What is an expatriate, exactly? And when is an expat an immigrant — or not?
The word expat is loaded. It carries many connotations, preconceptions and assumptions about class, education and privilege — just as the terms foreign worker and migrant call to mind a different set of assumptions.
But what makes one person an expat, and another a foreign worker or migrant? Often the former is used to describe educated, rich professionals working abroad, while those in less privileged positions — for example, a maid in the Gulf states or a construction worker in Asia — are deemed foreign workers or migrant workers. The classification matters, because such language can in some cases be used as a political tool or to dehumanise — as the debate around the word “migrant” suggests.
Fears surrounding job security, concerns over immigration and nationalism inspire discussion across the globe about who falls into which category. But a key part of this dialogue is how exactly we define different people who cross borders to work. Full story...
Related posts:
The word expat is loaded. It carries many connotations, preconceptions and assumptions about class, education and privilege — just as the terms foreign worker and migrant call to mind a different set of assumptions.
But what makes one person an expat, and another a foreign worker or migrant? Often the former is used to describe educated, rich professionals working abroad, while those in less privileged positions — for example, a maid in the Gulf states or a construction worker in Asia — are deemed foreign workers or migrant workers. The classification matters, because such language can in some cases be used as a political tool or to dehumanise — as the debate around the word “migrant” suggests.
Fears surrounding job security, concerns over immigration and nationalism inspire discussion across the globe about who falls into which category. But a key part of this dialogue is how exactly we define different people who cross borders to work. Full story...
Related posts:
- The problem with being a long-term expat...
- The downsides of being an expat in Australia...
- There’s a mass expat exodus from Brazil...
- 10 popular expat countries to stay away from...
- The end of the expat? Cities fight for 'Inpats'
- Why are white people expats when the rest of us are immigrants?
- New international schools for Singapore as expat population surges...
- Switzerland and Singapore regarded as 'best place for expats'
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