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Dynamics of migration, consumption and gender: The case of Ukrainian migrant women in Sweden

Zinchuk, Viktoriia LU (2018) SIMV21 20181
Graduate School
Master of Science in Social Studies of Gender
Abstract
How do practices of migration, consumption and gender mutually shape each other in contemporary society? In this thesis, I am trying to partly address some aspects of this question by examining the consumption practices of Ukrainian migrant mothers in Sweden. Drawing on conceptual frames of gendered geographies of power and employing a practice theory as a meta-theoretical approach, I conducted fourteen semi-structured open-ended interviews with Ukrainian migrants. The thesis tentatively argues that among Ukrainian middle-class females decision-making process concerning migration to developed world is highly saturated with consumption-bound practices and ideas. Migration to Sweden was described by the respondents as a step to unlimited... (More)
How do practices of migration, consumption and gender mutually shape each other in contemporary society? In this thesis, I am trying to partly address some aspects of this question by examining the consumption practices of Ukrainian migrant mothers in Sweden. Drawing on conceptual frames of gendered geographies of power and employing a practice theory as a meta-theoretical approach, I conducted fourteen semi-structured open-ended interviews with Ukrainian migrants. The thesis tentatively argues that among Ukrainian middle-class females decision-making process concerning migration to developed world is highly saturated with consumption-bound practices and ideas. Migration to Sweden was described by the respondents as a step to unlimited consumption opportunities for themselves and their children, access to developed markets and unfamiliar consumer identities and lifestyles. It is further argued that migrant mothers tend to construct their ideas about the nation-state they reside, its politics and regime, based on their gendered experiences of consuming welfare support, medical services, public spaces, schools etc. Finally, the thesis suggests that, as evident from this research project, structuring the consumption practices as the focal point of the sociological research is a rich, beneficial, and theoretically insightful analytical approach for examining gendered dynamics of power on the international scale, which will consequently lead to more nuanced, systematic and sophisticated understanding of the dialectical unity of gender, consumption and migration in contemporary western society. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Zinchuk, Viktoriia LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMV21 20181
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
skilled migration, gender, consumption, practices.
language
English
id
8959652
date added to LUP
2018-10-08 15:37:37
date last changed
2018-10-08 15:37:37
@misc{8959652,
  abstract     = {{How do practices of migration, consumption and gender mutually shape each other in contemporary society? In this thesis, I am trying to partly address some aspects of this question by examining the consumption practices of Ukrainian migrant mothers in Sweden. Drawing on conceptual frames of gendered geographies of power and employing a practice theory as a meta-theoretical approach, I conducted fourteen semi-structured open-ended interviews with Ukrainian migrants. The thesis tentatively argues that among Ukrainian middle-class females decision-making process concerning migration to developed world is highly saturated with consumption-bound practices and ideas. Migration to Sweden was described by the respondents as a step to unlimited consumption opportunities for themselves and their children, access to developed markets and unfamiliar consumer identities and lifestyles. It is further argued that migrant mothers tend to construct their ideas about the nation-state they reside, its politics and regime, based on their gendered experiences of consuming welfare support, medical services, public spaces, schools etc. Finally, the thesis suggests that, as evident from this research project, structuring the consumption practices as the focal point of the sociological research is a rich, beneficial, and theoretically insightful analytical approach for examining gendered dynamics of power on the international scale, which will consequently lead to more nuanced, systematic and sophisticated understanding of the dialectical unity of gender, consumption and migration in contemporary western society.}},
  author       = {{Zinchuk, Viktoriia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Dynamics of migration, consumption and gender: The case of Ukrainian migrant women in Sweden}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}