Migratory Utilitarianism and Temporary Migration Programs. A Comparative Study of OFII Contracts (France) and Contratos en Origen (Spain)

Abstract

Based on our theses on the agricultural labor markets in Provence and Andalusia (Décosse, 2011; Hellio, 2014), this article proposes a reflection on contemporary migration utilitarianism. By comparing OFII contracts and contratos en origen, we compare two differently gendered variations of the same utilitarian model of foreign workers’ management: the temporary migration program (TMP). The article shows how these migratory architectures based on an assignment to circulate are esta-blished on an articulation between seasonal wage employment on the one hand and the peasant and/or domestic economy in the country of origin on the other. The study then briefly retraces the genealogy of these arrangements and focus on the concepts created to ensure their renewal at the turn of the century. At the end of a demonstration that combines an empirical investigation in the agricultural sector and a socio-historical approach, it is proposed a theoretical definition of TMPs as archetypes of migratory utilitarianism.