The roots of Corsican and Martinican emigration: understanding the role of local mobility through the lens of migration contexts

Tania MOUTAI, Sciences Po (Paris)

This article explores the relationship between intra-regional residential mobility and emigration from Corsica and Martinique to mainland France. While international emigration is sometimes preceded by migration within the national territory (King et al., 1997; Wong, 2000; Bakewell and Jónsson, 2011), this study focuses on the articulation of these two forms of mobility in island contexts. Using data from the 2019 population census and 55 semi-structured interviews conducted between 2023 and 2024, both on the islands concerned and, on the mainland, the analysis shows that, although the barriers to emigration are higher from Martinique than from Corsica, Martinique is one of the regions most affected by emigration, while Corsica is little affected. Paradoxically, these two regions have in common a low rate of local residential mobility. While these findings might suggest that there is no link between internal mobility and emigration in Martinique and Corsica, the article highlights the complex relationships between these two forms of movement. These interactions may be substitutive, catalytic, alternating or preliminary in nature. The dynamics thus revealed highlight the complexity of mobility trajectories in these island contexts, offering a nuanced perspective on how individuals navigate between local mobility and emigration.

Keywords: Internal Migration and Urbanization, Mixed methods research, Inequality, Disadvantage and Discrimination

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