KOMUNIKACJA JAKO SZANSA I WIĘŹ-ZOBOWIĄZANIE W WYPOWIEDZIACH MIESZKAŃCÓW GAMBII NA TEMAT MIGRACJI DO EUROPY
COMMUNICATION AS OPPORTUNITY AND BOND-COMMITMENT IN STATEMENTS BY RESIDENTS OF THE GAMBIA ON MIGRATION TO EUROPE

Summary/Abstract: The article examines the role of communication in the lives of Gambians migrating to Europe. The empirical basis comprises 60 in-depth interviews conducted in the Gambia, supplemented by ethnographic observations. The analysis focuses on the relations between migrants, their families, and communities in the Gambia and Europe, and on the transformations of these relations due to intercontinental mobility. The findings show that communication with Europeans is often perceived as an opportunity for geographical and social mobility, and communication with family and friends as the realization of mutual bonds and commitments. Communication with family evolves with the implementation of migration plans, and these changes are closely related to the possibilities of fulfilling material obligations to the family. The article also shows changes in the valuation of achievements and in the symbolic markers of status in the Gambia resulting from the tendency to assign priority value to migration to Europe.

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