The Place of Migration in the Deepening Divergence of Socioeconomic Class in Uganda

International audience ; This article proposes to investigate derogatory stereotypes pertaining to migrants that have been constructed in postcolonial Uganda and the impact, economic or otherwise, of these representations on the deepening divergences and discriminatory tendencies occurring between migrants and non-migrants. These are linked to Uganda’s insertion in the international scene as a migrant sending state and the permeation of diaspora ties (RUTAREMWA, 2011). With the growing tendency of migrants to live transnationally and send remittances to their families, migrants and migrant families have been portrayed as belonging to a different socioeconomic category than their non-migrant counterparts. These notions run counter to the selectiveness of the migration process reinforced by concentration of power and wealth in only a few hands, which is considered an inextricable part of the migrant processes of post-independence Uganda. This article reflects on how the emergent livelihoods of migrants have been (and continue to be) “communalized” by society. This has formed part of the emerging class identities and given rise to institutions that fraction mobility experiences. Adopting an analysis of secondary data and interviews in Uganda, this article navigates the construction of classes such as the “nkuba kyeyo” versus the portrayal of migrants as part of a “global elite class” in society. ; Cet article propose d’étudier les stéréotypes péjoratifs ayant émergés dans l’Ouganda post-colonial et qualifiant les migrants, ainsi que l’impact, économique ou autre, de ces représentations sur les écarts toujours plus grands et les tendances discriminatoires qui se développent entre les migrants et les non-migrants. Ces représentations découlent de la nouvelle place que l’Ouganda tient sur la scène internationale en tant que pays d’émigration et de la perméabilité des liens entretenus avec la diaspora (RUTAREMWA 2011). De par la tendance croissante des migrants à vivre entre deux pays et à envoyer de l’argent à leurs ...