Ep.10 (S4): Mira Burmeister-Rudolph on Kerala's social protection policies for emigrants in the Gulf

The Migration Podcast

”I think [it is important to] stress again that colonial legacies also really determine how South to South migration is being structured today.” In this episode, Mira Burmeister-Rudolph speaks with Liberty Chee about Kerala’s social protection policies for Indian migrants to the Gulf, the latter’s relationships with diasporic communities and how migrant status is shaped by and shapes citizen-state relations. She also shares with us how she became interested in migration in South Asia, and her experiences doing research during the Covid-19 pandemic. During the interview, Mira and Liberty mention NORKA several times. NORKA stands for the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs. Mira Burmeister-Rudolph is an early career scholar at the University of Amsterdam. In her research, she explores the plurality of actors involved in the development and implementation of policies towards low-wage labor emigrants in the context of migrant-origin states. She investigates South-South migration, with a focus on migration from South Asian countries to the Gulf Cooperation Council region. Her research focus lies at the intersection of citizenship, social policy, and diaspora studies. The piece mentioned about Kerala is “A transnational social contract: Social protection policies toward Non-Resident Keralites” in Migration Studies. https://academic.oup.com/migration/article/11/2/286/7072785 The piece on citizen-state relations is “Policy differentiation and the politics of belonging in India’s emigrant and emigration policies”. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13621025.2023.2244451