A global roundabout. Entangled im/mobilities of ir/regular labour migrants and agricultural products in Almeria's greenhouse production

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2022-05-26
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en
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In contemporary global value chains, flows of mobilities of people and products continuously criss-cross one other. Engaging with the ‘mobilities turn’ and networked conceptualisations of value chains, this research empirically unpacks the entanglements of im/mobilities of ir/regular labour migrants and agricultural products in Almería’s (Spain) agricultural industry. In doing so, it emphasises how interdependent im/mobilities in globalised production are shaped by regulatory infrastructures of control and in/formal migration industries. This tension field between mobilityfacilitation and obstruction results in a constant dialectic between regimes of control and the autonomy of migration. To gain empirical insights into individual experiences of above-mentioned macrostructures, I have conducted qualitative research among various actors involved in Almería's agricultural industry. I link up the empirical findings and theoretical debates on im/mobilities, value chains, ir/regularity and autonomy of migration in the conceptual model the ‘global roundabout.’ This analysis detects three layers of entanglement between labour and mobility in Almería’s capitalised global production. I conclude that the three-layered entanglement excavates the intrinsic relation between capitalism and extractivism and thus the coloniality of Almería’s capitalist value chain. This study therefore shows how an analytical focus on entanglements can deepen our understanding of the configurations and driving forces of global im/mobilities in postcolonial capitalism. Keywords: Im/mobilities, value chains, entanglements, ir/regularity, autonomy of migration, postcolonial capitalism, agricultural labour mobility, migration industries, social navigation
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen