TY - JOUR
T1 - Structure and agency in development-induced forced migration
T2 - the case of Brazil’s Belo Monte Dam
AU - Randell, Heather
N1 - Funding Information:
Data collection for this study was supported by a National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (SES-1434020), a Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development training grant (5T32HD007338-28) from the Population Studies and Training Center (PSTC) at Brown University, and a grant to Leah VanWey from Brown’s Brazil Initiative and Office of Global Engagement. The PSTC receives core support from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (5R24HD041020-14). I thank the three anonymous reviewers as well as Leah VanWey, Clark Gray, Michael White, David Lindstrom, Tania Jenkins, and Andrew Fenelon for helpful comments on earlier versions of this article.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.
PY - 2016/3/1
Y1 - 2016/3/1
N2 - This paper examines how structure and agency interact to shape forced migration outcomes. Specifically, I ask how structural factors such as compensation policies as well as social, financial, and human capital may either foster or constrain migration aspirations and capabilities. I use longitudinal, semi-structured interview data to study forced migration among farmers displaced by the Belo Monte Dam in the Brazilian Amazon. Results from baseline interviews indicate that nearly all community members aspired to purchase rural land in the region and maintain livelihoods as cacao farmers or cattle ranchers. Constraints limiting the ability to attain aspirations included strict requirements on land titles for properties, delays in receiving compensation, rising land prices, and the lack of power to negotiate for better compensation. Despite these constraints, most migrants succeeded in attaining aspirations, as they were able to mobilize resources such as social networks, financial capital, skills, and knowledge. These findings highlight the importance of considering the relationship between structure and agency within forced migration research. I conclude by discussing how the findings may inform resettlement policies for future cases of development- or environment-induced forced migration.
AB - This paper examines how structure and agency interact to shape forced migration outcomes. Specifically, I ask how structural factors such as compensation policies as well as social, financial, and human capital may either foster or constrain migration aspirations and capabilities. I use longitudinal, semi-structured interview data to study forced migration among farmers displaced by the Belo Monte Dam in the Brazilian Amazon. Results from baseline interviews indicate that nearly all community members aspired to purchase rural land in the region and maintain livelihoods as cacao farmers or cattle ranchers. Constraints limiting the ability to attain aspirations included strict requirements on land titles for properties, delays in receiving compensation, rising land prices, and the lack of power to negotiate for better compensation. Despite these constraints, most migrants succeeded in attaining aspirations, as they were able to mobilize resources such as social networks, financial capital, skills, and knowledge. These findings highlight the importance of considering the relationship between structure and agency within forced migration research. I conclude by discussing how the findings may inform resettlement policies for future cases of development- or environment-induced forced migration.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84958174183&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84958174183&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11111-015-0245-4
DO - 10.1007/s11111-015-0245-4
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84958174183
SN - 0199-0039
VL - 37
SP - 265
EP - 287
JO - Population and Environment
JF - Population and Environment
IS - 3
ER -