Mental mapping and multinational migrations: a geographical imaginations approach

Abstract

Researching migration decision-making raises certain methodological issues due to complexity of these practices and the diversity of possibilities that exist for aspiring migrants. Migrants are increasingly engaging in multiple migrations, moving between various locations in three or more international destinations. Particularly within Asia, where short-term temporary contracts are increasingly the norm for labour migrants, it becomes counter-productive to analyse migration decision-making as a movement from one place to another. Based on research undertaken in Metro Manila, the Philippines, with 48 Filipino nurses, this paper addresses the question of how to research the multinational migration pathways that structure migration goals and aspirations through demonstrating the benefits and practicalities of mental mapping, a participatory visual method. By exploring the geographical imaginations of migrants and aspiring migrants, multinational pathways are shown to be planned for at the earliest stage of migration. Overall, it proposes that we consider multiple migrations in more multi-directional and messy terms.