnational sojourn? Global Networks, 5(2), 111-127. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0374.2005.00110.x

Li, F. L. N., Findlay, A. M., Jowett, A. J., & Skeldon, R. (1996). Migrating to learn and learning to migrate: A study of the experiences and intentions of international student migrants. International Journal of Population Geography, 2(1), 51-67. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1099-1220(199603)2:1<51::AID-IJPG17>3.0.CO;2-B

Lorenzo, F. M. E., Galvez-Tan, J., Icamina, K., & Javier, L. (2007). Nurse migration from a source country perspective: Philippine country case study. Health Services Research, 42(3), 1406-1418. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6773.2007.00716.x

Ha Mi (2013). Why do Vietnam’s patients bribe their doctors? Retrieved February 20, 2018, from BBC News Asia website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23237285

Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (2012). A review of Vietnamese migration abroad. Retrieved March 20, 2018, from http://eeas.europa.eu/archives/delegations/vietnam/documents/eu_vietnam/vn_migration_abroad_en.pdf

Nguyen, C. V., & Mont, D. (2012). Economic impacts of international migration and remittances on household welfare in Vietnam. International Journal of Development Issues, 11 (2), 144-163. doi:10.1108/14468951211241137

Nguyen, H. C. (2005). To stay or to return? Brain drain or brain gain? (Unpublished master’s thesis). The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Nguyen, H. C. (2013). Vietnamese international student mobility: Past and current trends. Asian Education and Development Studies, 2(2), 127-148. doi:10.1108/20463161311321411

Nguyen, H. C. (2014). Development and brain drain. Migration and Development Journal, 3(2), 181-202. doi:10.1080/21632324.2014.883243

Nguyen, H. C. (2015). Transnational mobilities of Australia-educated and domiciled professional migrants from Vietnam (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. doi:10.14264/uql.2015.1020

Nguyen, P. T., Tran, T. N. T. M., Nguyen, N. T., & Oostendorp, R. (2008). Determinants and impacts of migration in Vietnam (Depocen Working Paper Series No. 2008/01). Retrieved March 25, 2018, from http://www.depocenwp.org/upload/pubs/TranNgoMinhTam/Determinants%20and%20Impacts%20of%20Migration%20in%20Vietnam_DEPOCENWP.pdf

O’Reilly, K. (2012). International migration and social theory. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

Ong, A. (1999). Flexible citizenship: The cultural logics of globalization. London, UK: Duke University Press.

Rao, G. L. (1979). Brain drain and foreign students. Brisbane, Queensland: The University of Queensland Press.

Robertson, S. K. (2007, March). Escape, engagement and ethics. The human face of brain drain from the student-turned-migrant perspective. Paper presented at Education without Borders 2011, UAE. Retrieved March 25, 2018, from http://ewb.hct.ac.ae/2007/student-papers/brain-drain-student-turned-migrant-perspective/

Rogers, R. (1992). The politics of migration in the contemporary world. International Migration, 30 (s1), 33-55. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2435.1992.tb00774.x

Smith, J. A. (2004). Reflecting on the development interpretative phenomenological analysis and its contribution to qualitative research in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 1(1), 39-54.

Smith, M. P. (2005). Transnational urbanism revisited. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 31(2), 235-244. doi:10.1080/1369183042000339909

Tansel, A., & Gungor, N. D. (2003). “Brain drain” from Turkey: Survey evidence of student non-return. Career Development International, 8(2), 52-69. doi:10.2139/ssrn.441160

Thanh Quang (2013). Chống tham nhũng ở Việt Nam là tự sát? [Fight against corruption means suicide]. Retrieved April 25, 2018, from http://www.rfa.org/vietnamese/indepth/vn-fight-corrupt-is-kill-himself-01142013124432.html

The Central Government. (2005). The anti-corruption law. Hanoi, Vietnam: The Central Government. Retrieved April 27, 2018, from http://www.chinhphu.vn/portal/page/portal/chinhphu/hethongvanban? class _id=1&mode=detail&document_id=29335

Transparency International. (2013). Corruption perceptions index 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2018, from http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2013/results/

Transparency International. (2018). Corruption perceptions index 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2018, from https://www.transparency.org/country/VNM

Tsing, A. (2005). Friction: An ethnography of global connection. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Vu, A. (2013). Why is corruption in police always ranked the top? Retrieved April 22, 2018, from http://www.rfa.org/vietnamese/in_depth/y-poli-top-corruption-07212013055531.html

Wickramasekara, P. (2002). Asian labour migration: Issues and challenges in an era of globalization (International Migration Papers, No 57). Retrieved April 27, 2018, from https://www.ilo.org/asia/publications/WCMS_160632/lang--en/index.htm

DOI: https://doi.org/10.46223/HCMCOUJS.econ.en.9.1.173.2019

9 (1) 2019

Friction in mobilities: Migrating to escape

Abstract

Keywords

Full Text:

References