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What is MIDEQ?

Should we stop talking about migration and start talking about inequality?
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(gentle music)
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<v ->MIDEQ has two principal objectives and aims.</v> One is to change the narrative surrounding international migration, which is very much Eurocentric, and it’s dominated by Western perspectives.
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And in that sense MIDEQ has a decolonizing agenda. We want to bring in thousand perspective in understanding broader migration patterns, processes and policy responses as well. So that’s why we are giving the attention it deserves, and also to deconstruct some myth connected to that. It has some, not just simply in terms of marginalisation of certain types of migration, but it has also policy implication. We are also interested in contributing in improving the lives of migrants because MIDEQ is not a purely economic exercise or economic project, it has a application or practical side to it. And through first generating knowledge about what South-South migration is, and then the specificities, the distinctive features within South-South migration.
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We would like to highlight some of the unique challenges operating within that sub-migration field so to speak, and then ultimately contributing to the transformation of the lives of migrants, their families, and also the communities they live in. <v ->We are trying to understand what drives poverty</v> and inequality, basically that’s the big question. And so how does labour migration from global south look like, and what drives poverty, and what drives inequality? Or how does migration relate to inequality.
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Understanding these issues helps us to understand why does migration create inequality because if you look at the amount of money they spend it’s very unequal when you’re skilled, and when you’re unskilled because if you’re unskilled, if you don’t know the language, and if you’re not educated for example, you have to spend more money on getting there, getting to the destination. So already from your own country of origin you tend to invest more in migration, and you tend to a riskier path. Understanding these kinds of things helps us to understand how does migration lead to poverty and inequality. <v ->Why we should care about South-South migration</v> is because of it’s sheer size yeah.
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This is where most of migration, national migration is happening anyway. First we need to understand, and for us to understand we need to give it the attention that it deserves. MIDEQ is also interested in, it has a practical side, it’s not just simply merely an economic exercise, it has an applied side as well. It wants to contribute to the improvement of the lives of migrants, their families, and the communities they live in. (gentle music)
MIDEQ stands for South-South Migration for Development and Equality. In this video our experts introduce the concept that inequalities at all levels determine who is (and isn’t) able to migrate, where people move to and the rights and resources that they are able to access. This includes the ability to migrate and journey safely.

Historically, dominant stories on migration have been shaped by politicians, media and researchers in the Global North. This has often led to negative assumptions and associations of the migration experience that have produced anxieties around migrants and refugees. It overlooks the global significance, scope and impact of where migration happens.

MIDEQ wants to change this narrative by working closely with researchers in the Global South to understand the political, economic and social context of migration between 12 different countries across 6 migration corridors: Egypt-Jordan, Ethiopia-South Africa, Burkina Faso-Côte d’Ivoire, China-Ghana, Haiti-Brazil, and Nepal-Malaysia.

Throughout this course you will hear from MIDEQ researchers. While learning from their expertise, you can reflect on how and why you teach migration. You will also learn that it is inequality, rather than migration, that is the principal global challenge.

We all know that migration is an important issue, discussed in political debates and everyday conversations. But to what extent do you think conversations are based on data and lived realities? Has migration become the touchstone for a range of broader processes such as inequality?

For more information about what the Global South and Global North means, you can read this 60 second guide from the Royal Geographical Society.

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This content is taken from SOAS University of London online course
Teaching Migration Through Data and Storytelling
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Teaching Migration Through Data and Storytelling

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