The Migrant Suitcase: examining the flow of norms, practices, identities and social capital between India and the Netherlands

Principal researcher

dr. Ajay Bailey and prof. Inge Hutter (Groningen, Netherlands)

Sandhya Mahapatro and Prof. K. S. James (ISEC, India)

Period

2013-2014

Funding

Funded by NWO-WOTRO under the programme 'Migration, Development and Conflict'

Summary

We aim to understand how social remittances are taken, brought back and transformed by Indian migrants, between India and the Netherlands. The development focus is not just on migrants and their families but also on diasporic philanthropy of migrants' NGOs. Building on extensive regional and thematic experience, we apply a multi-site-multi-method research approach linking migrants to their families in India. The methods include survey analysis, in-depth interviews, participatory visual methods and case studies of NGOs. This project will provide new insights into transformations of norms, identities and practices, and the accumulation of migration-related social capital for development.