Reimagining migration: investigating the impact of mobile phones on contemporary Zimbabwean migration to the UK
Kaseke, Rufaro (2024) Reimagining migration: investigating the impact of mobile phones on contemporary Zimbabwean migration to the UK. PhD thesis, University for the Creative Arts.
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The nature of being an emigrant has changed. With mobile phones, laptops, Wi-Fi, and numerous apps, no emigrant is ever far from home. Nowadays, migrants can have long daily conversations at home and even watch films or eat together with their family on laptops or phones, regardless of the thousands of miles between them. However, this change has not been sufficiently researched or written about. Therefore, this project explores the on-the-ground effects of WhatsApp and Facebook on migration. The key question is how cheap technological communications are creating a world where 'leaving is not really leaving'. In addition, this project's practice involves a film that responds to the changing nature of migration. Mainly set in Luton where there is a large longstanding Zimbabwean migrant community, my practice, like the writing, informs one another to examine the use and impact of WhatsApp and Facebook in maintaining relationships with their homeland. By integrating insights from regions like Zimbabwe, the research captures the diverse experiences and nuances within the broader discourse on migration and communication. Zimbabwe, with its unique socio-political context and history of emigration, offers valuable perspectives that deepen our understanding of how technological advancements shape migrants' connections to their homeland. The research argues that migrants in the big cities of the West operate in a state of double consciousness. They are both far away and home at the same time. Furthermore, interconnected through the project's film practice, this project highlights how emigrants are taking advantage of this new world of unlimited free communications as well as the paradox of unlimited connectivity among migrants. Both the film and the written thesis discuss, in their own ways, the significance of the emerging new culture of communication that makes migrants still feel connected to their homelands.
Thesis submitted in partial requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham.
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