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2017 | Book

Introduction: The Host State and Migrant Transnational Politics Read chapter Read first chapter

The State and the Transnational Politics of Migrants: A Study of the Chins and the Acehnese in Malaysia

Author: Sheila Murugasu

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan UK

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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About this book

This book is an exploration of the various types of transnational politics that the Chin and Acehnese people are engaged in, particularly in the Malaysian state. As with so many migrants elsewhere in the world who try to organize themselves transnationally, the Chin and Acehnese have needed to negotiate a challenging socio-political landscape that is the Malaysian state. Here, the author illustrates that migrants don’t just travel with their hopes for the future, but with grievances and identities which are rooted in their homelands. This is a book for those interested in reading an account that reflects the complexities of migrant life in the 21st century - an era replete with fluid labour markets, deregulated air travel, porous borders and political leaders who move transnationally, acting as binding agents for the far-flung communities they seek to represent.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter
1. Introduction: The Host State and Migrant Transnational Politics
Abstract
This chapter discusses political transnationalism and other key terms and concepts such as migrants, refugees, the state and what is meant by politics – all of which are related to the subject matter of the book, namely the dialectic between the Malaysian state and the transnational politics of the Chin and Acehnese. It also provides background information on the Chin and Acehnese migrant population in Malaysia as well as an overview of the Malaysian state in terms of its history and political system.
Sheila Murugasu
2. The Malaysian State and Irregular Migration
Abstract
This chapter outlines the various ways in which the Malaysian state has dealt with irregular migrant flows since the 1970s. It then explains the domestic and external interests that have influenced the states’ approach to different migrant groups. This chapter puts forward the argument that understanding Malaysian state behaviour towards irregular migrants is related to a complex range of intersecting factors. These include religious affinity, ethnicity, labour market needs, federal-state relations, bilateral relations with its neighbours and neo-liberal economic globalisation.
Sheila Murugasu
3. Transnational Politics and the Chins in Malaysia
Abstract
This chapter investigates the nature of Chin political transnationalism with a particular emphasis on the Chin experience in Malaysia. The chapter contends that community politics, refugee politics and network politics are not separate or different types of political activities but rather should be seen as inter-related and that if one is present without the other, it makes political transnationalism difficult if not impossible.
Sheila Murugasu
4. Transnational Politics and the Acehnese in Malaysia
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the inner workings of the Acehnese organisation, Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM), in Malaysia and the broader struggle for independence from Indonesia. It begins the work of comparing the political transnationalism of the Acehnese versus the Chins and makes an important point that cultural and historical ties with the host state does not necessarily advantage one migrant group over another, or make their experiences with the host state completely dissimilar. On the contrary, both the Chins and the Acehnese faced similar challenges and opportunities while trying to mobilise and organise in Malaysia, while largely living here as undocumented migrants.
Sheila Murugasu
5. Intersecting Interests Between the Malaysian State and the Acehnese and the Chins
Abstract
This chapter explores the macro-level dialectic between the Malaysian state, with both Chin and Acehnese transnational actors. In academic literature, states are often depicted as being at odds with migrants, whom they perceive as being a threat to their sovereignty and territorial integrity. This chapter, through interviews, ethnographic case studies and historical analysis, tries to broaden the understanding of this dialectic, beyond the conventional antagonistic narrative. It uncovers the possible synergies that often exist between state and migrant transnational actors, which subsequently allows the latter to move ahead with their own interests and agendas.
Sheila Murugasu
6. Local-Level Encounters with the State: Negotiation, Survival and Order-Making
Abstract
This chapter is a follow-up to Chapter 5 in that it continues to explore the dialectic between the Malaysian state and the Chin and Acehnese transnational actors, but this time at the local “street” level. It tries to determine how migrants are able to carve out political space for themselves even in a challenging host state environment. To this end, it details the various strategies that migrants employ such as gift-giving, mimicking state practices and taking advantage of differing institutional agendas.
Sheila Murugasu
7. Identity and Membership: Deriving Legitimacy and Political Agency through State, Community and Transnational Identities
Abstract
This chapter discusses the role that identities and subject formation play in aiding the Chin and Acehnese with their cross-border political activities. Migrants often have several identities and indeed utilise these multi-levelled and overlapping identities as a means of survival and as a way to gain access to certain privileges and benefits that come with membership, with either state or non-state entities as this chapter shows through various case studies.
Sheila Murugasu
8. Conclusion
Abstract
This is the concluding chapter in which all the arguments of the book are brought together to make the two overarching points. One, that while the conventional narrative often portrays the dialectic between states and transnational actors as dyadic and oppositional in nature, it is far more layered and complex than that. Two, that a changing global landscape has dramatically reshaped national economies and the international state system, and this in turn is engendering changes in the relationship between all political groupings including the state and migrant community.
Sheila Murugasu
Backmatter
Metadata
Title
The State and the Transnational Politics of Migrants: A Study of the Chins and the Acehnese in Malaysia
Author
Sheila Murugasu
Copyright Year
2017
Electronic ISBN
978-1-137-37061-7
Print ISBN
978-1-137-37060-0
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-37061-7