Work unlimited: Identity construction in a Global context

Work migration is a complex and interdisciplinary phenomenon. The proposed project will draw on anthropological theories of migration and globalization, as well as relevant theories from studies on organisational psychology, with the objective of gaining a better understanding of the individual consequences of work migration.The project will try to capture subjective strategies used to reconcile contrasts or manage ambiguity related to migration and identity. Ideas of identity will be used as one approa ch to understand the individual experience of work migration. Identity will be defined as the ideas we have about who we are and what groups we belong to. Identity, then, is fundamental for shaping and mediating migrant workers' experiences in the receivi ng society.Work has traditionally been perceived as a fundamental orientation point for identity construction, but studies reveal that work no longer offers the secure axis around which to wrap and fix self-definitions, identities, life projects. Several analysts note that the use of short-term contracts alter the relations between workers. The proposed project will be organized as a comparative study and data will be collected in two different geographical fieldwork contexts. One of these contexts will be in Norway and the other will be a country currently experiencing similar growing influx of migrant workers, especially in sectors such as construction, services and agriculture. The project will be foremost a qualitative and exploratory study of indiv idual experiences of migrant workers, and the gathering of data will therefore mainly draw on the verbal accounts and observed behaviour of the migrants. But also quantitative data from the selected cases will be integrated into the analysis. In addition we will also rely on findings from 3 ongoing projects for comparisons and to strengthen the feasibility of this project.