The Container Model of Society as a Research Paradigm

The article deals with the container model of society (CMS) which has been used for a long time in disciplines dealing with the study of society, the processes of its development and change. The term CMS was introduced into the scientific circulation of foreign social sciences and humanities about twenty years ago, but it is not yet widely known in the Russian social studies. The article traces the history of the formation of the KMO and its introduction into the research apparatus of foreign social and humanitarian works, provides an overview of the monograph by U. Beck, as well as the article by N. Glik Schiller and A. Wimmer. The CMS is based on the view of society as a set of closed social groups that are “containers”. Hitherto CMS has been used as the methodological tool, which allowed reconsidering the old approaches and the concepts formed in the social and migrant studies. However, the fact that not only scientists, but also ordinary members of the community, were inclined to systematize social reality like the puzzle of the homogeneous “containers”, was out of the re­searchers’ attention. The main peculiarity of the modern situation around CMS consists in the circumstance that CMS is reproducing itself permanently in the common discourses, in the various confrontations and conflicts. The arti­cle’s authors try to show not just the methodological, but also the theoretical pos­sibilities of CMS for the social studies in Russia. In view of the principles, which the individuals use to identify themselves and others, the socio-humanitarian studies are capable to get a fundamentally new approach toward the analysis of the social field of the human existence as well as to diverge from the method­ological dogmatism in the field of the social sciences.

Re-envisioning Citizen Diplomacy: A Case Study of a Multifaceted, Transnational, People’s Republic of China “Ethnopreneur”

This article problematises the traditional conceptualisation of the “citizen diplomat” as being confined only to a single nation state sovereignty. At the nexus of transnational “ethnopreneurship,” dual embeddedness, neoliberalism, and post-materialism, citizen diplomats transcend territorially bound identities and perform unofficial dual-accredited roles in the enhancement of bilateral relationships. The protagonist in this case is a transnational People’s Republic of China ethnopreneur who adopts multiple forms of cultural commodification based on both Thai and Chinese resources. As a result, both territories have benefitted from the ensuing informal diplomatic interactions. Traversing the culturally distinctive city of Chiang Mai in Thailand and several flourishing cities in China, the article elucidates the importance of non-traditional diplomats. Put succinctly, it argues for a re-envisioning of transnational ethnopreneurial diplomacy so as to recognise multiple identities, cultures, and markets wherein positive-sum diplomatic returns are achieved. From an intra-Asian perspective, it seeks to remedy a scarcity in the literature – given that existing migrant studies are largely set in North American and European contexts.

Negotiating Diplomacy

This research report argues that non-state actors can negotiate diplomacy by facilitating Thai-Sino bilateral interactions while seeking multi-dimensional win-win benefits. With the rise of People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) transnational entrepreneurship, this research report departs from the conventional “flight” or “fight” approach. On the contrary, it adopts an interventional approach to encourage interactions between PRC Chinese transnational entrepreneurs and Thai entrepreneurs and other interested parties through business-themed workshops. On the one hand, the latter learn about Chinese business cultures in enhancing their entrepreneurial endeavors while gaining new opportunities on the PRC Chinese market. On the other hand, the PRC transnational entrepreneurs extend their business networks while inadvertently transforming themselves into unofficial dual-accredited diplomats. From an intra-Asian perspective, this research report helps to rectify the scarcity of literature, in which existing migrant studies are largely set in North American and European contexts.

Young Connected Migrants and Non-Normative European Family Life

In the face of the contemporary so-called “European refugee crisis,”' the dichotomies of bodies that are naturalized into technology usage and the bodies that remain alienated from it betray the geographic, racial, and gendered discriminations that digital technologies, despite their claims at neutrality and flatness, continue to espouse. This article argues that “young electronic diasporas” (ye-diasporas) (Donà, 2014) present us with an unique view on how Europe is reimagined from below, as people stake out a living across geographies. The main premise is that young connected migrants' cross-border practices shows they ‘do family' in a way that does not align with the universal European, normative expectations of European family life. The author draws on three symptomatic accounts of young connected migrants that are variably situated geo-politically: 1) Moroccan-Dutch youth in the Netherlands; 2) stranded Somalis awaiting family reunification in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and, 3) working, middle, and upper-class young people of various ethnic and class backgrounds living in London. Narratives shared by members of all three groups indicate meta-categories of the ‘migrant,' ‘user,' and ‘e-diaspora' urgently need to be de-flattened. To do this de-flattening work, new links between migrant studies, feminist and postcolonial theory and digital cultures are forged. In an era of increasing digital connectivity and mobility, transnational families are far from deterritorialized – boundaries and insurmountable distances are often forcibly and painfully felt.

EXPECTATIONS AND EXPERIENCES: Highly educated migrant women in the Finnish labour market

Gender is at the core of migration. There is need of research that explores interconnections between gender and employment. The research addresses how gendered structures and the processes of working life are reflected among the skilled migrant women in the Finnish labour market.Key-words: gender studies, migrant studies, integration, employment, intersectionality.Gênero está no centro da imigração. Há necessidade de pesquisas que explorem as interconexões entre gênero e empregabilidade. A pesquisa mostra como estruturas de gênero e o processo da vida trabalhista estão refletidos em mulheres imigrantes diplomadas no mercado de trabalho finlandês.Palavras-chave: estudos de gênero, estudos migratórios, integração, empregabilidade, interseccionabilidade.

Young Connected Migrants and Non-Normative European Family Life

In the face of the contemporary so-called “European refugee crisis,”' the dichotomies of bodies that are naturalized into technology usage and the bodies that remain alienated from it betray the geographic, racial, and gendered discriminations that digital technologies, despite their claims at neutrality and flatness, continue to espouse. This article argues that “young electronic diasporas” (ye-diasporas) (Donà, 2014) present us with an unique view on how Europe is reimagined from below, as people stake out a living across geographies. The main premise is that young connected migrants' cross-border practices shows they ‘do family' in a way that does not align with the universal European, normative expectations of European family life. The author draws on three symptomatic accounts of young connected migrants that are variably situated geo-politically: 1) Moroccan-Dutch youth in the Netherlands; 2) stranded Somalis awaiting family reunification in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and, 3) working, middle, and upper-class young people of various ethnic and class backgrounds living in London. Narratives shared by members of all three groups indicate meta-categories of the ‘migrant,' ‘user,' and ‘e-diaspora' urgently need to be de-flattened. To do this de-flattening work, new links between migrant studies, feminist and postcolonial theory and digital cultures are forged. In an era of increasing digital connectivity and mobility, transnational families are far from deterritorialized – boundaries and insurmountable distances are often forcibly and painfully felt.