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Patterns of Translocality: Migration, Livelihoods and Identities in Northwest Namibia

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Greiner, C. Patterns of Translocality: Migration, Livelihoods and Identities in Northwest Namibia. Sociologus, 60(2), 131-161. https://doi.org/10.3790/soc.60.2.131
Greiner, Clemens "Patterns of Translocality: Migration, Livelihoods and Identities in Northwest Namibia" Sociologus 60.2, , 131-161. https://doi.org/10.3790/soc.60.2.131
Greiner, Clemens: Patterns of Translocality: Migration, Livelihoods and Identities in Northwest Namibia, in: Sociologus, vol. 60, iss. 2, 131-161, [online] https://doi.org/10.3790/soc.60.2.131

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Patterns of Translocality: Migration, Livelihoods and Identities in Northwest Namibia

Greiner, Clemens

Sociologus, Vol. 60 (2010), Iss. 2 : pp. 131–161

34 Citations (CrossRef)

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1Dr. Clemens Greiner, Institute of Social Anthropology, University of Cologne Albertus-Magnus-Platz, 50923 Köln, Germany.

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Abstract

Social relations in Namibia's southern Kunene region are shaped by translocal patterns of migration, exchange and identity. Young people move to urban areas for schooling and work, older family members return to the countryside upon retirement to take care of the livestock and the rural homesteads. These movements are accompanied by remittances and resource transfers, critical for securing livelihoods in rural as well as in urban contexts. People experience movement between households from childhood on, and many migrants develop identities that combine rural and urban lifestyles. Still, the rural homes remain the symbolic, social and economic center for most migrants. Based on data from multi-sited fieldwork, this article examines the emergence and current patterns of migration, exchange and identity formation. The author outlines a translocal perspective and argues that, in order to deepen our understanding of these dynamics, it might be productive to borrow insights from recent studies of transnationalism.

Zusammenfassung

Soziale Beziehungen in Namibias südlicher Kunene-Region sind durch Muster translokaler Migration, Austausch und Identität geprägt. Für die Schulausbildung und zur Erwerbstätigkeit ziehen die Jungen in die städtischen Gebiete, die Alten kehren zurück aufs Land, wo sie sich um die Viehzucht und die Höfe kümmern. Diese Bewegungen werden von Ressourcentransfers begleitet, die einen wichtigen Beitrag zum Haushaltsbudget in Land und Stadt darstellen. Mobilität wird von Kindesbeinen auf erlernt, und viele Migranten entwickeln Identitäten, die ländliche und urbane Lebensstile vereinen. Dennoch stellt die ländliche Heimat das symbolische, soziale und ökonomische Zentrum für viele Migranten dar. Auf Grundlage ethnographischer Daten aus Stadt und Land analysiert dieser Beitrag Entstehung und gegenwärtige Muster von Migration, Austausch und Identitätskonstruktion. Der Autor entwickelt eine translokale Perspektive und argumentiert, dass es hilfreich ist, auf Erkenntnisse der jüngeren Transnationalismus-Forschung zurück zu greifen, um diese Dynamiken besser verstehen zu können.