Leaving Spain

Life histories and experiences of Spanish migrants

Since the beginning of the economic crisis of 2008, Spain, like other southern European countries, has witnessed a mass departure of mostly young people looking for opportunities abroad. Leaving Spain is based on 58 autobiographical narrative interviews with recent Spanish migrants who went to the UK and Germany, and sometimes returned. By presenting a combination of in-depth case studies and comparative analyses, the author demonstrates the potential of biographical research and narrative analysis in studying contemporary Europe, including its overlapping crises. The scope of the sociological study is not limited to examining how those who left Spain experienced single phases of their migration. Instead, it focuses on the significance of migration projects in the context of their life histories and how they make sense of these experiences in retrospect.

This book will not only be of great interest to social scientists and students in different disciplines and interdisciplinary studies such as sociology, anthropology, human geography, European studies, education, and social work, but also to professionals, European and national policy makers, and those interested in learning more about migrants’ experiences, perspectives, and (often invisible) contributions.

Ebook available in Open Access.
This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).

Acknowledgements

1. Introduction

2. Mapping the Field

Phases of EU mobility: a timeline

Zooming in on the Spanish case

Taking on a biographical perspective

3. Biographical Case Studies

Adam Sanchez

María Navarro

Mateo López

Where to go from here?

4. Time to go?

‘Going abroad’ in the context of one’s academic training

Withstanding a collective mood of demoralisation

Trying to overcome a prolonged period of dependency and stagnation

Trying to cope with or escape from a trajectory of suffering

In search of professional recognition and adequate pay

Acquiring foreign language skills in order to gain a competitive advantage

5. On Studying and Working Abroad

Exchange programmes as pathways into a long-term stay

Alternatives to wage labour

‘Unskilled’ labour?

Skilled labour

Voluntary work

6. A Web of Social Relationships

On working to maintain personal ties to Spain

The emergence of new social relationships in the receiving society

Spaces of transition

Perceived barriers in everyday interactions

7. Established-Outsider Relations in Times of Brexit

The case of Diego

Looking beyond the single case

A note on the recent political developments

8. An Uneasy Homecoming

Returning as an answer to what?

Moving ‘back’: expectations vs. reality

9. Conclusion

A brief overview of my findings

Addressing different audiences

Looking back and looking ahead

10. Methodological Appendix

A note on biographical research

The autobiographical narrative interview and procedures of sequential analysis

The history of my field research

Data overview

Consent form

Notes

References

Index

Mê-Linh Riemann

Mê-Linh Riemann is a post-doctoral researcher at the Centre for Sociological Research at KU Leuven. She previously completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge.