Identifier: TDX:1450
Authors: Gallego Ranedo, Carmen
Abstract:
OF DOCTORAL THESIS<br/><br/> <br/>'African Immigration in Saragossa. Space, Discourse and Memory in Migratory Processes in Aragon'. <br/><br/>By: Carmen GALLEGO RANEDO<br/>Supervisor: Joan Josep PUJADAS MUÑOZ<br/><br/><br/>Overall objective: to establish what the migratory processes are in Aragon, specifically immigration of African origin into Zaragoza. <br/><br/>Emigration/immigration is understood as a dynamic, constantly evolving process.<br/><br/> These current migratory circuits are looked at in a transnational context, taking into account structural inequalities between southern hemisphere countries as opposed to northern.<br/><br/>Having taken account of decisions taken by the individual, the importance of a basic social network, a real mediating agency between the individual and social systems, is acknowledged. Gender-specific perspective is also examined. In order to understand current international migratory processes one must look at issues of macro- as well as microstructures, the individual and the collective dimensions, the society of origin and the receiving society.<br/><br/>From a structural point of view, Aragon is both a place to emigrate to and also a place in which to reside, a place where the imbalances and contradictions of the capitalist system serve to both attract and drive away many people. There is a migratory continuum, a process of population haemorrage from rural to urban areas, which further increases the already existing macrocephalalgia in Zaragoza. In the current situation we can see how previous, older patterns of internal migration are being replaced by immigration from other countries. Foreign immigration into Aragon consists in the main of young males, a minority of whom will settle in agricultural areas, but who will in the main settle in the city of Zaragoza itself. <br/><br/> Another aspect of the research is the discourse surrounding the presence of the Other in our midst. Two main sources of discourse have been analysed: the media in general, and more specifically, regional/local press, the conclusion arrived at being that the latter are not only mechanisms contributing to the creation of public opinion, but also a mirror of our society.<br/><br/>The last 3 chapters are given over to the analysis of the discourse of those African immigrants resident in the city of Zaragoza. Their migratory processes are described, analysed and compared, using their personal accounts of their experiences, which have revealed the importance of migratory memory and the various strategies adopted for occupying both social and physical space. The thesis looks at the past of these people, as being the location in which the decision to emigrate is taken: it has thus been possible to identify a range of causal factors which help paint a picture of the world in which people feel pressured to undertake journeys from which they may never return. The moment of transit, of crossing geographical borders, is also described and interpreted, as is the vital significance of crossing symbolic frontiers. <br/><br/>Finally, close attention is paid to the place of reception, Zaragoza being the location in which it has been possible to reach an appreciation of the strategies adopted in order to establish identity, to deal with difficulties encountered, to deal with the realities to which people have to adapt, and to observe the various survival mechanisms of immigration.
Repositori URV