Title: The condition of being in transit: decision making, vulnerabilities and long-term implications for integration

Authors: Brigitte Suter

Addresses: Malmö Institute for Studies of Migration, Diversity and Welfare (MIM), Malmö University, Niagara, Nordenskiöldsgatan 1, 20506 Malmö, Sweden

Abstract: Aspasia Papadopoulou was one of the first scholars to engage with transit migration. Her book Transit Migration - The Missing Link Between Emigration and Settlement which appeared almost a decade ago was the first academic book on the topic. In this interview, she reflects on her findings, and discusses their relevance today both for policy making and for academic research. The interview includes a specific focus on the so-called refugee crisis of autumn 2015, and the emergence of 'new' transit countries in South-Eastern Europe. The central argument of this article is that transit is a condition, rather than a category, and that the way migrants experience transit directly impact on the terms on which to establish a new life in a third country.

Keywords: transit migration; transit condition; transit countries; integration; vulnerability; transnationalism; policies; networks; categorisation; decision making; migrants; immigrants; migrant experience.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMBS.2017.083243

International Journal of Migration and Border Studies, 2017 Vol.3 No.2/3, pp.228 - 234

Published online: 22 Mar 2017 *

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