Migration, Transnationalism and Development in South-East Europe and the Black Sea Region

The Southeast Europe and Black Sea region presents fertile terrain for examining recent international migration trends. The contributions to this book cover a range of examples, from Ukraine and Moldova in the north, to Greece and Albania in the south. By intersecting the three key concepts of migration, transnationalism and development, they offer new insights based on original empirical research. A wide range of types of migration can be observed in this region: large-scale emigration in many countries, recent mass immigration in the case of Greece, return migration, internal migration, internal and external forced migration, irregular migration, brain drain etc. These migratory phenomena occur within the context of EU migration policies and EU accession for some countries. Yet within this shifting migration landscape of migrant stocks and flows, the fundamental economic geography of different wealth levels and work opportunities is what drives most migration, now as in the past. This book was previously published as a special issue of Southeast European and Black Sea Studies.

Russell King is Professor of Geography in the School of Global Studies, University of Sussex, and Visiting Professor in Migration Studies at Malmö University. His research interests range widely across the general field of Migration Studies, and include special interests and research projects on return migration, social integration, remittances, gender, international retirement migration and international student migration. In terms of regions, the main focus has been on Europe, the Mediterranean and the Balkan areas. Maja Povrzanovi- Frykman is Professor of Ethnology at the Department of Global Political Studies at Malmö University, affiliated to the Malmö Institute for Studies of Migration, Diversity and Welfare. Her migration-related research focuses on concepts and practices in the domains of diaspora and transnationalism, highly skilled migrants, and material practices. Julie Vullnetari is Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Southampton. She holds a DPhil in Migration Studies from the University of Sussex where she also worked as a post-doctoral research fellow for several years. Her research interests span a range of migration-related areas such as the dynamics of development, intersectionality, ageing and care.

1. Migration, transnationalism and development on the Southeastern flank of Europe 2. Hierarchies and categorical power in cross-border science: analysing scientists' transnational mobility between Ukraine and Germany 3. Scientific diasporas, transnationalism and home-country development: evidence from a study of skilled Moldovans abroad 4. Welfare through migrant work: what if the Romanian 'safety valve' closes? 5. Variation in transnationalism among Eastern European migrants in Italy: the role of duration of residence and integration 6. The migration-development nexus in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Center for Local Development and Diaspora seen 'from below' 7. Albanian-speaking transnational populations in Switzerland: continuities and shifts 8. Migration, remittances and socio-cultural dynamics: the case of Albanians from the Republic of Macedonia 9. Social development and transnational households: resilience and motivation for Albanian immigrants in Greece in the era of economic crisis 10. Transnational actors in national contexts: migrant organizations in Greece in comparative perspective