Generational differences in translocal practices: insights from rural-urban remittances in Vanuatu

Abstract

Although the translocal practices of first generation migrants have been relatively well researched, little is known about whether, and to what extent, their children - the second generatio - engage in translocalism. Using the case study of remitting by Paamese rural-urban migrants living in Port Vila, Vanuatu, this paper compares translocal behaviours of first and second generation migrants and draws connections between the transnational and translocal scales. For Paamese, remitting provided visible evidence of incorporation into the translocal community and was considered something migrants “should” do. Beliefs about remitting were not related to migrant generation, and although remitting reliably was associated with social prestige, those who did not remit experienced feelings of guilt and shame. Participation in remitting was almost universal, and whereas first generation migrants remitted to a wider range of individuals, second generation migrants, who concentrated their remittances on close kin, remitted more frequently and reliably. Most remittances were sent to home villages, however a significant proportion were intra‐diasporic, with remittance destinations determined by the location of close family members. It is argued first, that migrant generation is not necessarily a reliable indicator of translocalism, and second, that where translocal behaviours such as remitting represent a strong social norm, it is unlikely that they will disappear with the second, or subsequent, generations.