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Starting a new life in the South? Swiss, Dutch and Flemish ageing in Morocco: a lifecourse perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2021

Claudio Bolzman Open the ORCID record for Claudio Bolzman [Opens in a new window] ,
Tineke Fokkema ,
Ibrahima Guissé  and
Danique van Dalen
Claudio Bolzman*
Affiliation:
Department of Social Work (Hets), University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES-SO), Genève, Switzerland
Tineke Fokkema
Affiliation:
Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute-KNAW, University of Groningen, The Hague, The Netherlands Department of Public Administration and Sociology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Ibrahima Guissé
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Danique van Dalen
Affiliation:
Department of Political and Social Sciences, Institute of Sociology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
*
*Corresponding author. Email: claudio.bolzman@hesge.ch
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Abstract

This article focuses on European migrants living in Morocco and now near retirement or retired. Using a lifecourse approach we are interested in whether their timing of migration to Morocco made a difference in terms of their motivations to settle there and subsequently with the social relationships at the destination. To this end, we conducted 36 biographical interviews with Swiss, Dutch and Belgian Flemish migrants aged 50 and older. Findings show the relevance of a lifecourse perspective for international migration studies. Early adulthood migrants to Morocco had no strong obligations in their home country and were ready to explore new affective or professional experiences in a new country. They had the time to discover and find a place in Moroccan society and to develop long-lasting social relationships with kin and non-kin. Middle-adulthood migrants moved with the intention of rapidly accessing a higher standard of living thanks to the tourism economy, with hedonistic perspectives in a setting with a better climate. Their social life is limited to interaction with business clients and a few like-minded migrants from Europe, and their communication with personnel is a daily challenge. Most late-in-life migrants experienced disruptive life events before migrating, and expected to find in Morocco a second chance to build a better life. They generally move in select circles of European expatriates.

Keywords

ageing migrantsMoroccolifecourselife eventstiming of migrationlinked lives
Type
Special Issue Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 41 , Special Issue 6: New Frontiers in International Retirement Migration , June 2021 , pp. 1240 - 1266
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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