Globalisation has given rise to new and intensified transnational and translocal relationships. This is reflected in the rise and intensification of a range of mobilities of individuals and communities. In the 'age of migration', workers... more
Globalisation has given rise to new and intensified transnational and translocal relationships. This is reflected in the rise and intensification of a range of mobilities of individuals and communities. In the 'age of migration', workers in varied skill sectors, investors, tourists, students, (health) care providers and seekers etc. are moving across and within national borders and living in transnational/translocal spaces more than ever before. New and/or intensified flows and circulations of people (bundled with other non-human flows) are contributing to rapid transformations in all parts of the world. Human mobility has indeed become one of the most important stratifying factors in this time of globalisation. While there is a global competition for so-called skilled migrants and talented students creating smooth pathways for some movers, other migrants looking for humanitarian protection face hard borders and long asylum procedures in their migration processes. This 2-day Workshop focuses on the politics of mobility and examines the nature of different types of mobilities and their impact on human development in our urbanising world. The Workshop considers the importance of place, space and temporalities. It encourages in particular a translocal perspective to interrogate the causes, nature and impact of migration and mobilities, paying attention to the contexts of and processes in migrants' places of origin, destinations and on the road.
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Introduced over a decade ago and considered largely successful by irrigation professionals, Irrigation Management Transfer and Participatory Irrigation Management (IMT/PIM) policies were recently reviewed and seen to have... more
ABSTRACT Introduced over a decade ago and considered largely successful by irrigation professionals, Irrigation Management Transfer and Participatory Irrigation Management (IMT/PIM) policies were recently reviewed and seen to have resulted in more cases of “failure” than “success”. Primary research on two IMT/PIM projects in Nepal, which were among the few “successes” in the assessment supporting a “failed” PIM, shows how such policy-driven evaluations, when defining success, overlook incongruities between policies, institutions, and the evolving dynamics around class, caste, ethnicity, and gender. Without exploring the dynamics of practice, the process of “cultivating” success and/or failure in evaluations provides little insight on how irrigation management works on the ground.
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Through investigating the reactions of commercial farmers to land and water reforms in the Trichardtsdal-Ofcolaco area, Limpopo Province, Olifants Basin, South Africa, from 1997 to 2006, it is shown that water claims are key to... more
ABSTRACT Through investigating the reactions of commercial farmers to land and water reforms in the Trichardtsdal-Ofcolaco area, Limpopo Province, Olifants Basin, South Africa, from 1997 to 2006, it is shown that water claims are key to land redistribution processes, and that commercial farmers make strategic use of arguments for nature conservation and ecological stewardship to defend their claims to water. Given these observations, caution is warranted with respect to the implementation of land and water reforms as separate policy packages; it may be more effective to design water and conservation policies as an integral part of land reform programmes.