Migration, Diversity and Inequality in Later Life

Based on ethnographic research in the unique archipelagic space of the Azores, Dora Sampaio has crafted a stunningly original account of the intersections between ageing and migration. Her study of three later-life migrant groups provides an object-lesson in comparative, multi-sited research geared to two of the important global demographic processes of our time: migration and ageing” ----Russell King, University of Sussex, UK. “At a time when migration in later life is growing globally, Migration, Diversity and Inequality in Later Life: Ageing at a Crossroads offers a comprehensive guide to understanding ageing and later-life migration in transnational context. Dora Sampaio brings clarity to the diversity and inequality in later life and the complexity of later-life migration decision-making” ---Maria Lucinda Fonseca, University of Lisbon, Portugal. “This book shines a bright light on the neglected intersection of migration and ageing, and eventually death. It illustrates the contrasting experiences of different groups of later life migrants who are united in their pursuit of ‘good ageing’ but sharply divided in having the resources to achieve this. Dora Sampaio combines theoretical insights with the, often joyous and sometimes painful, stories of individuals in a compelling account which blends reason and affect in a benchmark study” ---Allan Williams, University of Surrey, UK. This book is the first comprehensive ethnographic study of the diversity of living and ageing experiences of three groups of older migrants – return, lifestyle and ageing-in-place labour migrants – from a comparative perspective. It explores the motivations, ageing experiences and aspirations of transnational ageing migrants in the context of the Portuguese islands of the Azores and situates the research within debates of the ageing-migration nexus. Thebook’s interdisciplinary approach to transnational embodied and emplaced experiences of ageing facilitates a dialogue between various fields concerned with ageing and mobilities, including geography, anthropology, sociology, social gerontology, social work, and studies of health and wellbeing. Dora Sampaio is Assistant Professor at the Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Utrecht University, the Netherlands, and a Research Associate with the Max Planck Research Group ‘Ageing in a Time of Mobility’.