S9. Transnational professionals: mobility, status, identity

Abstract

Transnational professionals have been the subject of research as an increasingly important yet ambiguous group in the last decades. Transnational professional elites not only work in multinational companies and institutions in their home countries but also possess knowledge, resources, know-how and skill sets that transcend national borders. Physicians, lawyers, engineers, academics, architects, and other professionals are the leading groups in this context. As the migration of professionals from the Global South is becoming increasingly diversified, there is also phenomenon of return migration of skilled labor from West.

This panel invites current studies on transnational professional elites. The key overarching question is how the working conditions, professional identities and trajectories of these professionals vary in terms of social and spatial mobility. Is there a one-way flow from so-called underdeveloped to so-called developed countries? To what extent do official regulations and market conditions, which vary from country to country, integrate or exclude professionals? How are professionals' identities, ethics and habitus structured in transnational socialization and working conditions? How are the elite positions of professionals in terms of income, education and status shaped and changed by migration? We invite theoretical or empirical contributions, including comparative studies, whether focusing on a specific profession or on a particular country or region where professional migration patterns occur.

Organizer

Elyesa Koytak, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Turkey, elyesa.koytak@medeniyet.edu.tr.

Brief bio

Elyesa Koytak is a sociologist working at Istanbul Medeniyet University, Department of Sociology. His sociological studies focus on professions, social stratification and mobility, especially health and legal professions. His book Transformation of Profession: Doctors and Lawyers received the Turkish Academy of Sciences Scientific Book Award in 2023.