It's hard but it's for my family : mobility and environmental change in the rural Philippines

Abstract

Environmental migration is an idea that has attracted significant attention from policy-makers, activists, the media and academic researchers since the 1970s. Since its inception, however, questions have remained over how best to explore environment-mobility dynamics. Much progress has been made in this area, particularly in unpacking the political ecological context in which mobility patterns emerge, yet researchers are still faced with limited conceptual frameworks from which to develop context-specific explanations of the influence of environmental change on mobility patterns. Existing conceptualizations tend to be biased towards structural explanations. This thesis seeks to improve conceptual clarity by applying new theoretical approaches to understanding the influence of environmental change on mobility. The study draws on debates within general migration theory as a springboard for exploring the theoretical challenges associated with explaining mobility. These theoretical discussions form the basis for identifying the influence of environmental changes on existing mobility patterns. The methodological approach in this study employs social practices theory to examine how chains of action are the result of both individual actors and the effect of social structures organized around shared practical understandings. The study used a case study design and employed qualitative methods such as interviews, group discussions, participant observation and document analysis to analyse the linkages between multi-scale contexts of action. The fieldwork was conducted in three rural villages in Albay province, the Philippines. Albay was selected because it experiences a range of different environmental shocks and stressors and is a province with net out-migration, characterized by seasonal and circular mobility patterns. While mobility could certainly be conceptualised as a 'rational' response, for research participants, working for periods of time in urban areas also represented a familiar practice-part of the rhythm of daily life. Mobility for Albayanos was viewed as an opportunity to transform oneself and improve livelihood security, despite the often disappointing experiences of working elsewhere. Decisions associated with mobility were suffused with a range of emotions. The decision to move was not so much a process of quantifying what was better or worse (to stay or go), but rather what fitted with the values, emotions and ideas of self in particulars moment and over the experience of mobility. These findings challenge the dominant framing of environmental migrants as rational actors responding to particular push and pull factors. The study concludes that practice-based approaches are a valuable way to explore the numerous dimensions of the mobility experience. It draws on this approach to bridge the structure-agency divide evident in many contemporary conceptualizations of environmental migration. One of the distinguishing features of a practice theory approach is the consideration not only of reflexivity and conscious thought for understanding agency, but also shared and routinized dimensions. This approach shifts the focus away from how individuals rationalize their migration decision, to how various practices solidify and routinize practices relating to mobility. The natural environment forms part of this context, but its influence cannot be understood without explicit and critical consideration of interconnected practices involved in mobility patterns. Show more