Abstract
In this paper I attempt to develop a concept of quality of life that takes into account the processuality of social life and the agency of social actors. Starting point is the quality of life concept that is organized around the capabilities and the free choice of life options, as developed by Amartya Sen. I argue that the aspect of free choice highlights the polarity of internationality versus conditionality of action, as developed in the biographical research, as well as the processuality and sequential organization of social life. Assessing quality of life would mean to take into account, except of the relevant aspects of functionings, the ability of the individual to act intentionally and to realize own biographical plans. Functionings would be assessed in the framework of biographical plans, resources and strategies that are dependent on family relations, gender specific and generational social conditions. In the last part of my paper, I apply this concept to the case of labor migration. I propose to regard migration as a phenomenon closely related to the realization of biographical plans and choices and with these, to quality of life processes. Migration is to be regarded as an active and autonomous movement of people in the space towards the improvement of their own quality of life and the quality of life of their own family, whereas life in migration is frequently accompanied by constraints that can deprive migrants temporarily or in the longer term of the ability to act intentionally.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Allardt, Erik (1973). About Dimensions of Welfare. Research Group for Comparative Sociology. Research Report No 1. Helsinki: University of Helsinki.
Allardt, Erik (1993). Having, Loving, Being: An Alternative to the Swedish Model of Welfare Research. M. C. Nussbaum & A. K. Sen (eds.): The Quality of Life, New York: Oxford University Press, 8894.
Annas, J. (1995): Women and the Quality of Life: Two Norms or One? M. C. Nussbaum & A. K. Sen (eds.): The Quality of Life, New York: Oxford University Press, 279–302.
Anthias, F. & A. Boahene (2003). Refining the Research Concept of the EthnoGeneration Project. Paper presented at the 1st Workshop of the Rtd Project “The Chances of the Second Generation in Families of Ethnic Entrepreneurs”, 18–20 July 2003, in Frankfurt am Main.
Apitzsch, U. (1996): Biographien und berufliche Orientierung von Migrantinnen. R. Kersten et al. (eds.): Ausbilden statt ausgrenzen. Jugendliche ausländischer Herkunft in Schule, Ausbildung und Beruf, Frankfurt/M.: Haag und Herchen, 133–47.
Campbell, A., P. E. Converse & W. L. Rodgers (1976): The Quality of American Life, New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Cohen, G. A. (1995). Equality of What? On Welfare, Goods, and Capabilities. M. C. Nussbaum & A. K. Sen (eds.): The Quality of Life, New York: Oxford University Press, 9–29.
Erikson, R. (1974): Welfare as a Planning Goal. Acta Sociologica 17, No. 3, 273–288.
Erikson, R. (1993): Descriptions of Inequality: The Swedish Approach to Welfare Research. Martha Nussbaum & A. K. Sen (eds.): The Quality of Life, New York: Oxford University Press, 67–83.
Glatzer, W. & W. Zapf (eds.) (1984): Lebensqualität in der Bundesrepublik. Objektive Lebensbedingungen und subjektives Wohlbefinden, Frankfurt/M./New York: Campus.
Inglehart, R. (1989): Kultureller Umbruch. Wertewandel in der westlichen Welt, Frankfurt/M./New York: Campus.
Kupferberg, F. (2003). Refining the Research Concept of the EthnoGeneration Project. Paper presented at the 1st Workshop of the Rtd Project “The Chances of the Second Generation in Families of Ethnic Entrepreneurs”, 18–20 July 2003, in Frankfurt am Main.
Leung, W. H. Maggi (2003). Quality of Life in Migration: A discussion of Concepts and Research Results. Paper presented at the Fifth Conference of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies “Challenges for Quality of Life in Contemporary Societies”, 20th to 24th July 2003, Frankfurt am Main.
Merton, R. K. (1936). The Unanticipated Consequences of Purposive Social Action. American Sociological Review 1, 894–904.
Noll, H.-H. (2000): Konzepte der Wohlfahrtsentwicklung: Lebensqualität und “neue” Wohlfahrtskonzepte. Berlin Wzb-Discussion-Paper P00–505: Wzb.
O’Neill, O. (1995): Justice, Gender and International Boundaries. M. C. Nussbaum & A. K. Sen (eds.): The Quality of Life, New York: Oxford University Press, 303–35.
Oevermann, U. (1996): Theoretische Skizze einer revidierten Theorie professionalisierten Handelns. A. Combe & W. Helsper (eds.): Pädagogische Professionalität. Untersuchungen zum Typus pädagogischen Handelns, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp, 70–182.
Riemann, G. & F. Schütze (1991): Trajectory as a Basic Theoretical Concept for Analysing Suffering and Disorderly Social Processes. D. R. Maines (ed.): Social Organization and Social Process. Essays in Honor of Anselm Strauss, New York: Aldine De Gruyter, 333–57.
Rodrigues dos Santos, J. & M. Marié (1972): Wanderungen und Arbeitskraft. G. Széll (ed.): Regionale Mobilität, München: Nymphenburger Verlagshandlung, 251–62.
Schütz, A. (1971). Gesammelte Aufsätze, Den Haag: Nijhoff.
Schütze, F. (1981): Prozeßstrukturen des Lebenslaufs. J. Matthes, A. Pfeifenberger & M. Stosberg (eds.): Biographie in handlungswissenschaftlicher Perspektive. Kolloqium am Sozialwissenschaftlichen Forschungszentrum der Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg: 67–156.
Schütze, F. (1987): Das narrative Interview in Interaktionsfeldstudien: Erzähltheoretische Grundlagen. Teil I: Merkmale von Alltagserzählungen und was wir mit ihrer Hilfe erkennen können. Hagen, Ke 1 Fb Erziehungs-, Sozial- und Geisteswissenschaften, mimeo.
Schütze, F. (1995): Verlaufskurven des Erleidens als Forschungsgegenstand der interpretativen Soziologie. H.-H. Krüger & W. Marotzki (eds.): Erziehungswissenschaftliche Biographieforschung, Opladen: Leske & Budrich, 116–57.
Sen, A. K. (1984): Resources, Values and Development. Oxford: Blackwell.
Sen, A. K. (1995): Capability and Well-Being. M. C. Nussbaum & A. K. Sen (eds.): The Quality of Life, New York: Oxford University Press, 30–53.
Strauss, A. & J. Corbin (1991): Trajectory Framework for Management of Chronic Illness (1964). A. Strauss: Creating Sociological Awareness. Collective Images and Symbolic Representations, New Brunswick &; London: Transaction Publishers: 149–56.
Strauss, A, S. Fagerhaugh et al. (1991): Illness Trajectories (1964). A. Strauss: Creating Sociological Awareness. Collective Images and Symbolic Representations, New Brunswick & London: Transaction Publishers: 157–76. ul Haq, M. (1999): Reflections on Human Development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2004 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kontos, M. (2004). Biographical Analysis of Quality of Life Processes in Migration. In: Glatzer, W., Von Below, S., Stoffregen, M. (eds) Challenges for Quality of Life in the Contemporary World. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 24. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2903-5_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2903-5_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-6741-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-2903-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive