Migration as a Collective Project by Dereje Feyissa

Migration as a Collective Project by Dereje Feyissa

This book seeks to broaden the conversation in migration studies by incorporating a collective perspective, as illustrated by the case study of Hadiya migration from Southern Ethiopia to South Africa.

Rather than presenting individualism and communalism as opposing forces, the authors conceptualize them as points on a continuum. At the starting end, communal ties are crucial, particularly in the early stages of the Hadiya migration, but over time, as migrants accumulate wealth and encounter increasing competition in South Africa’s informal economy, individualism begins to take precedence, gradually unravelling the social fabric that initially supported collective success. This temporal perspective offers a more nuanced understanding of migration, revealing how it transitions from a collective endeavour to an increasingly individualistic one as circumstances evolve.

A convincing and compelling new volume which highlights the transformation of the migration process from a predominantly collectivist endeavour to one characterized by increased individualism, and the resulting need for a temporal perspective to avoid the pitfalls of a binary framework, it will appeal to scholars and students of migration studies, development studies, sociology and African studies.

Dereje Feyissa Dori holds a PhD in social anthropology from Martin-Luther University, Halle. He has been a fellow at Osaka University, the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, and the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung. Currently, he serves as Associate Professor at Addis Ababa University and Research & Policy Advisor at the Life and Peace Institute. His research spans ethnicity, conflict, borders, religion, and migration. He is the author or co-editor of several books and peer reviewed journal articles, including Borders and Borderlands as Resources in the Horn of Africa (2010), Playing Different Games (2011), and Ethiopia in the Wake of Political Reform (2020).

Fana Gebresenbet (PhD) is an associate professor of development and peacebuilding, and former Director of the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS), Addis Ababa University. His research interest primarily focuses on politics of development, political economy, migration, and security studies in Ethiopia and the Horn. He published articles and book chapters on these topics.