(November 21st) Dr. Gertrud Hüwelmeier with "Transnational Networks of Vietnamese Migrants in Germany"

Topic: Transnational networks of Vietnamese migrants in Germany

Summary:In the current era of globalization, migration flows from Asia and Africa to Europe have transformed these regions into dynamic, globally interconnected migration hubs. Unlike previous 'labor export' movements, which typically involved migration from Mediterranean countries to Europe for industrial and manufacturing work, primarily through bilateral agreements between governments and employers, these new migrants have found alternative positions in the European labor market through changes in national migration laws. However, due to differing policies across European countries, the legal status of these new migrants is often unclear, with many living and working as undocumented migrant workers. Focusing on transnationalism and overseas communities as emerging theoretical concepts in social science, my report will explore the various patterns of place formation in Germany. I argue that migrants transfer and import fantasies, practices, and subjects from one place to another while transforming or reshaping their ideas about family, ritual, locality, and space. Specifically, my report focuses on the waves of Vietnamese migration in East and West Germany, as well as their experiences following the 1990 German reunification. The differing political and historical backgrounds of these migration waves contribute to the shifting interdependencies between place formation and locality in shaping exile identities in Europe.

Presenter:Dr. Gertrud Hüwelmeier is an assistant professor and research fellow at the Department of European Ethnology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany. Gertrud studied social anthropology at Freie University (Berlin) and received her PhD in anthropology from the University of Tübingen, Germany. She has conducted fieldwork in Europe, the United States, and India. She is currently the project leader for a research project on “Transnational Networks” focusing on Vietnamese and Ghanaian migrants in Europe and in their home countries.

Time:9:00 AM, Friday, November 21, 2008

Location:Multimedia Room, Museum of Anthropology, 3rd Floor, Building D, 336 Nguyen Trai Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi