The circular migration in the South of France in the field of agriculture: a chosen or imposed domination?

Teresa De Oliveira, Center for Social Innovation

This study focuses mainly on examining the triple win relationship applied to the circular migrant concept, as announced by the European Commission in the Communication on circular migration and mobility partnerships in 2007. This work is based on the objective of studying the pattern of circular migration in the South of France that has been developed and applied in field of agriculture field for many years. The agricultural field has itself witnessed the transition period from a family model to a highly developed one and has been steadily exposed to the international system’s fluctuations. By putting Moroccan circular migrants at the center of our analysis, we propose analyzing, in terms of all processes of circularity (repeated movements; comings and goings), the motivations of migrants to choose circular migration as a form of mobility, their conditions of life and work in France, and finally the return to the country of departure. We were able to acquire a triangulation of sources of information, by adding other relevant stakeholders who actively participate in the implementation of the mobility programs between the EU and Morocco – the political/administrative institutions and farmers. Their inclusion within this work is essential in order to understand their perspective regarding the concept of circular migration. Reviewing the most prolific scientific contributions in the field of international migration applied to circular migration, the author adopts nevertheless, a Marxist perspective, in which circular migrants would be subject to the vagaries of the discretionary power of farmers, as well as a highly competitive and fluctuating sector, which has considerable impacts on the life and work of the Moroccan circular migrants in the South of France.