Migration isn’t just about moving to a new country ....

"Embodied Politics: The Social Reproduction of Difference" by Drucilla Cornell and Stephen D. Seely. This book examines how embodied identities, including race and migration status, influence social and political experiences. It’s helpful for understanding how migration shapes and is shaped by embodied identities and how individuals navigate societal structures with resilience. It is all about how society doesn’t just impose rules and norms on us abstractly it does so directly through our bodies. Here’s a simplified breakdown with examples to make each concept clearer. 1. The Body as Political The authors argue that your body is deeply connected to politics, meaning that society’s rules about who "belongs" and who doesn't get applied to people in a physical way. Example: Think about a migrant wearing traditional clothing in a country with different cultural norms. Their appearance makes them stand out and can lead to others treating them as outsiders, which can affect where they feel comfortable, how they’re perceived, and even how authorities treat them. 2. Social Reproduction of Difference This idea is about how society keeps repeating the same hierarchies and inequalities over time by controlling who has access to certain rights and resources. Example: Migrants often face restricted access to healthcare or jobs, especially high-paying jobs, compared to citizens. By limiting access to these resources, society effectively "reproduces" or reinforces differences between citizens and migrants, often making migrants more visible as a “lower” class, both socially and economically. 3. Embodiment and Intersectionality Intersectionality is the concept that people’s identities—such as race, gender, and immigration status—overlap to create unique experiences. Embodiment adds that these identities are expressed and experienced physically. Example: A migrant woman of colour might face discrimination not only because she’s a migrant but also because of her race and gender. Her experiences are shaped by all three of these factors, making her encounter with society different from, say, a male migrant from the same country. 4. Agency and Resistance The authors argue that bodies can push back against these social norms, resisting in small but meaningful ways. This resistance can help create change, challenge stereotypes, or simply allow individuals to assert their identities. Example: Migrants often build cultural communities within new countries, celebrating festivals, cooking traditional food, and sharing their languages with each other. These are small acts of resistance—they say, "I belong here as I am," rather than assimilating entirely into the dominant culture. 5. Imagining New Forms of Belonging Cornell and Seely encourage us to envision a world where social belonging doesn’t require everyone to look, act, or live in th Example: Instead of pushing migrants to “become” like the locals, some cities are finding ways to celebrate and include cultural differences, like creating multi-language schools, community centers, or public events where diverse traditions are celebrated. These spaces allow migrants to feel part of the community without erasing their unique backgrounds. Why This Matters for Migration Through these examples, Cornell and Seely highlight that migration isn’t just about moving to a new country; it’s about how society treats bodies that are seen as "different." Migrants bring new perspectives, cultures, and skills, and even though they face barriers, their bodies and presence help reshape ideas of identity, resilience, and belonging. This perspective shifts from seeing migration as only a challenge to appreciating it as a dynamic, embodied experience that challenges and changes the societies migrants enter. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/globalizing-democracy-and-human-rights/embodied-politics/D918451FB5758FDC30A4677ED4425261