The Paradox of Circular Labor Migration: A Case Study of Keate’s Drift Town, South Africa
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The purpose of this paper was to examine the meanings of labor migration in South Africa and its influences on family life and local community through the case of Keate’s Drift, Province of KwaZulu-Natal. Because of ecological pressure, many of the economically active population in Keate’s Drift depart for urban areas or bigger towns to get a job. Their labor migration strongly has the character as a life process enforced by the social structure which was formed through the colonial epoch. Most residents have been involved in various economic activities in other areas to improve the living standard of their families. For them, labor migration has complex meanings, including rite of passage, habitus, survival strategy and insurance. They partly serve both their household economy and the development of the local community. However, we are able to find negative aspects from another face of labor migration. It seems that it is still far off for them to cut the chain of poverty, although many people have determined and carried out labor migration over generations. Labor migration may be a trap which ties up their lives. Long labor migration stirs up husbands’ or wives’ infidelity, brings about diverse problems in the process of raising children, and has negative effects on the emotional bonds between parents and children. In the community level, the dependence on remittances hinders people in escaping from their inertia, and the outflux of both young and middle-aged people is resulted in the loss of the pivotal manpower necessary for local development. Furthermore, several problems, which come about in each family due to labor migration, are often linked to the disharmony between the dwellers. Especially, the problem of those children who are afflicted with poverty and lack of affection demands urgently the discussion and awakening in the local level. The reproduction of poverty, conjugal problems, the weakening of the emotional bonds between parents and children and the problems in the community level are a dark self-portrait of labor migration. Moreover, the impoverishment of the rural area (the periphery), which results from the labor migration system, strongly has the character of domination and exploitation by the urban area (the center). Hence, in the whole context, labor migration in South Africa can be considered as a paradoxical phenomenon.
Abstract
The purpose of this paper was to examine the meanings of labor migration in South Africa and its influences on family life and local community through the case of Keate’s Drift, Province of KwaZulu-Natal. Because of ecological pressure, many of the economically active population in Keate’s Drift depart for urban areas or bigger towns to get a job. Their labor migration strongly has the character as a life process enforced by the social structure which was formed through the colonial epoch. Most residents have been involved in various economic activities in other areas to improve the living standard of their families. For them, labor migration has complex meanings, including rite of passage, habitus, survival strategy and insurance. They partly serve both their household economy and the development of the local community. However, we are able to find negative aspects from another face of labor migration. It seems that it is still far off for them to cut the chain of poverty, although many people have determined and carried out labor migration over generations. Labor migration may be a trap which ties up their lives. Long labor migration stirs up husbands’ or wives’ infidelity, brings about diverse problems in the process of raising children, and has negative effects on the emotional bonds between parents and children. In the community level, the dependence on remittances hinders people in escaping from their inertia, and the outflux of both young and middle-aged people is resulted in the loss of the pivotal manpower necessary for local development. Furthermore, several problems, which come about in each family due to labor migration, are often linked to the disharmony between the dwellers. Especially, the problem of those children who are afflicted with poverty and lack of affection demands urgently the discussion and awakening in the local level. The reproduction of poverty, conjugal problems, the weakening of the emotional bonds between parents and children and the problems in the community level are a dark self-portrait of labor migration. Moreover, the impoverishment of the rural area (the periphery), which results from the labor migration system, strongly has the character of domination and exploitation by the urban area (the center). Hence, in the whole context, labor migration in South Africa can be considered as a paradoxical phenomenon.
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