Community Development Graduate Group

Through the prism of the built environment, my aim in this research is to broaden the understanding of remittance expenditures –be it collective or familial. My concern here is to analyze the transformation of the physical environment brought on by transnational practices, specifically in a migrants’ community of origin. The study investigates the following question: What is the material impact of migration in a migrants’ community of origin? Subquestions include: How is migration, namely, the uses of collective and individual remittances, changing the village’s townscape? Are architectural aesthetics and the use of materials being transformed? Is the built environment reordering and/or reinforcing social relations?