How much freedom for human beings in the context of migration? Structure and agency in the lives of recently arrived migrants: towards a conceptual framework and an agenda for research

A substantial number of migration studies examine theoretical arguments for migratory decisions. By contrast, understanding how structure and agency shape the life-course developments of migrants in western host societies is a rather uncharted territory. In this paper, we develop a theoretical framework for describing and assessing the life-course developments of migrants and their capacity for agency. We review selected literature, starting from the classical structure-agency debate and the challenges this discussion poses. We mainly build on insights from the capability approach, the life-course perspective and diverse theories of action. We illustrate the framework by narratives of extra-European migrants’ lives in the first years after their arrival in Belgium, collected by qualitative interviews. Finally, we develop a research agenda. We argue that a longitudinal and multidimensional life-course perspective is needed that accounts for the highly institutionalised nature of the opportunities and risks upon which migrants act in diverse ways after arrival. In line with the capability approach, policies can best be assessed in terms of individuals’ autonomy to live their life as valued by themselves. In particular, the conditions for agency and its transformative capacity are worth discussing.