Bonds of Transnationalism and Freedom of Mobility: Intra-European Onward Migrants Before and After Brexit

The transnationalism and mobility approaches have both been developed in opposition to the older linear paradigm of migration theory, but with different focuses: on attachments within different countries in transnationalism, on multiple and open-ended moves in the mobility approach. Using interviews with onward migrants and migrants potentially planning an onward migration (in particular Bangladeshis who have migrated from Italy to the UK, EU27 citizens in the UK, and Britons in Belgium), in this presentation we explore the interaction between transnational bonds and open ended mobility. In a context characterised by Brexit and, as a reaction, by an increased appreciation for EU freedom of movement, most of our interviewees consider EU citizenship as allowing to plan mobility to any of the EU member states. However, the strength and the importance of transnational links can re-orient such open-ended plans, making a return migration to one of the countries of previous residence (including the country of birth for the EU citizens by birth) more attractive than a further onward migration. Conversely, onward migration in some cases has weakened transnational attachments, as the links with the first country of migration are in competition with those of the country of birth. Given these results we invite to reflect on whether transnationalism and mobility theory are simply convergent or if they describe phenomena that might actually be in partial opposition.