Migrants; between two worlds
Migrants; between two worlds
From the very earliest times, men have moved from place to place. In tribes, clans, families or other groups they fled from natural catastrophes or the horrors of war in search of food, shelter and peace. The human sediments left by the great early tides of migration shaped the face of continents, regions and countries, and in later times, slaves captured by conquerors, refugees from terror, impoverished victims of hard times or systems, all made their contribution to the inexhaustible wealth of universal culture, a whole which is greater than the sum of its parts.
In today's world of societies developing at different rates and separated by growing inequalities, international migrations still obey the imperatives of survival, but more than ever before they are triggered by the need to find work. Millions of persons, obliged to leave their homeland not so much in quest of higher material gain as simply to find a job of any kind, naturally look towards the industrialized countries (where they are assigned tasks which workers in these countries are loath to perform). Legal or illegal entrants, alone or accompanied, they are more intent on an eventual return to their country of origin, than on settling in an adopted country. They live between two cultures, subject to controls which may be legal or arbitrary, sometimes victims of discrimination, aggression or unemployment. They defend their right to earn a living and the right to preserve their identity, or try to adapt to another culture which in turn feels that its integrity is being threatened.
This issue of the Unesco Courier reflects Unesco's longstanding interest in certain aspects of the problem of international migration, especially language teaching and vocational training for immigrants and education for their children. The various dimensions of the migration phenomenon in our time underline the complex realities of the problem: the integration of migrant workers in the host society; the reactions of the indigenous population of the host society to the presence of foreigners who are sometimes seen as competitors on the labour market and whose customs are generally ill accepted; the impact of rural-urban migration on the structure and functioning of families left behind; the impact of rigid school systems on the "parallel" culture of the children of immigrants; the problems of readaptation of migrants to their countries of origin when they return after living different lives abroad.
These are some of the many facets of a problem which today is a matter of preoccupation in all countries. It is hoped that analyses of the situation presented here (which even when they underscore its economic and social effects are made from a profoundly humanitarian standpoint) will not only constitute a step forward in understanding this phenomenon but will also contribute eventually to the definition and implementation of appropriate strategies of action which will reconcile respect for the rights and dignity of migrant workers with the legitimate interests of the receiving countries.
Editor-in-chief : Edouard Glissant