This book analyses the diverse and complex interactions between the emancipatory practices of precarious (i.e. forced, vulnerable, undocumented or deported) migrants enabled by information and communication technologies, and the constraints imposed by technological tools used for surveillance and migration control. It explores the digital empowerment-control nexus by articulating the use of digital technologies - whether by migrants themselves, civil society actors or institutions - with their mediating role in the processes of empowerment, surveillance and migration control. Based on original empirical studies, the chapters bring contrasting and complementary insights into the use of digital technologies as agentic and/or surveillance tools in different national and supranational contexts (Turkey, Mexico, the United States, Switzerland, France, Romania, Greece and the European Union) and from different disciplinary perspectives (anthropology, sociology, geography, media studies, law and deportation studies). Using different theoretical lenses, they demonstrate the varying degrees of (dis)entanglement between individual and institutional practices, at micro and macro levels. Helping readers to understand the ambivalent role of digital technologies in (forced) migration processes, The Digital Empowerment-Control Nexus can be used as a resource by students, researchers, practitioners and policymakers interested in digitally mediated migration practices and migration regimes. It was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

This book analyses the diverse and complex interactions between the emancipatory practices of precarious (i.e. forced, vulnerable, undocumented or deported) migrants enabled by information and communication technologies, and the constraints imposed by technological tools used for surveillance and migration control.

Introduction: The Digital Border: The Techno-Symbolic Assemblages of Power -- The Outer Border: Assemblages of Humanitarian Securitization -- The Inner Border: Assemblages of Entrepreneurial Securitization -- The Inner Border as Networked Commons -- Narrative and Voice in News Stories -- Visibility and Responsibility in News Imagery -- Subaltern Voice and Digital Resistance -- Conclusion: The Crisis Imaginary: The Digital Border and Its Crises.

This book examines the large-scale return migration of South and Southeast Asian workers triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring its causes, consequences, challenges, and policy responses. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a global phenomenon emerged - the mass repatriation of migrant workers. This book offers a meticulous examination of this unprecedented migration reversal in South and Southeast Asia. Through the contributions of researchers spanning multiple geographies in prominent corridors of return, the book dissects the motivations behind this large-scale exodus, encompassing lost livelihoods and societal anxieties. Further, the book delves into the multifaceted challenges return migrants face, including the reintegration into their home economies and the arduous struggle for re-employment. The analysis also extends beyond individual experiences by meticulously exploring the broader socioeconomic repercussions on sending countries, along with a critical evaluation of government policies designed to facilitate the reintegration of this displaced population. Drawing upon diverse academic perspectives, this comprehensive volume serves as a vital resource for scholars and policymakers alike. It illuminates the pandemic's profound social and economic consequences, fostering a deeper understanding of migration patterns and the future of work in the post-COVID era. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

This book showcases the potential of computational approaches for research questions at the heart of migration and integration research via a set of original, cutting-edge empirical studies by a diverse, international team of authors. Why do people emigrate? Do weather conditions and climate change affect decisions to migrate? How do migration networks evolve on a global scale? Can we predict refugee movements? How do host communities respond to the influx of refugees? Do right-wing populist parties get stronger where lots of refugees are located? Do terror attacks lead to more hostility towards immigrants? What mechanisms explain neighborhood ethnic segregation? The collection of studies in this book harnesses the power of an emerging interdisciplinary research field known as computational social science to shed new light on such classic questions of migration and integration research. The cutting-edge empirical studies use a wide range of computational approaches, from agent-based modeling and network analysis to machine learning, natural language processing, and advanced spatial methods and cover detailed spatial, textual, and network data from both online and offline sources. The book thus demonstrates the potential of computational approaches for migration and integration research, while also discussing the challenges that arise in this emerging field. This book will be an invaluable resource for researchers, students of sociology, ethnic and migration studies, international politics, and computational social science. It was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

Temporariness has become an increasingly salient feature in international migration that presents itself as fragmented, non-linear, including different intermediate stops and multiple returns and new departures. This book proposes a new analytical framework that brings together the role of policies defining migrants as temporary and the role of migrant’s own agency in perceiving their migration project as temporary or permanent. The proposed analytical framework is conceived taking into account both low-skill and high-skilled, legal and irregular migratory flows, and also different visa and citizenship regimes. The aim of this book is to highlight the interplay between the lived reality and the policy and legal concepts on temporary migration and point out to the tensions and contradictions inherent in the latter. Contributions to this book cover different country cases including Canada, Australia, Nepal, Taiwan and Germany, Italy, Russia, and several former Soviet Republics as well as a variety of sectors ranging from opera singers to construction and domestic workers. This book will be a key resource for academics, researchers, and advanced students of sociology, politics, law, migration studies, and ethnic and racial studies. It was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

The book provides a holistic review, presenting a multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary, international, and evidence-based approach to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in migration. The book brings together different views and multifaceted responses to ICT-based migration management, examining their overlap, conflict, and synergies. The book is a major addition to the field, tackling important debates concerning humanitarianism and securitization in the reception of migrants, as well as exploring the role of digital technology in aiding migrant integration. The authors explore contentious areas such as the use of new technologies deployed on borders for migration management and border security under the umbrella of smart border solutions including drones, AI algorithms, and face recognition, which are widely criticized for ignoring the fundamental human rights of migrants. The research presented will depart from the euphoric appraisals that technology has made things easier for migrants and those who assist them, to critically examine the bane and boon, benefits and afflictions, highlighting the barriers, as well as the solutions, including several under-researched aspects of digital surveillance and the digital divide. This edited volume has been developed by the MIICT project, funded under the EU Horizon 2020 Action and Innovation programme, under grant agreement No 822380. Provides a positive approach to the integration of migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees using Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions Offers a strategic approach to providing digital services for migrants at an EU, national and local level Bridges the gap between academia and front-line practitioners’ work by providing theoretical, policy, ethical, and methodological recommendations