A partir du cas de la politique d'aide au retour volontaire en France, cette recherche propose une interprétation des politiques d'éloignement des étrangers en situation irrégulière, telles qu'elles sont formulées à l'échelle de l'Union européenne sous l'angle du « retour ». Le principe d'expulsion est maintenant transposé dans le champ de l'action sociale, sous la forme de divers dispositifs d'assistance humanitaire qui masquent la dimension de contrainte contenue dans l'objectif final de faire sortir les étrangers du territoire. Ce brouillage amène à s'intéresser aux ressorts matériels et symboliques de la domination qui s'exerce sur les « retournés » par le biais de cette assistance, où s'observe un retournement du rapport des expulsables à leur départ, rebaptisé « volontaire ». En tenant bout à bout l'étude des processus de renvoi et des expériences d'après-retour, il s'agit de mettre en perspective les mythologies et les réalités du phénomène. Pour ce faire, on examine, à travers les mécanismes de relégation, l'ensemble des acteurs et des institutions participant à l'aménagement d'un espace transnational de prise en charge sociale reliant les pays de renvoi aux pays d'où venaient les émigrés, particulièrement dans les effets sociopolitiques et anthropologiques que leurs opérations produisent. / Starting from the issue of assisted voluntary return in France, this research offers an interpretation of removal policies for undocumented foreigners, labeled as "return policy" in the European Union. The principle of deportation has now been transposed to the field of social policy. Therefore, various humanitarian assistance programmes have hidden the notion of obligation which underlies the final goal of having foreigners leave the country. This confusion leads to the study of material and symbolic patterns of domination applied to "returnees”. In fact, this assistance involves a twist in the relation to the departure: undocumented migrants are no longer deportable people but foreigners asking for voluntary departure. Considering the whole process of removal and post deportation experiences, this research is to outline the myths and realities of return. Thus, trough relegation mechanisms, both social actors and institutions have been investigated. Their involvement and its consequences in the set up of a transnational space bonding the "deporting countries" and the countries of origin have been thoroughly analysed from a sociopolitical and an anthropological point of view.

This study contributes to the 'unwritten chapter' in migration studies, namely transnational return migration, with specific reference to Tongan migrants who have voluntarily returned to live in Tonga. Return migration of transnational Tongans is not 'permanent' as their mobility pre and post-return is characterised by circulation or repeated return rather than staying at 'home'. In examining the circulation of transnational Tongans, two new forms of return migration are identified -- 'return for career advancement' and 'ancestral return'. These additions to a new typology of return migration represent better the contemporary mobility system of transnational Tongans and suggest a means for addressing 'brain drain' through strengthening the 'Tongan-ness' of the diaspora while simultaneously stimulating economic development in the Kingdom. Despite these positive dimensions of return, re-integration is a 'bumpy' process, and there needs to be a holistic migration strategy if greater numbers in the Tongan diaspora are to return and make their potential contribution to sustainable development in the Island Kingdom.

This thesis aims to study both French and Swedish return migration policies with a practical perspective. The paper constitutes an attempt to understand how governmental institutions (such as migration authorities) deal with return migration and to clarify significant issues related to migrants’ needs for determining a successful return. Through analyzing competent literature and secondary material as starting point,the conducted study gives an interesting approach on the problematic gap between voluntary return policies in theory and in practice.