Summary
The relationship between migration and development processes in migrants’ countries of origin has been subject to extensive scrutiny in the last decade by researchers and policy-makers. Migrants’ remittances have been fore-grounded as a key aspect in this relationship and have increasingly been seen as a potential source of ‘development capital’. Yet the fact that migration and remitting are often entangled in processes of violent conflict and political upheaval is often overlooked. This paper uses the Somali case to raise a set of conceptual issues regarding the dynamics and impact of remittances in conflict-affected settings. The implications of the violent causation of migration, the on-going conditions in the country of origin, and the post-migration situation of refugees are advanced as key ways in which remittance dynamics in conflict situations may differ from those in more peaceful settings.
© 2009 by Lucius & Lucius, Stuttgart
