Between Rejecting and Adventuring: The Evolutionary Phases of Egyptians’ Irregular Migration to Europe and the Geographical Analysis of Its Flows

Document Type : Original Article

Author

1 Lecturer of Human Geography - Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University Egypt

2 Associate Professor of Human Geography - Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Humanities, Taibah University Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study examines the evolutionary phases of Egyptians’ irregular migration to Europe and analyses its flows geographically. Although this paper employs a single case study methodology, it is comparative in its approach, because it focusses on Egypt’s case and compares each evolutionary phase of Egyptians’ irregular migration to Europe with the next, or Egypt’s case with North Africa. Additionally, both historical and behavioural methodologies were used to analyse the phenomenon. It builds on various data sources to cover all phases and types of Egyptians’ irregular migration to Europe. In addition to the government statistics, it builds on the author’s fieldwork that applied the snowball technique and in-depth interviews. Both chi-square tests and trendline equations were employed in the analysis. The findings show that the real beginnings of the crisis of Egyptians’ irregular migration to Europe were initiated in 1979; imposing new obstacles and heightening old ones in Europe in the 1990s did not stop this migration; although phase four (2002-2014) was marked by adventure and dangers, it represented a flourishing phase and comprised multiple flows; there was significant evidence of an association between the destination countries and the origin areas. The study concluded that the greater the deterioration of economic conditions in the origin country of irregular migrants, the greater the insistence of the migrants to overcome intervening obstacles.

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