Paper short abstract:

Migration research relies on analytical categories to differentiate various types of migration and migrants. I question the use of the analytical categories of regular and irregular migration through Senegalese (returned) migrants’ and their families’ and friends’ perceptions and self-designations.

Paper long abstract:

Migration research heavily relies on analytical categories to differentiate various forms of migration and types of migrants. Yet, they often fail to grasp migrants’ own perceptions. In this paper, I question the use of the analytical categories of regular and irregular migration through Senegalese (returned) migrants’ and their families’ and friends’ perceptions and self-designations based on about 90 interviews and fieldwork conducted in Senegal, Italy and Germany between 2019 and 2021. Senegalese migrants use different modes and routes of migrating during their trajectories to Europe. Depending on their location and duration of stay, their legal status may be considered irregular or regular by states. Nevertheless, I find that Senegalese migrants use categories referring to mobility and less to a legal status. I argue that people’s self-perception does not change according to a changing legal status. Senegalese migrants call themselves „bitim rew“ or „tukkikat“ in Wolof, meaning „someone who is outside of the home country“ and „traveler“. They perceive their legal status mostly in relation to their possibilities of traveling, especially back to Senegal to visit family and friends. More generally, I suggest to take migrants’ own categories more into consideration in migration research because they can provide more analytical depth than and serve as an addition to well-established analytical categories, especially regarding people’s own understandings of migration and the meaning of being a migrant.