The present dissertation explores the Congolese immigrant workers‟ meanings, their labour migration and their transnationalism in Pretoria through the perspective of south-south social transformation. It argues that this migration is partly an outcome and effect of various social transformations that have been occurring in Southern Africa since the end of cold war in the era of globalisation and age of mass migration. The study draws on Castles‟ middle range theory and the comprehensive sociology of Max Weber. This dissertation makes use of qualitative method, based on ethnography, and corresponding techniques such as interviews. The study shows that what drives Congolese labour migration to Pretoria are economic (wage differential or cost benefit), political issues (wars, violence against human rights, freedom of speech), cultural (the Congolese mythology of migration) and psychological reasons (prestige). These migration processes and patterns are also determined by migrants‟ social class position in the DRC. The latter to a large extent determines the nature and status of their employment in Pretoria. In addition, findings demonstrate that a number of structural constraints and features of Congolese qualifications, skills, and even culture contribute to Congolese immigrants negative performances in the South African labour market. Faced with numerous barriers to professional incorporation, Congolese migrants resort to any legal or illegal means to bypass these barriers. It is revealed that the Congolese conception of social and occupational mobility is mostly understood in terms of economic or income mobility. This dovetails with the socially constructed meanings that Congolese workers attach to their work. Concerning their transnational activities, research participants are shown to be involved in political, economic and socio-cultural activities. Most of their activities are nationally-oriented. Nevertheless, the weight of the tense political situation has an influence on their transnational activities and Congolese culture and/or homeland politics leads to their economic transnationalism. For these reasons, practices of remitting are connected with transnational political activities and culture. Despite the extensive contacts „back home‟ socio-cultural activities of the Congolese in Pretoria are marked by cultural hybridization between Congolese migrants and South Africans. / Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / Sociology / MSocSci / Unrestricted

Adopting the Ecological Contextual Model of Acculturation and Adjustment (Birman, 1994; Trickett, 1996) and the Stress and Coping paradigm (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984, 1986, 1991), the present thesis explored the psycho-social, work, and marital adjustment of 200 established older middle-aged refugees from the Former Yugoslavia living in the Ottawa area. More specifically, three studies were conducted to examine specific stressors and resources of relevance to the adjustment of Former Yugoslavian men and women, across the following three distinct life domains: psycho-social, work, and marital. Study I explored the potential buffering effects of interpersonal trust on the relational growth of Former Yugoslavian refugees. Results demonstrated that interpersonal trust moderated the negative effects of war-related trauma on the relational growth of Former Yugoslavian women. No such buffering effect was found for the men. Study II investigated Former Yugoslavians' work adjustment by exploring the influence of pre-migratory work-related expectations-outcome congruence, occupational mobility, work stress (general and discrimination), as well as personal (education, English language proficiency) and social resources (support at work) on their work satisfaction and distress. Results indicated that different factors emerged as significant predictors of work satisfaction and work distress for Former Yugoslavian men and women. Study III explored the potential moderating role of marital resilience on the relationship between marital stress (general and acculturative) and marital adjustment. Results showed that marital resilience moderated the negative effects of marital stress on the marital adjustment of Former Yugoslavian women. No protective effect of marital resilience was found for the men. Taken together, the results of the three studies provide support for the relevance and importance of studying the stress, resources, and adjustment of refugees across contexts and gender. Given that important gender differences were found in different adaptational domains, the need to study further the impact of gender in refugees is reinforced. The findings are discussed within the current gender and migration literatures as well as the multidimensional theories of cross-cultural adjustment. Theoretical, research, and clinical implications were presented, along with recommendations for future research.

Adopting the Ecological Contextual Model of Acculturation and Adjustment (Birman, 1994; Trickett, 1996) and the Stress and Coping paradigm (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984, 1986, 1991), the present thesis explored the psycho-social, work, and marital adjustment of 200 established older middle-aged refugees from the Former Yugoslavia living in the Ottawa area. More specifically, three studies were conducted to examine specific stressors and resources of relevance to the adjustment of Former Yugoslavian men and women, across the following three distinct life domains: psycho-social, work, and marital. Study I explored the potential buffering effects of interpersonal trust on the relational growth of Former Yugoslavian refugees. Results demonstrated that interpersonal trust moderated the negative effects of war-related trauma on the relational growth of Former Yugoslavian women. No such buffering effect was found for the men. Study II investigated Former Yugoslavians' work adjustment by exploring the influence of pre-migratory work-related expectations-outcome congruence, occupational mobility, work stress (general and discrimination), as well as personal (education, English language proficiency) and social resources (support at work) on their work satisfaction and distress. Results indicated that different factors emerged as significant predictors of work satisfaction and work distress for Former Yugoslavian men and women. Study III explored the potential moderating role of marital resilience on the relationship between marital stress (general and acculturative) and marital adjustment. Results showed that marital resilience moderated the negative effects of marital stress on the marital adjustment of Former Yugoslavian women. No protective effect of marital resilience was found for the men. Taken together, the results of the three studies provide support for the relevance and importance of studying the stress, resources, and adjustment of refugees across contexts and gender. Given that important gender differences were found in different adaptational domains, the need to study further the impact of gender in refugees is reinforced. The findings are discussed within the current gender and migration literatures as well as the multidimensional theories of cross-cultural adjustment. Theoretical, research, and clinical implications were presented, along with recommendations for future research.

Adopting the Ecological Contextual Model of Acculturation and Adjustment (Birman, 1994; Trickett, 1996) and the Stress and Coping paradigm (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984, 1986, 1991), the present thesis explored the psycho-social, work, and marital adjustment of 200 established older middle-aged refugees from the Former Yugoslavia living in the Ottawa area. More specifically, three studies were conducted to examine specific stressors and resources of relevance to the adjustment of Former Yugoslavian men and women, across the following three distinct life domains: psycho-social, work, and marital. Study I explored the potential buffering effects of interpersonal trust on the relational growth of Former Yugoslavian refugees. Results demonstrated that interpersonal trust moderated the negative effects of war-related trauma on the relational growth of Former Yugoslavian women. No such buffering effect was found for the men. Study II investigated Former Yugoslavians' work adjustment by exploring the influence of pre-migratory work-related expectations-outcome congruence, occupational mobility, work stress (general and discrimination), as well as personal (education, English language proficiency) and social resources (support at work) on their work satisfaction and distress. Results indicated that different factors emerged as significant predictors of work satisfaction and work distress for Former Yugoslavian men and women. Study III explored the potential moderating role of marital resilience on the relationship between marital stress (general and acculturative) and marital adjustment. Results showed that marital resilience moderated the negative effects of marital stress on the marital adjustment of Former Yugoslavian women. No protective effect of marital resilience was found for the men. Taken together, the results of the three studies provide support for the relevance and importance of studying the stress, resources, and adjustment of refugees across contexts and gender. Given that important gender differences were found in different adaptational domains, the need to study further the impact of gender in refugees is reinforced. The findings are discussed within the current gender and migration literatures as well as the multidimensional theories of cross-cultural adjustment. Theoretical, research, and clinical implications were presented, along with recommendations for future research.

Cette thèse traite des effets de la migration sur le statut professionnel et social des travailleuses domestiques et des nouveaux rapports de subordination qui en découlent, analysés à l'intersection des rapports de genre, de classe et de « race ». Le but de cette recherche est d'aborder l'ordre hiérarchique de ces différents rapports et d'analyser les causes structurelles de la subordination. Les travailleuses migrantes chaoxianzu appartenaient à la classe symboliquement au pouvoir dans la Chine socialiste, en tant qu’ouvrières industrielles et agricoles. En examinant leur expérience de travail dans cinq villes de trois pays - France, Corée du Sud et Chine - nous analysons comment les conditions de travail de chaque société d’immigration affectent leur statut en tant que travailleuses. Les participantes à notre recherche vivent et perçoivent leur expérience de travail à la lumière de l’habitus professionnel de la Chine socialiste, basé sur la fierté en tant que travailleuses. Selon leur perception, dans la migration, elles ne changent pas pour un niveau hiérarchique et professionnel inférieur, mais souffrent, collectivement, de la position subalterne des travailleurs domestiques sans-papiers dans le référentiel de l’ordre hiérarchique de la société capitaliste. Plutôt qu'un travail trivial, elles perçoivent leur métier comme une somme de tâches nobles, physiques et émotionnelles. Elles s’inscrivent dans la chaîne globalisée du care. Mais, en s'interrogeant sur leur statut subalterne, elles remettent en cause la logique de reproduction de la hiérarchie sociale. / This thesis deals with the effects of migration on the occupational and social status of domestic workers and the resulting new relationships of subordination that are analyzed at the intersection of gender, class and ‘race’ relations. The purpose of this research is to address the hierarchical order of these different relationships and to analyze the structural causes of subordination. The Chaoxianzu women migrant workers belonged to the class symbolically in power in socialist China, as industrial and agricultural workers. By examining their work experience in five cities in three countries - France, South Korea and China - we analyze how the working conditions of each immigration society affect their status as women workers. The participants in our research live and perceive their work experience in light of their professional habitus of socialist China, based on pride as women workers. According to their perception, in migrating they do not change for a lower hierarchical and professional level, but collectively suffer from the subordinate position of undocumented domestic workers typical for capitalist society’s hierarchical order. Rather than perceiving their job as trivial, they see it as a sum of noble, physical and emotional tasks. They are part of the global chain of care. But, in questioning their subordinate status, they undermine the logic inherent to the reproduction of social hierarchies.