‘You get a better life here’: social in/security and migration in a time of geopolitical transformations

Kay, R. (2020) ‘You get a better life here’: social in/security and migration in a time of geopolitical transformations. Scottish Affairs, 29(3), pp. 305-320. (doi: 10.3366/scot.2020.0325)

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Abstract

This paper is not about Brexit and yet it is. It presents findings from a project which explored the ways in which experiences of material and emotional in/security have shaped the decision-making and choices of people who came to live in Scotland from Central and Eastern Europe over the period 2004–2014. Their stories reveal much about the ways in which apparently monumental moments of geopolitical change resonate in longer-term lived experiences of transformation. The analysis foregrounds the often mutually constitutive influence of material and emotional in/securities in people's experiences of and decisions regarding migration and settlement. It demonstrates the linkages between these and wider questions of representation and entitlement which can feed into a (lacking) sense of deserving presence. It explores the complex relationship between the past, present and future which provide rationales and justifications for sometimes difficult decisions and experiences. Based on research largely undertaken before the referendum had even been announced the papers arguments and findings resonate closely with an emerging literature on Brexit and its consequences.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Kay, Professor Rebecca
Authors: Kay, R.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Central and East European Studies
Journal Name:Scottish Affairs
Publisher:Edinburgh University Press
ISSN:0966-0356
ISSN (Online):2053-888X
Copyright Holders:Copyright © Edinburgh University Press
First Published:First published in Scottish Affairs 29(3):305-320
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy
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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
190506Experiences of Social Security and Prospects for Long Term Settlement in Scotland amongst Migrant Populations from Central Eastern Europe and Former Soviet UnionRebecca KayEconomic and Social Research Council (ESRC)ES/J007374/1S&PS - Central and East European Studies