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Translocal Livelihoods: New Perspectives in Livelihood Research

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Africa on the Move

Part of the book series: Springer Geography ((SPRINGERGEOGR))

Abstract

The most advanced operationalization of “translocality ” is found in (geographical) development studies , specifically within livelihood research. The livelihood perspective and the translocal perspective are analytically mutually enriching. On the one hand, the livelihood approach opens a methodological perspective on translocal agency , allowing for the investigation of mobility and space-spanning structures. On the other hand, the translocal perspective allows us to better understand the role of migration and space-spanning social networks for livelihood security. In this chapter, we first explain why the translocalization of the livelihood perspective is analytically necessary (Sect. 3.1), before discussing some important concepts and methodological implications of the translocal livelihood approach (Sect. 3.2). We introduce the terminology of “translocal social space ” (Sect. 3.2.1), “translocal community ” (Sect. 3.2.2), and “translocal household ” (Sect. 3.2.3) and examine the necessity of a “bi- or multilocal approach to fieldwork” (Sect. 3.2.4). These concepts are useful for overcoming the local bias of conventional concepts within livelihood research.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For more on the concepts “translocal household ” and “translocal community ” presented here, as well as the necessity of bi- or multilocal field research, see Steinbrink (2009a, b: 45–52).

  2. 2.

    For an instructive critique of the community concept, see Brint (2001).

  3. 3.

    However, there is also well-founded criticism of the household approach, which “may mask intra-household power inequalities (Rodenburg 1997) and largely ignores individual decision-making and the influence of non-household members” (De Haas and van Rooij 2010: 45).

  4. 4.

    Quite a few authors point out that, in practice, it is extremely difficult to clearly identify the limits of a household according to the defining criteria above and to distinguish it from other organizational units. They underline that consumption within residential groups is not always collective, nor are all members’ incomes necessarily contributed to a joint budget. And decisions about the use of resources are often primarily made by the heads of household alone. Residential groups are not static but rather highly flexible structures, whose composition constantly changes. Nor are these groups to be regarded as isolated, as they are interlocked in many ways.

    The structures and compositions of the residential group defined as a household vary greatly across time and space, according to social, economic and cultural conditions (see Russell 1993). The idea of the household as a universally comparable analysis category is thus highly questionable.

  5. 5.

    Thus, the house itself is no longer the defining criterion; it is instead, first, an economic resource of the household collective and, second, the point of reference for constructing a common identity. Membership is linked to the recognition of social norms and to certain rights and obligations within the group. At the same time, membership in this household collective can regulate the incorporation within larger social contexts (e.g. clan or community).

  6. 6.

    The fundamental bases of the concept “translocal household ” (Steinbrink 2009a, b) can also be found in other authors’ household definitions. Vorlaufer (1992), Frayne and Pendelton (2001) and Muzidziwa (2001) speak of “gespaltenen Haushalten”/“split households ,” Tacoli (1998) of “multi-spatial households ” or “multi-locational” and “multi-sectoral households,” Forsberg (1999) speaks of “satellite households ” and Lohnert (2002) of “multi-local households,” Adepoju (1995) of “dual households,” Smith (1998) of “multiple home households .” Cowen and Kinyanjui (1977), Kitching (1980) and Orvis (1997) again use the term “straddling households ” (see also Ramisch 2015). All these terms refer to the phenomenon of spatially fragmented household units. Here, though, we will refrain from discussing the similarities and differences of the respective concepts. On the household concept , see also Schmidt-Kallert (2009); for a critique of these concepts, see Greiner (2012).

  7. 7.

    This definition of “translocal livelihood system” was developed based on the definitions of “livelihood system” by Chambers and Conway (1992) and “livelihood” by Grawert (1998) and Carney (1998), respectively.

  8. 8.

    Within the context of cultural anthropology , Marcus (1995) refers to this kind of mobile fieldwork as “multi-sited ethnography .”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geography, University of Passau, Passau, Bayern, Germany

    Malte Steinbrink

  2. Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Niedersachsen, Germany

    Hannah Niedenführ

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  1. Malte Steinbrink
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  2. Hannah Niedenführ
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Correspondence to Malte Steinbrink .

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Steinbrink, M., Niedenführ, H. (2020). Translocal Livelihoods: New Perspectives in Livelihood Research. In: Africa on the Move. Springer Geography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22841-5_3

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