Interdisciplinary and multilevel approaches to (contemporary) policies for the Spanish diaspora

ANTONIO ALEJO; LUCA CHAO; MARÍA JOSÉ FERNÁNDEZ; ANA GIULIA INGELLIS; ANA IRENE ROVETTA CORTES

Conferencia; 31ª Conferencia AEMI, Association of European Migration Institutions; 2021

Association of European Migration Institutions

In a European context characterized by recurring economic crises, and by narratives and policies of belonging that, like an accordion, sometimes expand and integrate newcomers and sometimes withdraw and exclude them, Spanish migrants face recurrent challenges in their daily lives, both, in the countries where they reside, and in Spain upon return. Given this situation, our goal with this proposal is to provide an exploratory overview of the policies that shape the possibilities and limitations that the members of the Spanish diaspora encounter during their migratory trajectories, taking into consideration policies engaged with, both, their integration and their (potential) return. With an interdisciplinary approach, we aim at discussing, on the one hand, how a set of policies that promote the voluntary return of migrants are being designed and implemented in some of the European countries where a large amount of Spaniards reside and, on the other hand, which policies have recently been implemented in Spain to facilitate the return of the Spanish citizens abroad. Concerning the first topic, we will focus the attention on the specific cases of France and the United Kingdom. Regarding the second, we will analyze not only the national initiatives for the diaspora enacted in Spain, but also the policies enforced at a subnational or regional level, paying particular attention to three circumscriptions: the Autonomous Community of Galicia, the Autonomous Community of Madrid and the Autonomous Community of Valencia. Finally, as we understand that the involvement of migrants is crucial to understand any migratory process, we will also examine the social activisms that revolve around the rights of Spaniards on the move.