Mobility of humans (Doreen Massey)

Doreen Massey, a British social scientist and geographer, says that if history is about time, geography is about space, not ‘outer space’ but the space within which we all live. And in this space, there are lots of stories being weaved at any point in time, at every point in the space there is some story which is taking place.

People today are taking flights and moving across continents, there is international trade happening between countries that are located in different continents. Massey says globalization has increased the communication between people in varied locations, globalization today spans boundaries, forging relations across regions around the world. She also says that all these relations are also filled with power, but she also asks an important question – “are all those relations filled with equal power?”

The big cities often become important sites of movement and migration as it attracts peoples from different cultures and environments. So, for example, Mumbai is the financial capital of India and home to several top organizations, financial and media institutions. The city attracts migrant workers from across India, it attracts a lot of investments and also generates a lot of power. But this power is not distributed equally among the various social groups living here. And this is true not just of Mumbai, but many other regions around the world.

Doreen Massey says that movement of people is actually a complex process, and there are a lot of differences observed across the various social groups. Firstly, there are differences in the degree of movement, so some people may move small distances where others may move greater geographical distances. Secondly, there are differences in the degree of control and initiation of these movements. So, Massey says that while people are moving, some of them have greater control over their movements, whereas others don’t have much control over their movements.

So for example, if you consider the rich, the more privileged, the industrialists, the big businessmen, these are the people who manage big businesses, take decisions around expansion and investments. While such people also travel a lot and undergo lot of movement geographically, most of the time they are more in control of their own movement and are in a position to initiate and control movement. Not only are they in charge of their own movements, they also have control over the movements of other people – for example, the employees and workers.

On the other hand, at the other end of the spectrum are the employees, daily wage workers, migrant workers who do not have much control over their movements. The plight of migrant workers was seen recently during the Coronavirus pandemic in India, when many of the were stuck at one place during the lockdown, and were unable to migrate despite they wanting to. Similarly, there are a lot of people who relocate to different cities in search of job opportunities, and work for various industries. There is another category of people who wish to migrate to a foreign country with the hope of leading a better life. Many of these, especially the educated lot, are a in a better position compared to the migrants, as some of them are in a position to choose their destinations. So, the point is, there are a lot of people who do a lot of geographical movement but are not really in charge of their movements.

Massey says that as of now, one can see an unequal distribution of power; this unequal distribution of power within the society is giving rise to a more Egalitarian (classless society), where power is confined in the hands of just a few, whereas the others do not have much control over their lives and their movements. Globalisation has caused things to speed up, and also to spread out; things are moving faster, they are moving out (movement), and this movement is often towards financial centres, which are often the hub of power. Massey says that globalisation of social relations is playing an important part in the unequal geographical development.

India, despite having a population of 130 crore people, most of the jobs are available only in a few cities across India – the few metro cities and a few more emerging big cities. Most of the migration of people happens from the villages and the smaller town to these big cities, mostly in search of work. Even within the cities, you have residential locations that are considered more ‘posh’ (premium) where the rich and the famous live, whereas the outskirts or the suburbs are meant for the more common people. So, one can see that most of the power is confined in few select cities and regions, and even within these regions there are select pockets where most of the power resides. Massey is also against using the terms ‘developing’ and ‘underdeveloped’ countries as it makes people think that they are inferior to those in the ‘developed’ countries and they have to aim to become like the West, which may not be the right thing to do.

Massey also thinks that it is not just about one set of people moving more than others and having more control over their own movement, what she is worried about more is that in the modern world, this mobility and control of some groups of people has an impact on the other section; they might actually be weakening the other set of people, who might already be very weak.

Doreen Massey has closely examined the nature of mobility of humans, especially in the era of globalization, and tries to make sense of what it means to human beings. Massey says that we all should start looking at geographical space as a dimension that is full of relations with power attached to it, and as a place where there is multiplicity of the world – where different things are happening at different places in the world at any given time. Massey says thinking in this manner will present several political questions primarily because the power is not distributed equally through the space and through the various relations, and this could help us make the world a better place to live in.

References

Massey, D. 1994. “A Global Sense of Place.” In Space, Place and Gender, 146–55. Minneapolist, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

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