Paper short abstract:

The names 'migrant' and 'Cape Verdean of diaspora' are examined as important indicators of current frameworks of representation and action in the social world of Cape Verdean migration, management of otherness and identities and modes of social hierarchy among actors and politicians

Paper long abstract:

The categories of classification mobilized by social and political actors to define and capture others, form a particularly important subject of study in the field of migration in that the categorization provides frameworks for representation and action on the social world. In this paper, we explore the denominations assigned to the subjects of mobility and its link with collective identities attributed to them historically. We examine the application forms of the denominatios "migrant" and "Cape Verdean of diaspora" to the subjects of Cape Verdean mobility, taking them as important indicators of the framework of this population on the social labels corresponding to the social roles and positions established within and outside of Cape Verde. We emphasize the cognitive and practical dimensions in which individuals are thought and perceived. The diversity of situations in which the denominations are used reflects the central role of categorization in identity construction at different levels: that of inter-individual relationship (social contacts), the collective representations and the relationship between the administrative and scientific institutions, as reported by Martiniello and Simon (2008)