Transnationalism

Migration is increasingly transnational, i.e., immigrants maintain frequent economic, social, and political relations with their countries of origin and each other co-nationals in different countries, thus increasing the complexity and impact of migratory movements. Monetary remittances are one transnational relationship established between immigrants and their societies of origin. As important are social remittances, such as ideas, behaviors, and values that, just like economic remittances, constantly come and go, challenging notions of borders and rigid national cultures. 

According to Peggy Levitt, a well-known scholar and a pioneer in this field, “the presupposition that people live their lives in one place, in accordance with one set of national and cultural norms, in countries with impermeable national borders, no longer applies” (Levitt, 2001). As transnationals, immigrants engage in cross-border activities, thereby building “social fields” – relatively stable, durable, and densely interconnected – that connect their countries of origin to those where they live. These connections are built through the circulation of ideas, information, products, and money, in addition to the movement of people. At any given moment, immigrants are settled firmly in a particular place – Boston or London, for example – but their daily lives are closely linked, interconnected, and dependent on people and resources elsewhere.