Digital technology in migration

Drawing on migration studies and on the sociology of the family and of class, gender, race and generational power relations, as well as research on the reception of public policy and labour activation, this introductory article argues that digital technology remains an under-explored field for understanding the tensions between belonging and policies of belonging. After a brief review of the literature, it highlights how the articles in this issue contribute to the understanding of the maintenance of emotional, family, community and country ties in migration, and of their adjustments. Three themes structure the reflection on affective ties and the socio-institutional dynamics of inclusion and exclusion: age and inter-generational power relations; rights; and affective norms. The diversity of the case studies and methodologies employed sheds light on the impact of digital technology in the transformations and variety of forms of belonging. These themes also reveal the entanglement of private practices and political, institutional and community imperatives within an increasingly constrained and compartmentalized migratory context.