Migration and Class:

The central theme of this special issue is the relation between migration and class. For the purpose of this issue migration is defined as movement across a significant border that repositions migrants in social fields structured by class relations. Here, the working definition of class is positionality in such fields defined as distributions of value. Note that 'distribution' has two senses: the first refers to the uneven location of value in different persons and objects, while the second refers to the exchange--gain and loss--of embodied and impersonal value among persons. Thus, in addition to being locations within fields, class positions are also relational, in that any one class position is defined viz-a-viz others to which it gives up or from which it gains value. This positional and relational sense of class thus expands Marx's original meaning defined in terms of positions and social differentiation within a mode of production to a more general sense of positions within a field of unevenly distributed value. This issue is primarily concerned with how borders structure such distributions of value, viz., class relationships, and how migration replicates and alters them. We are also concerned with how such migration (class repositioning) affects different kinds of culturally constructed identities such as citizenship, ethnicity, gender, and race.

We invite submission of papers that deal with the above concerns and concepts. Priority will be given to papers that advance theoretical perspectives and that are illustrated with case studies or other substantive data. Suitable topics include:

--How migrants use migration to reposition themselves within transnational class structured fields of value and the cultural and political consequences of such migration. Instances of such cases are rural campesinos who migrate to become salaried workers, or to enter urban informal economies. Thus, Mexican teachers may migrate to California to do farm labor so as to improve their economic position in Mexico. A question that then arises is, how are the class positions of such migrants changed in such cases and how are such changes reflected in class consciousness and organizational form, if at all? And a related issue is how such migration induced class repositioning affects socially constructed identities such as gender, ethnicity, and race. Papers dealing with such aspects of identity politics are welcomed, provided that class positionality is a primary dimension in the analysis of the identity that is examined.

--The multi-cultural response to post-melting pot migration. What are the political and economic implications for class relations (as defined above) of the new tendency for migrants from Latin America to North America and to Europe, as well as among Latin American countries, to resist cultural assimilation? On one hand, such persistence of and indeed invention of ethnicity and national identity in the context of transnational migration can be seen as forms of class solidarity. But it is also possible that such cultural differentiation of identities serves to retain and even create the cultural diacritica that are necessary for class differentiation. Of special concern in this regard are the relationships between migration and racialization and de-racialization, and race relations in general, i.e. the varied receptions of Haitian and Dominican migrants and refugees in the United States, and the emergence of new forms of "indigenous" identities among Mexican and Guatemalan migrants in the United States. Also relevant here are papers dealing with the formation of transnational communities that in effect create novel economic, cultural, and political spaces that seem in some ways to transcend and blur national borders. Of interest here are papers that look at possible relations between such transnational communities and the formation in Latin American states of dual citizenship, autonomous regions, and multi-ethnic nations.

--How systems of formal and informal bordering and ordering serve to class(ify) migrants through the interaction of official legal and unofficial categories. Relevant here are relationships between migration, class dynamics, identities, and the changing contours of nation-sates as they alter definitions of citizenship and change their immigration and border policies. Appropriate papers might examine how the class positions of migrants and the cultural construction of their identities are affected by official immigration law and policy, legal and popular definitions of citizenship, the enforcement of immigration laws, and by border control. Also, papers examining how the immigration and border policies of different states affect the transborder and inter-class flows of value are appropriate. For example, how does the presence of "illegal" migrant workers from Latin America in the United States and Canada impact labor markets, labor politics, and corporate strategies in different industries? Furthermore, immigration politics are also elaborated in unofficial forms and discourses (films, party politics, public opinion, etc.) and as such are suitable for analysis.

--How migration among regions and across national borders affects their development or de-development. In general, migration tends to flow from regions of lesser to regions of higher development. We are interested in papers that offer theoretical and empirical insights in to the impact of such migration on aspects of the development of "sending" and "receiving" areas, including the impact of migration on related political processes in both regions.

This issue is being coordinated by Michael Kearney and Bernadete Beserra. Prospective contributors should feel free to communicate with them at the following address:

Bernadete Beserra: brbeserra@hotmail.com

Michael Kearney: kearney@ucrac1.ucr.edu

Manuscripts should be no longer than 25 pages of double-spaced text in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. If possible, submit two copies along with a cover sheet and basic biographical information. With these items, we also require that the manuscript be sent on a CD-R, by e-mail, or on a floppy disk if the other formats are not available. The LAP style guide is available on request or online.

Please send any manuscript submissions to:
Managing Editor, Latin American Perspectives¸ P.O. Box 5703, Riverside, California 92517-5703