SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
Grant: $428,471 - National Science Foundation - Jul. 15, 2009
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Award Description: Much research on migration examines conditions in countries of origin, immigrant experiences in 'host' societies, or both. In contrast, there has been little consideration of zones of transit and transition between country of origin and final destination, that is, the remote sites migrants travel through on their journeys to new locations. This project will examine these journeys between states. Dr. Alison Mounts in the Department of Geography at Syracuse University is undertaking this study, which will enhance knowledge on this neglected issue by investigating islands as particular sites where struggles over migration, asylum, and sovereignty transpire and where federal mandates of national security and refugee protection intersect. An emerging body of literature suggests that smuggling industries exploit economically impoverished migrants and asylum-seekers in places of ambiguous jurisdiction. States also operate in remote locales to manage undocumented migration through border enforcement and detention. The research asks why particular islands become sites of migration management, how migrants arrive on islands, and what legal issues ensue. Qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to collect data on American, Australian, and European islands that are sites of migration entry and processing. The project aims to analyze island geographies and demographics and to develop a Global Classroom based on these data. The resulting database will be used to map offshore enforcement practices and to produce an island index that aims to rank islands' propensity as sites of migration entry, processing, and struggle. Research findings will advance knowledge on global migration in order to contribute to contemporary debates about immigration, border enforcement, and asylum policies. The project will offer new ways of understanding what happens to international migrants on their journeys between states, including the role of interception at sea, detention on islands, and human rights issues that emerge along the way. Graduate students will work with the Principal Investigator to conduct comparative research in six field sites in five countries. The research will contribute to innovative curricular design in the fields of political geography and migration studies, including a Global Classroom where students in South Africa, England, and the United States will work via videoconference to map global migrations alongside peers located across borders.
Project Description: 'This project examines zones the remote sites migrants travel to and through on their journeys to new locations across international borders. Migrants enter into sites of ambiguous jurisdiction used by smuggling industries to exploit economically impoverished migrants, asylum-seekers, and island residents. States also operate in remote locales to implement enforcement practices to suppress illicit migration. This project centers islands as sites where struggles over migration, asylum, and sovereignty transpire and where federal mandates of national security and refugee protection intersect. The research asks why particular islands become sites of migration management, how migrants arrive on islands, and what legal issues ensue. Qualitative and quantitative methods are being developed to collect data on islands that are sites of migration entry and processing. The resulting database will be used to map offshore enforcement practices and to produce an Island Index that aims to rank islands? propensity as sites of migration entry, processing, and struggle. There are five main objectives: to examine the extent to which islands are sites of legal struggle over access to asylum; create a database as a basis for comparison and an Island Index that ranks islands for migration management purposes; include voices of asylum-seekers and institutional actors in debates about migration control; advance conceptual debates about exercises in sovereign power offshore; and design a Global Classroom that internationalizes education using this research. Five associated deliverables include the following: the database, a data set on islands geographies; the Island Index, a tool to rank islands; a website that maps offshore detention and provides a platform for associated case studies; a book by the PI on island geographies of migration; a co-authored publication on the Global Classroom.
Jobs Summary: 1) Award financial transactions are accessed through a unique 'Chartstring' which allows for the management and monitoring of expenditures in the University?s PeopleSoft financial system. The University assigned a specific activity code to identify and segregate all ARRA award expenditures. 2) Labor charges, by individual employee, posted to ARRA chartstrings were selected. (Period: award start date through 9/30/09.) 3) FTE per employee was calculated from the proportion of 'Total ARRA Charges' (ARRA pay /pay period) to 'Total Pay Amount' (total pay per pay period). This value was multiplied by the employee?s job record FTE to derive a 'Calculated FTE'. 4) The ARRA FTE reported is the sum of the award?s Calculated FTEs. Acad Faculty: 0.60 (Total jobs reported: 1)
Project Status: Less Than 50% Completed
This award's data was last updated on Jul. 15, 2009. Help expand these official descriptions using the wiki below.
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