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25 March 2020

Transnationalism and Belonging: The Case of Moroccan Entrepreneurs in Amsterdam and Milan

Title

This article, published in the academic journal Social Inclusion, examines Moroccan migrant entrepreneurship in Amsterdam and Milan. The article compares transnational migrant entrepreneurs, whose business is based on cross-border relationships and exchanges, with domestic migrant entrepreneurs, who are active exclusively in the destination country.

The research shows that transnational entrepreneurs differ from domestic entrepreneurs mostly in terms of socio-relational transnational involvement. On the other hand, transnational entrepreneurship does not substantially change migrants’ sense of belonging to different countries and groups.

The article sheds light on the question of whether and how transnational economic activities, including entrepreneurship, influence migrants’ identities and sense of belonging. A recurrent, sometimes implicit idea in public and political discourse about migrant transnationalism is that transnational involvement facilitates identification with origin communities and co-ethnic groups at the expense of receiving countries and societies. This would allegedly promote mixed loyalties that are in contrast with the principles of citizenship in destination countries.

The authors’ findings do not support this idea, showing that Moroccan transnational entrepreneurs maintain similar types of identities and sense of belonging as domestic entrepreneurs. In policymaking, this suggests that transnational entrepreneurship could be supported as a viable migrant adaptation strategy that would not be in conflict with migrants’ “loyalty” to destination countries.

Transnationalism and Belonging: The Case of Moroccan Entrepreneurs in Amsterdam and Milan
English
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Details

Authors
Giacomo Solano, Raffaele Vacca, Matteo Gagliolo, Dirk Jacobs
Geographic area
EU Wide
Contributor type
Academics and experts
Original source
Posted by
Monica Li
Content manager

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