The Transnational Nexus of Migration

The large-scale post-World War II labor migrations from the Mediterranean countries and North Africa to northern and western Europe have resulted in the presence of millions of foreigners and their families in the host countries. This article discusses the ambiguous situation of many of these migrants, who are not fully settled in the countries in which they live, but are nevertheless likely to remain there in the near future or indeed for good. The article also inquires into the ways in which the political, cultural, and economic relations between the migrants' countries of origin and their countries of residence have been affected by these migrations, and into the bilateral and multilateral arrangements that regulate these processes of migration and settling.