The general objective of this paper is to explore the scientific knowledge produced on the topic of migration in/from African or Arab countries. More specifically, it attempts to identify how different features of the current international division of scientific labour can be illustrated by an examination of the research conducted on migration in/from African and Arab countries. Two main aspects are explored: the role that Arab and African academic communities play in the production of knowledge on migration; and the research priorities among ‘Western and non-Western’ academics. Articles published between the years 2000 and 2010 in three main journals specialized in migration studies are analysed in order to discuss to a certain extent the setting of a hegemonic scientific agenda on international migration which mainly reflects West European and North American concerns. Two main conclusions are drawn: (1) the quasi-absence of scholars from Arab and African academic institutions in mainstream journals is one of the factors explaining the focus of published research on topics relevant to ‘Western’ societies (mainly the insertion process in European and North American countries); and (2) important dimensions of migration dynamics in Arab and African countries are being neglected.

Introduction

If African migration has for a long time been under-researched in the social sciences, there is by now a growing interest in this topic in the academic community as well as it featuring on political – specifically European – policy agendas. Since the year 2000, the European Commission has, for instance, granted an increasing proportion of its funding to projects on migration developed in Africa (EC, EuropAid 2006; Kabbanji 2013). Several research projects are also being conducted in Europe on African migration. The interest in studying Arab migrations is also increasing, particularly in the wake of recent revolts in the Arab world. Indeed, several conferences have been held since 2011 addressing the topic of migration and Arab revolts.1 However, it seems that very few scholars from African and Arab countries are involved in the international knowledge production on migration if we observe their low participation in international conferences or contribution to key references in migration studies.

The general objective of this paper is to explore the scientific knowledge produced on the topic of migration in/from African or Arab countries. More specifically, four main questions are being addressed:

  • Who are the scholars producing knowledge on migration in/from African and Arab countries?
  • Which populations are being studied?
  • What are the main topics addressed by the publications analysed?
  • What kind of data and methodologies are used to produce knowledge on migration in/from African and Arab countries?

 

Read full text here  Producing scientific knowledge on migration- perspectives on African and Arab countries

Keywords:

Knowledge production

Migration

Arab countries

African countries

Social sciences

Academics

 

You may also like this book The Epistemology of Human Sciences in the Arab Thought and the Contemporary Western Thought

#CAUS #centre_for_arab_unity_studies #migration #studies_on_migration #African_countries #Arab_countries #social_sciences #knowledge_on_migration #migration_from_Africa #migration_from_Arab_countries #Knowledge_production #methodologies #academics

academics African countries Arab countries knowledge production migration social sciences