Cligett- Wharton

"Remitting the Gift" raised various questions in my mind as to the relationship between the migrant and his or her natal family. The article is looking at migrant gifting in order to "understand the core of investing in social relations through remitting practices,"(35). However, in the Introduction, it is revealed that most migrants in Africa do not have surplus income (36); that being said, what then inspires migration from one's natal family? In other regions of the world, such as South and Central America, West Africa, and Asia, families often operate as a "corporate social unit," (36), sending out migrant laborers to bolster the economic well-being of the home community. If migrants in Zambia are only able to send back "small gifts" to maintain kin ties (36), then what motivates migrant individuals to leave the home community in the first place?
In the "Migration Studies and the Role of Remittances" section, it says "Often, the Zambian literature documents an absence of remitting all together," (37), again- what does this statement say about the relationship between migrants and natal families in Zambia? Does the dominant condition of poverty (39) in this region of Africa prevent the Zambian family from operating as a "corporate social unit" (36) and impinge upon the relationships between migrant and natal family? Throughout the article, gift remitting is described as a necessary process for "establishing mutual recognition" (37) between the migrant and communities at home, but if remitting is frequently absent, how important is this mutual recognition in the overall culture of Zambia? Once people leave home, are they usually inclined to return? The dynamic between the migrant and natal family is clearly unique in Zambia; the lack of documentation on remitting practices leads me to question how much of a bond usually remains between an individual and his or her family once they leave the home.
However, in the "Ethnographic Insight from Zambia" section, the relationship between some migrants and sending communities is described as an interdependency that is critical for the survival of both the migrant and the sending community (39). In such cases of interdependency, how is the decision of which individual will leave the natal family or home community made? Does leaving the family correspond to any particular age? Is there any sort of ceremony involved in leaving the home community? And what social networks exist in terms of pointing the migrant individual in the right direction to find work?