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6. Practices of connecting and disconnecting – negotiations of social relations between migrants and non-migrants
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289 6 Practices of Connecting and Disconnecting Negotiations of Social Relations between Migrants and Non-Migrants Prevalent imaginaries and imageries of “the West” and “a life abroad” and a certain opacity related to experiences and life realities of migrants can lead to conflicting views and even tensions between communication partners, between those abroad and those “at home” in Cameroon. Here I intend to make a link back to chapter 2. All the dimensions of agency are concerned here, however, in particular from the view of migrants, their judgement of the situation often leads to a re-evaluation of social ties and practices in the transnational context. As New Media offer enhanced opportunities to stay in contact, they also enhance expectations, and similarly, they may support feelings of deception and deprivation, when expectations are not fulfilled, as I have described previously. I have related to New Media as tools for social networking as well as to the experience of closeness, or its opposite, dwindling connections when social ties are mediated over distance – geographical, social, and emotional distance. In this sense, practices of New Media use not only serves to connect, but at the same time people – and in particular migrants - adopt practices of New Media use in a sense of “disconnecting” – or avoiding liveness, as I have described it in the previous chapter, in order to deal with demands and claims from their kin and friends in Cameroon. However, I want to explore disconnecting in particular as another dimension of mediated interpersonal social relationships – practices, which concern differing notions of what it means to be connected over distance. Underlying here are notions of legitimacies of social mobility, success and respective claims, related to from the different perspectives of migrants and non-migrants. In this chapter, I will relate particularly to guiding question 3, how sociality is negotiated in regard to the opportunities for liveness offered by New Media technologies. Specifically these examinations are then related to the 3rd sub-question regarding frictions and tensions which can occur in social relationships due to their mediation. I will specifically integrate the 290 view of migrants here, and the interviews I have conducted among Cameroonian migrants in Switzerland. Migrants, non-migrants, and generations – conflicting views and colliding interests In the following subchapter I want to relate to colliding interests of different generations, as well as migrants and non-migrants. Frictions and tensions have always existed, but they have gained importance under conditions of being in close contact, also in situations of physical absence. Hardin (1993) relates to Gidden’s (1984) conflicting models of orientation, concerning the deliberately taking over of social roles, positions, and actions “(…) that individuals determine to be in their own best interest.” (Hardin 1993:39). Social roles orientate themselves to respective social norms, which ought to be performed and reproduced through them: importantly norms of sociality and solidarity. Under transformed conditions and alternative pathways and notions of success, such norms might be newly interpreted and renegotiated. Youth,tensionsbetweengenerationsandthestruggleforinfluence In regard to the relations between generations, historical issues and developments could play a role, influencing today’s relations between generations. Argenti relates to collective experiences and memories in the Grassfields going back to the times of upheaval. According to him, prevalent distrust and suspicion between the generations might partly be based on the deep rooted antagonism that was risen at the time when chiefs and elders traded youth as slaves or later on as enforced labour forces to the coast (Argenti 2007:5,23). Also Warnier attests to a “deep feeling of hostility” prevalent in Grassfields societies, especially in regard to relationships between young men and their fathers, involved in conflicts related to succession or marriage – and access to resources in general (Warnier 1996:120, Pradelles de Latour 1994). The struggle with colonial powers was used by youth as an opportunity to gain emancipation from elders. “In order to achieve autonomy, young men similarly used Christianity, salaried work, military service, skilled work, even mass migration. Their acceptance onto the colonial scene led to conflicts between elders and minors”. (Bayart 1993:113). However, this [44.192.107.255] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 09:07 GMT) 291 emancipation should not be overemphasized, since, as I have mentioned in chapter 2, monetary remittances were important topics during colonial times, and youth who migrated for salaried work were tied into social networks of duties to support their extended families in their villages of origin, trying to keep migrants in their service. However, youth also try...